Garment care
Handloom rewards slightly more attention than mill cloth and punishes machine drying. None of this is difficult.
The single most useful habit: wash less often than you think you need to. Airing a cotton kurta overnight does more than a wash cycle, and every wash costs the cloth a little.
Wash natural-dyed pieces separately for the first three washes. Indigo in particular will give up some colour early on — this is the dye settling, not a fault.
By fabric
- 01
Handloom cotton and mul
Cold hand wash or a gentle machine cycle. Line dry in shade. They will crease; press damp on the reverse if you want them flat.
- 02
Chanderi and tussar silk
Dry clean only. Store folded, and shift the fold line every few months so it does not set into a crack.
- 03
Kota doria
Hand wash cold and never wring. Twisting relaxes the khat grid and the cloth loses its structure. Dry flat, in shade.
- 04
Linen
Machine wash cold, tumble low or line dry. Ours is garment-washed before cutting, so it will not shrink further.
Storage
Keep silks away from direct sunlight — tussar's gold cast fades unevenly, which is more noticeable than fading evenly.
Cotton and linen prefer to breathe. Do not store them in plastic. A cotton bag or an open shelf is better than a sealed box.