The Craft
Every piece at House of Vanika is a handloom Banarasi in pure silk, woven with zari. Here is how the cloth is made, and how to read it.
Built thread by thread.
Banarasi is a silk weaving tradition rooted in Varanasi. On the handloom, zari and silk are woven together, so each motif is built into the cloth thread by thread rather than printed on it.
Because the pattern is woven rather than printed, the back of a Banarasi shows the floats of its zari and silk: a quiet record of how the cloth was made.
Jaal, buttis and meenakari.
Jaal is an all-over trellis of vines and flowers. Buttis and buttas are small and larger woven motifs scattered across the body. Meenakari is coloured thread woven in alongside the zari, often to pick out petals and borders.
Look for these in each piece. Small irregularities are the mark of the hand, not flaws.
Your private viewing.
See the exact piece live, with time to explore its colour, border and weave. Request a personal viewing on WhatsApp; we will arrange a suitable time.