India, Aeshaane, ‘The Nivar’ Tussar Peace Silk Scarf

Product name: ‘The Nivar’ Tussar Peace Silk scarf

Beyond fair wages, each purchase positively impacts the livelihoods of artisans that made your product.

Type of product: Slow cloth – Scarves, shawls and wraps

Description (story of the item): We were just reeling under the aftermath of the cyclonic storm Nivar, that had crossed Chennai. Thankfully, there was no major destruction except for disrupted internet connectivity, which was a blessing in disguise, since we thoroughly got to enjoy the fantastic weather cooped up in our homes with loved ones and of course, masala chai! I was so inspired by all the damp foliage that lay around me the following morning, that I almost screamed with joy when I stepped onto the street. My eleven year old smiled when she saw my eyes light up, and without a word, promptly started collecting the fallen leaves. Together we placed them in various ways to create multiple patterns. Our go to colour has always been Ochre. Somehow a yellow has always been a must have! I was developing this design on video call with my artisans, and it was such an arduous, but fun task guiding the master printer, Ali bhai with the block placements. The two hour conversation was more like “Thoda left, nahi thoda right, beech main, haan theek hai!” (move it to the left, no right, stay in the centre, you got it!)

Fun fact - It’s really enjoyable and sometimes amusing to discuss colours with my boys. They come up with interesting names, like for instance it's ‘Ferozi’ for teal, ‘Badkilla’ (loud) for royal blue, and ‘Raat’ for midnight blue. The strangest one is what my colour master uses for ‘Canary yellow’. He can’t seem to pronounce Canary, so he decided to call it ‘Dirty yellow’! Now after so many years of working with him, I am so used to calling it dirty yellow myself, that I have to be extra cautious, my workshop jargon doesn’t travel with me. 

Artisan story - The network of silk farming is made up of mothers, grandmothers and sons, thereby making cocoon farming a family affair! There is an entire army of rural artisans behind creating this piece of art. Our Tussar silk cloth is a completely handmade artisan product, made by Ravi and his family, who've been weaving silk for the last three generations. They nurture their small dreams in a remote village called 'Bhagaiya'. His mother, 'Shivrani Devi' wakes up in the wee hours of the morning, to remove the fibres from the empty cocoons from which the worm has exited. Soon 'Dadi' (grandmother) takes over by gathering the yarns, and then 'Shanikumar' his brother, spins them by hand using the time-honoured 'Charkha' or the spinning wheel. Finally, to the most treasured part, where Ravi's father 'Shivshankar Ram' breathes life into the Ahimsa using the ancient heritage wooden loom. Each piece has taken at least a week to produce, excluding the harvesting and printing. Each piece is ethical, produced in a small batch and truly a fabric with a soul! Besides earning a fair income from their work, all our artisans have a sense of belonging, a place that they can call their own, that gives them a life filled with love, pride and dignity, where they can benefit from being together as a community. 

At Aeshaane, our artisans

- have a safe and flexible working environment

- Encouragement to use their own creativity

- Ability to work around their children

- Integration into an uplifting community

- Dignified work where their voices are heard

- Options to participate in workshops and other leadership activities 

Workshop - Each scarf is handmade at Aeshaane's in house workshop in a small village in Bengal, where our artisans share our values and produce in a fair way. We celebrate all that is slow, ethical and does not harm the people, animals or the planet. 

Materials: 100% Natural Tussar Peace Silk

Colour : Canary yellow and black

Variation in printing & color are hallmarks of hand block printing and dyeing in small batches. Here’s to celebrating blemishes, flaws, faulty and irregular.

Dyes - Azo-free non-toxic dyes

Handfeel - Light-mid weight, crisp, porous and rich texture, beautifully slubbed. Deep natural gold sheen that lends a lot of character, the more you wear and own them the softer and more endearing they become.

Properties- Tussar silk is cooler than the other varieties of silk, as it is a lot more porous, therefore, breathable. It is light, airy and comfortable. 

Origin - Much of it is produced in Bhagalpur, Bihar, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand. 

Measurements / size: L 210 cm W 68 cm

Natural selvedge on the long sides, Tassles on both ends

Availability / stock level: Dispatched in 21 business days.

In a world flooded with fast fashion merchandise that are discarded as quickly as they are purchased, we invite everyone to slow down and cherish garments that are made slowly and deliberately by artisans. At Aeshaane, we have put a lot of thought into handcrafting each piece with utmost care, dedication and patience. Incredible things are done simply by hand because we believe there is value in what we are trying to achieve. It’s very organic and slow, but that's our core strength. After all, 'Things of beauty have no fear of time'! Each piece is specially handcrafted for you, thereby reducing waste, since items are not produced in advance. Hence, we would be unable to accept returns, unless the piece is damaged or defective.