Insights · Fashion

The five fabrics every Indian wardrobe should know

By Ketki Gupta17 May 20267 min read

Folded swatches of five Indian silks laid out on a wooden table

When I started designing, I thought the cut was the thing. Twenty years later I think the fabric is the thing. If the cloth is wrong, no cut will save it. If the cloth is right, the cut can be almost anything.

These are the five fabrics I would put in any new wardrobe, in roughly the order I would buy them. Not because they are the most expensive, but because they earn their place.

Banarasi silk

Woven on handlooms in Banaras for over five centuries. Real Banarasi is silk with silver-gilt zari woven directly in — not embroidered on top. It is the saree your grandmother had, and probably your great-grandmother too. Wears in beautifully. Pairs equally well with traditional jewellery for a wedding and with a clean modern haircut for a cocktail.

Kanjivaram silk

Heavier than Banarasi. Woven in Kanchipuram on traditional pit looms by three weavers per piece for the most complex sarees. The contrast pallu joined by korvai — the invisible seam — is the signature. If you only ever own one heirloom saree, this is it.

The five fabrics every Indian wardrobe should know

Banarasi silk

Kanjivaram silk

The five fabrics every Indian wardrobe should know

Banarasi silk

Kanjivaram silk

Chanderi

Tussar silk

Georgette

A note on what's missing

How to choose a Banarasi saree blouse in Australia

How to store silk sarees in Australia

How to choose a Banarasi dupatta in Australia