Textile news
WeaversGujarat: Centre looks to expand global market access for Kutch artisans and traditional craftsExhibitionsSwadesh collaborates with Mayyur Girotra to celebrate India's rich textile traditionsWeavesThe Grand Handloom Fair 2026 (Nov 14–23): Insider Guide to Free Entry, Weaves & Survival TipsBangladeshProtecting intellectual property in Bangladesh with a special focus on JamdaniHeritageKarigar Bazaar JLN Stadium 2026: Dates, Free Entry & GuideHandloomHow Aikyatha is Connecting Kanchipuram Silk Weavers With a New Generation Of Saree BuyersFashion​The saree that came with a family legacy: Sonia Gandhi's wedding drape came with a Nehru connectionWeaversWeek-long district-level handloom expo 'Tana Bana' begins in West KamengWeaversSamant Chauhan’s Couture Calculus: Craft, Commerce and GrowthWeavesFrom a 50-year-old heirloom sari to a custom Kanchipuram, this bride's wedding wardrobe celebrated Indian craftsmanshipWeaversGujarat: Centre looks to expand global market access for Kutch artisans and traditional craftsExhibitionsSwadesh collaborates with Mayyur Girotra to celebrate India's rich textile traditionsWeavesThe Grand Handloom Fair 2026 (Nov 14–23): Insider Guide to Free Entry, Weaves & Survival TipsBangladeshProtecting intellectual property in Bangladesh with a special focus on JamdaniHeritageKarigar Bazaar JLN Stadium 2026: Dates, Free Entry & GuideHandloomHow Aikyatha is Connecting Kanchipuram Silk Weavers With a New Generation Of Saree BuyersFashion​The saree that came with a family legacy: Sonia Gandhi's wedding drape came with a Nehru connectionWeaversWeek-long district-level handloom expo 'Tana Bana' begins in West KamengWeaversSamant Chauhan’s Couture Calculus: Craft, Commerce and GrowthWeavesFrom a 50-year-old heirloom sari to a custom Kanchipuram, this bride's wedding wardrobe celebrated Indian craftsmanship
EveryPallu

All sarees

161 sarees so far, best known first. 42 more are on the list to be written.

