From the Founder
Bundles & Gift Sets
A complete heirloom — folded, signed, ribbon-tied. For the bride who wants the saree, the blouse, and the matching petticoat already tailored to her measurements. For the mother who wants to send a daughter-in-law something that does not require a second trip to a tailor in a new city. For the gift that arrives finished.
Each bundle is hand-packed at our Mumbai atelier in a sandalwood-lined box, with the weaver's name card, the authenticity passport, and a fall-and-edging done in-house. The blouse fabric is cut from the same warp as the saree — we never substitute. The petticoat is dyed to match the dominant ground colour.
Allow ten days for the tailoring; we will not rush a blouse.
Know What You're Wearing
A short course in this cloth
Three things every Danyah buyer should know before they fold this saree into a trousseau.
The Weave
What is included in a bundle?
Each Danyah bundle is a complete heirloom: the saree, an unmatching blouse, included piece cut from the same warp, a colour-matched petticoat fabric, the weaver's authenticity passport, and a sandalwood-lined gift box. For an additional charge, we tailor the blouse and petticoat to your measurements at our Mumbai atelier — please allow ten days for stitching.
Gift-set bundles include a personalised note card with the weaver's name, a care guide for the specific weave, and a ribbon-tied wax-sealed presentation. The recipient receives a fully wearable, fully finished saree — no separate trips to a tailor in a new city, no missing pieces.
Authenticate
How to identify an authentic piece
- The reverse test. Turn the saree over. On a true Banarasi the back of the brocade shows clean, individually tied weft threads at the edge of each motif. A power-loom print shows a smooth, machine-finished underside or long floating threads.
- The burn test (on a 2cm tassel only). Real silk burns to a fine ash, smells like burnt hair, and self-extinguishes. Art silk melts into a hard plastic bead and smells acrid.
- The zari test. Scrape a small section of zari with a fingernail. Real metallic zari reveals a silver core under the gilt. Plastic zari peels back to a coloured polyester thread.
- The passport. Every Danyah saree ships with an authenticity card listing the weaver's name, loom number, silk and zari composition, and a blockchain-logged serial.
Care
Care & longevity
- Dry clean only, sparingly. A Banarasi does not need cleaning after every wear. Air it inside-out in shade for a full day after wearing; clean only after every three to four uses.
- Fold along the loom line. Refold the saree every two months along a different crease to prevent the zari from cracking along a permanent fold. Store flat where possible.
- Wrap in undyed muslin. Never store directly in plastic or in a sealed bag — silk needs to breathe. A clean cotton mulmul wrap protects against moisture and oxidation of the zari.
- Tuck in a clove or two. Whole cloves and dried neem leaves keep silverfish and moths away without staining the cloth. Refresh every six months.
- If a thread pulls, do not cut it. Send it to us — we maintain a free lifetime mending service at our Mumbai atelier for any saree purchased from Danyah Banaras.
Handwoven Banarasi sarees, sourced direct from Varanasi
Our Banarasi sarees are woven on traditional pit-looms in the bylanes of Madanpura, Varanasi — by master weavers whose families have been weaving for four to six generations. Each piece is hand-checked at our Mumbai atelier, finished, and paired with an authenticity certificate that lists the weaver's name, the loom number, and the exact silk and zari composition.
Whether you are shopping for a bridal Banarasi, a festive Katan silk, or a ready-to-wear pre-draped piece, every saree on Danyah Banaras carries the same promise: real silk, real zari, real craft.