Handloom sarees are indeed the best but why choose handloom sarees over regular sarees? Let me ask you a question first.

Would you love a no-time low quality machine-weft saree or a saree, all weaved with longtime efforts & genuine fabric? 

Handloom sarees are worldwide loved for its originality, creative weaving & most importantly its cultural significance. Why do you think handloom sarees are so expensive, yet always in demand? 


This blog answers all your doubts regarding handloom sarees, how to style a handloom saree & why should one consider handloom saree over powerloom saree. 


5 Reasons Why choose handloom sarees over regular sarees 

Handloom sarees are ever special with all unique characters that it comes with. The contribution of efforts that goes in handmade pieces makes them genuine, long-lasting & healthy to be worn. Lets quickly go through a few reasons that make handloom sarees better options than regular sarees. 


Longevity 

The patience, efforts & rich quality fabrics invested to weave every inch of Handloom sarees impacts on its long life that powerloom sarees often lacks. 


Skin friendly 

Unless allergy issues, handloom sarees are best for your skin unlike most powerloom sarees fabricated of harmful fabrics like Polyester, Nylon or others. 


Sustainability

Most of the hand weaved sarees are all done with green weaving practices like no involvement of carbon emission or high energy consumption & usage of organic materials. So, if you buy a handloom saree, you’re indirectly contributing to sustainable goals of greener earth. 


Texture & designs

Machine made designs can never replace the technical expertise passed down by legacy. 

The hand weaved sarees come in the smoothest texture & quality unlike machine weft sarees that feels quite coarse due to blended fabrics.

One can measure originality & authenticity via different methods & techniques to differentiate real & blended pieces. 


Empowering traditions & ethnicity

Choosing handloom sarees, empowers Indian traditional weaving talent. While, if you go for cheaper powerloom sarees, you are keeping yourself away from supporting Indian weavers & ancient techniques of weaving. 

 

Different types of Indian Handloom Sarees 

Handloom sarees can be of various types based on different factors like fabrics, motifs, regions & others. Bengal Handloom sarees mainly come in three different base fabrics - Silk, Cotton & Sico. Let's discuss the following types in detail & how to identify the authentic ones over machine-weft ones. 


Silk 

Desired for all occasions, the handloom Silk sarees are fabricated of Pure Silk by authentic Silk fabrication methods. Silk sarees are often pricy for its time-taking process & tougher skills put to weave a single piece like Kanjivaram or Gadwal Silk. Silk handloom sarees are super smooth, body hugging & naturally lustrous fabric. 

How to identify authentic Silk? 

Silk Mark Certification approves that cloth is weft of the real Silk. However there are two other simple tests like burn test & texture test to understand if the Silk is authentic enough.  

Cotton 

Cotton handloom sarees are popular choices as comfortable & stylish options during hot & humid Summer climates.

Authentic Cotton sarees are breathable, easily durable & most importantly its subtle & minimalistic character attracts women towards handloom Cotton sarees like Cotton Gadwal or lightweight Mangalgiri Cotton saree.

Whereas blended cotton fabric is not that breathable & does not promise the same features as real cotton sarees. 

How to identify authentic Cotton sarees? 

Quality of authentic Cotton sarees makes them real & unique & obviously better than blended fabric. However authenticity of cotton can be tested by significant tests like burning tests or even water absorption tests. 


Sico 

Handloom Sico sarees are often preferred for its lustrous look & breathable texture. An authentic Sico saree is a blissful blend of rich Silk & Cotton fabric, making it a stylish & convenient saree for the festive season. 


How to identify Sico handloom saree? 

Sico handloom sarees are rich in texture, super airy with finest designs, all hand weaved unlike machine weft fake perfection.

There are chances that Powerloom Sico sarees specially from unrecognized brands utilize toxic fabrics in weaving Sico sarees. Therefore, one must go through proper research before ordering an authentic Sico handloom saree. 


Styling Tips for Handloom Formal Sarees

Different Handloom sarees can be customized in distinctive creative ways. For example, to style Handloom Banarasi Silk, you can curate a look with Matha-patti, choker & Kamarbandh.

However, a Sico Gadwal saree is likely to not match with Gold jewels. Therefore, oxidized or silver jewels can make you look better in Sico Gadwal

Lets checkout some decent styling tips for your handloom saree collection & know how to curate impressive looks out of it. 

  • Stylish Blouse - Pick an appropriate blouse that matches the vibe of the saree. Handloom sarees deserve to be worn with a premium, trendy blouse than an ordinary one for a statement look. 
  • Jewelry - Silk sarees like Kanjivaram, Banarasi Silk or even Silk Gadwal are better styled with Gold jewels. Whilst Cotton sarees are often customized better in gemstones, silver, or even oxidized jewels. 
  • Footwear - To carry that elegance, a right footwear selection is inevitable. For both Silk & Cotton sarees, jutis & sandals are decent picks to curate an eye soothing look. To try something unique, get yourself boots, or sharp heels & experience a new concept of fashion. 
  • Belt - These days, belts are much more than just add-ons for ethnic wear. Belts not just elevates the modernity of sarees, but provides you a perfectly comfortable saree day. To style rich handloom sarees, pick a belt from a popular brand & there you go with a gorgeous saree look.
  • Hairstyle - You can plan a simple to typical hairstyle based on the fabric, design or even color of the saree. Go for a wavy open hair, sleek bun or just a french braid for a standard saree look. 

Conclusion 

Traditional Handloom sarees are much more than just creative pieces. However, not all regular, non-handloom sarees are unworthy.

You can always pick a budget friendly non-handloom saree as your daily wear saree routine. Both handloom sarees & powerloom sarees have their own benefits.

You can opt for both or one of them as per your preferences or theme of the event.

This blog focused on discussing why & how handloom sarees are better than regular sarees.

The fact that ‘Why is handloom saree beneficial in the first place’ is discussed with some styling tips as well. 


FAQ


What are the advantages of handloom sarees?

Handloom sarees are artistic, sustainable, skin-friendly & super gorgeous. Though the handloom sarees are quite expensive, it's still completely worth it for its quality, efforts that go to weave a piece & its longevity. 


Why are handloom sarees more expensive?

Handloom saree are often costly because of the long-time manual efforts invested to design every inch of these sarees. The materials used to make a handloom piece are limited, which further impacts on higher charges of these sarees in the market. 


How to identify a handloom saree?

There are different ways to identify a real handloom piece like burning test, water absorption test & even texture test. Easiest of all is feeling the texture of the saree. If the saree doesn't feel as smooth or comfortable as a real silk or cotton fabric, it means a different harmful fabric is blended in the saree.

October 18, 2024 — Web Bhojraj

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