Hand-woven jacquard silk mashroo in silver with hand-embroidered khajuri flower buttons.

Made in Ahmedabad, India.

Silk mashroo woven by hand on pit looms in Old Patan.

60% silk 40% cotton. Dry clean only.

Brief history of the silk mashroo textile:

Mashroo is one of the oldest and finest textiles in India. It is said to have been developed during the 14th century. Mashroo was created to conform to the tenets of Islam which forbade silk to touch the skin. Weavers developed a fabric with a silk warp and cotton weft, where the cotton lays beneath and grazes the skin, while the silk floats on top. This enabled the ruling Islamic nobility to flaunt and wear the luxurious sheen of silk without breaking religious law.

Mashroo became a widely popular export to the Ottoman Empire. In Patan, Hindu merchants and traders also took a liking to this fabric and created adaptations of certain typical motifs, colors and tie-dye.