F ASHION Deeya Nayar-Nambiar MOTHERS cherish their SILK has its roots in the Kanjeevaram saris that have been a part of bridal trousseaus, their culture and tradition of daughters love silk embroidered India and has evolved with footwear, fathers pick up the silk kurtas for a wedding, and sons time to be used for designer save their silk ties for an evening clothes and even T-shirts party. Indeed, silk is the queen of textiles spelling luxury, class and comfort. Shirts, skirts, shawls, upholstery, ties, and footwear - if it is made of silk, it must be good. The touch of soft, smooth silk reflects elegance, winning hearts around the world. “India is the biggest consumer (approx 27,000 metric tonnes per annum) of silk in the world,” says Alok Kumar, assistant director of Central Silk Board and executive of Silk Mark in Mumbai, “though we’re only second to China as pro- ducers of silk.” It is interesting to note that India imports silk from China too as domestic demand outstrips supply. Moving from traditional saris to embroidered and painted designer wear, most silk manufac- turers in India are registered with Silk Mark, a quality assurance label that is an initiative of the Central Silk Board to help the consumers identify genuine, natural silk prod- ucts. The multi-coloured outfits in hand painted, block printed are further enhanced with zari work or sequins and embellishments. The embroidery work in some Queen Of Fabrics 36 | btw | 11 February 2008 silk saris have wonderful traditional with Kusuma. motifs in shades of blue, green, black and Mulberry silk reeled from domesticat- red. The manufacturers claim that the ed silkworms feeding on mulberry leaves colours in the embroidery are not affected reared in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, “even if you dye the sari in your favourite Tamil Nadu, Jammu and Kashmir and contrasting colours.” In fact, if you have a West Bengal and available as Pochampalli, light colour sari you can re-dye in another Kancheepuram and Banarasi is consid- dark colour and without affecting the ered natural silk. On the other hand, embroidery, you have a new sari ready. Jharkhand, Chattisgarh, Orissa and the Tribal prints are also a hot favourite and Northeastern states produce non-mulber- so are Kashmiri shawls and silk carpets. ry silks such as Tussar, Eri and Muga “Consumers ask for designer saris and called Vanya silk or wild silk. what makes them special are, they’re The shimmering golden Muga silk is exclusive handmade saris with unique exclusive to Assam and considered the designs. You’ll not find your friend or most expensive of silks. Produced by the neighbour owning the same,” emphasises muga silkworm, a caterpillar that feeds on Ruma Dutta Gupta of Mili saris and certain aromatic leaves and reared on dress materials in Kolkata. trees, Muga is an eco-friendly textile and The discovery of silk as a wearable its sheen increases with every wash. fibre is credited to Xi Ling Shi, the Despite keeping up with the times and 14-year-old bride of Emperor Huang changing its forms, the silk sari continues Ti of China. According to Confucius, to rule the roost. In India, silk saris domi- a silk cocoon that fell into her tea when nate 80-90 per cent of the market. Little she was sitting under a mulberry tree surprise then that when a silk sari woven slowly unravelled delicate fibres that were used to create a yarn for weaving. Such silk cocoons are protection that the silkworm spins in three to eight days around it. A single silk filament can reach up to 1000 yards. In sericulture farms, after the silkworms are reared, they preserve these filaments by heating the cocoons in water (the silkworm is killed in the process). This dissolves the outside gummy substance and it is joined and twisted with filaments of four to eight other cocoons to make a thread that is wound on a reel. Hyderabad-based Kusuma Rajaiah, the inventor and patent holder of Ahimsa Silk, had other plans. “Ahimsa silk is extracted after the silkworm has complet- ed metamorphosis and emerged from the cocoon. The Hindi word ‘ahimsa’ means non-violence. And since the fabric is manufactured in a process where silkworms are not killed, it’s also known with 12 valuable stones and metals as peace silk,” informs Kusuma. replicating 11 famous paintings of Raja Considering the increased awareness Ravi Varma was priced at Rs 40 lakh, it of animal protection around the world, created news and made space for itself Ahimsa silk is definitely a boon. Also, in The Guinness Book Of World Records. after weaving out extensive collections Silk matters to the economy of the that include everything from saris country and having its roots strong in and kurtas to skirts and crochet blouse, the culture and tradition of India, every Ahimsa Silks also takes pride in silk household has welcomed it despite T-shirts, an innovation that is a first changing fashions and styles. 11 February 2008 | btw | 37.