The Journey of Silk

Silk, with its soft folds which brings back memories

of your grandmother’s warm caress, 
of sunlight afternoons,
festive evenings 
as the intervening years vanish 
and time’s broken thread runs whole again.

Silk has been integral to countless cultures and shaped the history of the world. 
The journey of masterpieces often starts small, perhaps with a single brushstroke or a scribbled lyric on a napkin in a coffee shop. The journey of an exquisite Kanjivaram silk saree also starts small; with a humble silkworm.

As silkworms munch on mulberry leaves and secrete the delicate thread of raw silk to craft its cocoon, we witness the transformation of this natural phenomena with human creation.
Right from the first step of the painstaking process, of unwinding the silk from the cocoon, the artisan has to maintain just the right balance of tension and slack to draw out a perfect, consistent thread of silk. Too fast, the silk breaks, too slow, it sticks to itself and becomes tangled. This dance of precision runs through all the techniques employed to create the perfect kanjivaram silk saree.

The next step of the journey allows the artisans to curate the colorful canvas of the saree with vibrant hues. The silk is dipped in vats of dye to render it in rich tones.

As the beauty of silk blossoms in the skilled hands of our artisans, they twist multiple silk threads together to increase their strength and create silk yarn. The smallest of differences in twisting techniques create vastly different styles of fabric, when turned tightly for sheer fabrics and loosely for thicker fabrics. 

The formidable process of the weaving begins with the saree being soaked in water overnight and woven wet to  prevent it from coiling on itself or tangling.
We know that each saree hosts a vast legacy and culture within it’s warp and weft and we value its power and beauty.  While in our modern era, the use of powerlooms can produce fabric nearly 10 times faster than the handloom, nothing compares to a soft glossy handloom saree. Weaving has traditionally been a family profession, with entire villages involved in creating a single intricate saree, we at Dakshinam want to bridge this gap between the artisans and the customer and celebrate the rich heritage of weaving in India.

The journey of the saree culminates as women across the country drape it on  to celebrate moments in their life's. As the sheen of the kanjivaram adds to your radiant shine, we create a piece to be an ode to Indian women, their strength, beauty and grace At Dakshinam we are humbled to be a part of the heritage and emotion that each saree signifies.