🇮🇳 India and 1 moreSariसाड़ी An unstitched cloth draped over the body, worn across the Indian subcontinentCotton · Brocade · Ikat 🇮🇳 IndiaKachchh shawl A dense wool wrap from Kutch, woven in two panels and joined with a fish stitchWool · Tie-dye · Embroidery 🇮🇳 IndiaPhool Patti ka Kaam An appliqué and embroidery craft of Uttar Pradesh, once used for women's sarisCotton · Appliqué · Embroidery 🇮🇳 India and 1 moreTant sari A light, see-through cotton saree from Bengal with a heavy borderCotton · Jamdani · Embroidery 🇧🇩 Bangladesh and 1 moreNakshi kanthaনকশি কাঁথা An embroidered quilt from Bengal, stitched from old sarees with a simple running stitch.Cotton · Kantha · Embroidery 🇮🇳 India and 2 moreMadras A light handwoven cotton cloth of bright checks, named after the city of ChennaiCotton · Checks and stripes · Embroidery 🇮🇳 IndiaChikankariچِکن کاری (Urdu) / चिकनकारी (Hindi) A hand embroidery from Lucknow, usually white thread on light fabric.Cotton · Embroidery · Block print 🇮🇳 IndiaChanderi sari A fine silk or cotton sari woven in Chanderi, Madhya Pradesh, with zari motifsSilk · Brocade · Zari work 🇮🇳 IndiaChattayum mundumചട്ടയും മുണ്ടും A two-piece white cotton dress of Kerala's Syrian Christian womenCotton · Embroidery 🇮🇳 IndiaLanga voniలంగా వోణి A South Indian half sari: a string-tied skirt and a short diagonal upper clothSilk · Embroidery · Mirror work 🇮🇳 IndiaPipili appliqué workଚାନ୍ଦୁଆ A stitched-cloth craft from Pipili, Odisha, born to dress the chariots of JagannathCotton · Appliqué · Embroidery 🇮🇷 Iran and 4 moreZardoziزردوزی Heavy gold and silver metal embroidery on silk, satin or velvet, from Iran to IndiaSilk · Embroidery · Zari work 🇮🇳 India and 1 moreMundu A cotton garment wrapped around the waist in Kerala and the MaldivesCotton · Embroidery 🇮🇳 IndiaGota patti An appliqué embroidery from Rajasthan that stitches shiny ribbon into patterns on clothAppliqué · Embroidery 🇮🇳 IndiaKhara Dupattaکھڑا دوپٹہ A six-yard embroidered net veil draped over a wedding ensemble in HyderabadNet · Embroidery · Zari work 🇮🇳 IndiaPhanekꯐꯅꯦꯛ A wrapped skirt worn by Meitei women in Manipur, woven with patterned stripesMuga · Checks and stripes · Embroidery 🇮🇩 IndonesiaSumba textiles Ikat cloths and tube skirts from a small island in eastern Indonesia, woven by womenIkat · Embroidery 🇮🇩 IndonesiaBalinese textiles The woven cloths of Bali, from sacred double ikat to gold-dusted ceremony wearCotton · Ikat · Brocade 🇧🇩 Bangladesh and 5 moreLungiলুঙ্গি A tube of cotton tied at the waist, worn by men across South Asia and beyondCotton · Checks and stripes · Batik 🇮🇳 IndiaBanarasi sari Fine silk sari from Varanasi, patterned with zari and woven on foot-powered loomsSilk · Brocade · Zari work 🇮🇳 IndiaBanarasi sari A heavy silk brocade saree woven with gold and silver zari in VaranasiSilk · Brocade · Zari work 🇵🇰 PakistanSindhi embroideryسنڌي ٿرت Needlework and mirror embroidery crafted across the desert communities of SindhEmbroidery · Mirror work 🇮🇳 IndiaKutch embroidery Mirror-set hand embroidery from Kutch district, Gujarat, worked mainly by womenCotton · Embroidery · Mirror work 🇮🇳 IndiaShaphee Lanphee A black Manipuri shawl with red borders, embroidered by hand with animals, sun and starsCotton · Embroidery 🇮🇳 IndiaSari-inspired dress A sewn Western dress that borrows the sari's drape, colour and ornamentSilk · Embroidery 🇮🇩 Indonesia and 4 moreKebayaꦏꦼꦧꦪ A front-opening blouse worn across Southeast Asia with a sarong or kainCotton · Embroidery 🇮🇳 IndiaToda embroidery Red and black counted embroidery on white cotton, worked by Toda women of the NilgirisCotton · Embroidery 🇮🇳 IndiaKasuti Hand-counted embroidery from Karnataka, worked without knots on sarees and blousesEmbroidery 🇮🇳 IndiaLambada embroidery Mirror-and-cowrie hand embroidery by Banjara women of Karnataka and TelanganaAppliqué · Embroidery 🇲🇲 MyanmarLongyiလုံချည် A tube of cloth worn in Myanmar, folded at the waist without a knotCotton · Checks and stripes · Batik 🇮🇳 IndiaIlkal sari A Karnataka sari with a cotton body and a loop-joined silk palluCotton · Embroidery · Zari work 🇮🇳 IndiaSujini embroidery A Bihar quilt craft where women stitch stories with a simple running stitchCotton · Embroidery 🇮🇳 IndiaSurat zari Metal threads from Surat district for patterns in silk fabricsSilk · Zari work · Embroidery 🇬🇷 GreeceHimationἱμάτιον An ancient Greek wrap of wool or linen, draped without pins over a tunicWool · Embroidery · Hand painting 🇬🇷 GreeceChlamysχλαμύς An ancient Greek and Byzantine draped cloak made from a single rectangular clothWool · Embroidery 🇰🇭 Cambodia and 3 moreSbaiស្បៃ A shawl-like breast cloth derived from the sari, worn over one shoulder in Southeast AsiaSilk · Embroidery · Brocade 🇲🇷 Mauritania and 5 moreMelhfa A cotton rectangle wound from head to toe against desert sun, sand and coldCotton · Embroidery

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

The weekly drape

Every Monday: seven sarees you may not know, what is being worn this week, and one drape explained step by step.