Commission a piece
Something only yours.
We accept a small number of bespoke commissions every year. The process is unhurried and entirely transparent — you will know who is working on your piece, where, and how it is coming along.
The process
Five folios
- 01.
Conversation
1–3 weeks
We write to each other — sometimes more than once — about what you have in mind. Pattern, colour, weight, intended use. We send sketches and yarn cards by post if you would like them.
- 02.
Pattern & deposit
2–4 weeks
Once the pattern is agreed and the artisan selected, we ask for a deposit of one-third of the final price. The talim — the coded notation for kani — is written. The yarn is dyed.
- 03.
On the loom
6 months – 2 years
The piece is woven. We send you a photograph every fortnight. For a kani piece this stage runs anywhere from six months to two years.
- 04.
Finishing
3–8 weeks
The cloth is washed, beaten, dyed if required, embroidered if required, pressed, and folded. The provenance card is written out by hand.
- 05.
Delivery
1–2 weeks
We send you photographs and the final invoice. On payment, the piece is shipped, fully insured, in a wooden box with a muslin wrap and a small linen tag.
Questions we are asked
Before you write
- Is there a minimum price?
- Yes. Our smallest commission — a plain pashmina stole — begins around ₹65,000. A bespoke kani shawl begins around ₹3,00,000 and runs to several lakhs depending on size and density of pattern.
- Can I send a reference image?
- Yes, very welcome. We can adapt a historical pattern, work from a family heirloom, or develop something with one of our artisans. We will not copy a contemporary designer’s work.
- Can I commission a piece for a wedding?
- Yes — bridal tilla, kalamkari, and certain kani patterns are bridal mainstays. We need a minimum of eight months for a wedding piece, longer is better.
- What if I change my mind?
- The deposit becomes non-refundable once the talim is written and the yarn is dyed — usually within the first three weeks. Before that point, deposits are returned in full.
- Do you ship internationally?
- Yes, with insurance. Customs duties at the destination are the buyer’s responsibility. We will help with paperwork.
Begin the conversation
Write to us with as much or as little as you have in mind. A photograph, a deadline, a colour, a memory. We will reply within a week.