A conversation with our weaving partners
If you've noticed handloom saree prices creeping up this year, you're not imagining it — and we're not going to pretend it isn't happening.
We recently sat down with one of our long-time weaving partners to talk honestly about what's changing on the ground. The short answer: silver.
Zari — the metallic thread woven into Banarasi and so many of our silk sarees — is priced against silver and gold. And this year, silver alone has moved dramatically. As our partner put it, a bundle of zari that used to cost ₹8,000–10,000 is now running closer to ₹25,000. That's not a markup. That's the raw material itself.
What this means for pricing — and for trust
We know this creates a real, human problem: if you bought a saree from us last year at one price, and see a similar piece priced higher today, it can feel confusing — even like something's off. It isn't.
It's the same honest handloom, made the same way, by the same hands — just woven with thread that costs three times what it did before.
We'd rather tell you this plainly than let you wonder. Real handloom means real materials, sourced transparently, priced honestly — even when that honesty is inconvenient.
This is what "authentic" actually looks like
It's easy for a saree to say handloom. It's harder to show you the actual cost pressures artisans face, season to season. We think that transparency is part of what making — and buying — real handloom should mean.
