A Parvai Original

An exceptional pure silk organza sari bringing together two remarkable textile traditions: the fine weaving of Banaras and the generational knowledge of hand block printing in Bagru. Handwoven in fine silk, detailed with minute extra-weft motifs and subsequently hand block printed, each sari is individually conceived and created only once. There is no second piece.

Parvai’s Promise

At Parvai, a textile's value lies in its entirety: the quality of its material, the skill of its makers, the integrity of its process, and the thought behind its creation. This sari embodies that promise beautifully: an exceptional handwoven canvas, entrusted to exceptional printers, with neither craft compromised for the other. Made from fine 3-ply, 20–22 denier filiature mulberry silk, the organza is light, translucent and beautifully structured. Approximately ten days of pre-loom preparation and eighteen days of weaving precede its journey to Bagru, where another highly specialised process begins. At approximately 400 grams, the finished sari is remarkably light, luxurious and comfortable to drape.

Product

Handwoven by Mr Taleem in Bajardiha, Banaras, this pure silk organza sari takes inspiration from the magnificent shawls and patkas of the early 18th century and their sophisticated floral vocabulary. Across the translucent silk are tiny 2 cm extra-weft motifs, meticulously constructed and placed at precise, equidistant intervals on the pallu.  The woven sari is subsequently hand block printed, adding another layer of colour and pattern while allowing the beauty of the original weave to remain visible. The result is luxurious without excess, fine silk, intricate weaving and delicate printing brought together in an extraordinarily light and flattering sari. The sari measures 5.5 metres with an additional 1 metre blouse fabric, is approximately 45 inches wide and weighs around 400 grams. Each combination of weave, colour and print is produced as a single, unrepeated piece.

People

This sari carries the knowledge of artisans from two regions and two distinct craft traditions. In Banaras, Mr Taleem and his weaving team work with exceptionally fine silk, requiring mastery over yarn, tension, loom and the precise construction of minute extra-weft motifs.

The finished textile then passes into the hands of experienced traditional printers in Bagru, whose understanding of blocks, colour, pressure, placement and composition has been built through years, and often generations, of practice.

At Parvai, these makers are central to the value of the sari. Craft cannot be sustained through appreciation alone. It requires meaningful work, recognition of expertise and fair compensation for the extraordinary knowledge and time that handmade textiles demand.

Process

The sari begins in Banaras with approximately ten days of pre-loom preparation, followed by around eighteen days of weaving. Across the fine organza, tiny 2 cm extra-weft motifs are constructed and repeated at carefully measured intervals. Achieving this precision while retaining the translucence and delicacy of the silk requires considerable technical skill.

The completed sari then travels to Bagru, where experienced printers develop and match colours, select traditional blocks and carefully plan their placement around the woven motifs. Printing on such a fine and valuable handwoven textile leaves little room for error and requires both confidence and exceptional control.

The intention is never to cover the Banaras weave, but to complement and elevate it. Banaras brings mastery of silk and loom; Bagru brings mastery of colour and print. The finished sari is possible because these two bodies of knowledge come together.

Perspective

Print projects have always been among Parvai’s closest and most prestigious projects. We have the privilege of working with some of the finest traditional printers, carrying generations of knowledge in their hands, and these collaborations remain work we deeply enjoy.

Yet one question has always been fundamental to us: what are we printing on?

Too often, exceptional printing is executed on ordinary or poor-quality fabric. We wanted to bridge that gap by bringing exceptional printing and exceptional textiles together. If a master printer's knowledge is worthy of preservation, we believe the canvas receiving that work should be equally worthy. Doing this is not easy. Printers are understandably hesitant to work on expensive handwoven textiles because every hand-printing process carries the possibility of error or damage. At the other end, we ask our weavers to develop fabrics specifically for our print projects, often moving beyond standard market practices to achieve the strength, structure, fineness and surface we require. It demands experimentation and, above all, trust between the weaver, printer and Parvai. This sari represents that philosophy beautifully. We did not begin with an available fabric and add an extraordinary print to it. We first created an exceptional pure silk organza in Banaras, complete with its own intricate woven vocabulary, and then entrusted it to accomplished printers in Bagru. The weave must be extraordinary before it is printed. The print must elevate rather than disguise it. Bringing the two together is slower, more expensive and considerably more risky, but it allows us to create textiles where the quality of the canvas is equal to the quality of the craft placed upon it. That, for Parvai, is the perspective behind every truly exceptional print project.

Note:

This sari is entirely handmade. Subtle variations in the weave, motifs, colour and individual block impressions are intrinsic to these processes and are part of its character rather than defects. Colours may vary slightly between photographs and the physical textile due to lighting and screen settings.

Gentle hand wash separately in cold water with a mild detergent and dry away from direct sunlight.