The Parvai Process

Welcome back to our blog! We have so much joy in putting together our collection of textile works and sharing our journey with you. We grant great attention and detail to every step of the process to ensure the best quality for the final product, in addition to ensuring that our weavers and artisans are respected for the work they do.

All our projects start with robust research and inspiration. Good projects have a heart when they are produced from a place of genuine, untethered inspiration. We seek to educate ourselves daily about new motifs, weaves, and designs along with drawing inspiration from the world around us. From nature to ancient Indian architecture; we try to infuse our work with meaningful inspiration that serves our creative side and enables us to create bespoke saris with a contemporary sensibility. The inspiration serves to guide all aspects of the creation process for a specific sari, from its structure to the naming.

Once we’ve settled on an idea, we proceed to brainstorm more of the technical aspects of the finished piece, such as the designs for the body, border, pallu, and blouse. We translate this into paper design drafts and then software drafts that allow our weavers in India to create a blueprint for how the warp and weft are to be laid on the loom. The design swatches, final images for the drape, and instructions for construction are all shared with the weavers who make our vision possible.

Our designs are then translated either into a Jacquard punch card or Adai, which is a structure in the loom that allows different warp threads (vertical threads on a loom) to be lifted for designs with increasing complexity. Simultaneously, the threads for the sari are being purchased, dyed, dried, sized, and being prepared to be threaded on the loom and shuttle.

Once these individual components are all ready, the weaver sits at the loom to bring the sari to life. When you purchase a sari from The Parvai Shop you will be rewarded with the knowledge of who wove your sari, how long it took, and everything about the motif, color, and materials used for its construction. You can find all this information on the product page when you purchase a sari.

It’s not often that we get to hear or see the process of construction for a piece of fabric. When you’ve experienced the journey and understand its complexity and challenges, you begin to value each moment spent on the rhythmic movements of the loom that ultimately reveals a finished garment.

When weaving, each motion is made with intention. Each design, motif, and thread is laid with attention and thoughtfulness. We believe the consumer ought to know that. That’s what makes weaving a beautiful craft for us.