Where the money goes in a ₹15,600 silk saree
Silk, zari, dyeing, weaving days and our margin: an honest breakdown of one bestseller.
A day trip to the weaving towns near Coimbatore
Somanur, Avinashi and Perur: where Kovai cotton is woven and what to see in a single day.
Many of our customers live in Coimbatore and have never seen a handloom at work, though some of the cotton we sell is woven less than an hour from the city. If you have a free Saturday, here is a day we often suggest.
Leave Gandhipuram by 8 am and drive east on the Avinashi Road towards Somanur, about 35 km away. Somanur is known for Kovai cotton and the sound of looms carries from the lanes behind the main road. Several families here weave for us, and most are happy for visitors to watch for a while if you ask politely. Go before noon, when the light through the open doors is good and the weavers are fresh.
From Somanur, Avinashi is a short drive. The Avinashilingeswarar temple is worth an hour, and the streets around it have small shops selling cotton towels, veshtis and thorthu at weavers’ prices. Lunch at a mess near the bus stand is quick and filling.
On the way back, stop at Perur on the western edge of Coimbatore. The Patteeswarar temple has carved pillars that saree designers have borrowed from for a long time; look for the creepers and yali figures, then look again at a temple border. You will be home by 6 pm. If you would like an introduction to one of our weaving families, message us a week ahead. We ask only that you do not photograph a weaver or the loom without asking first.
