A Peace of Silk

Eri,the new fabric by Deepika Govind,doesnt involve killing of silkworms,so wear it without guilt.

Eri,the new fabric by Deepika Govind,doesnt involve killing of silkworms,so wear it without guilt

The first time Bangalore-based designer Deepika Govind held Eri silk,she was both excited and wary. She was happy to discover that the ethical silk,also known as Endi or Errandi,doesnt involve killing of silkworms (the Eri cocoons are open ended,allowing the moth to fly after its spun). But she also realised that the fabric wouldnt be easy to work with. While my quest to find a silk that does no harm to any life form finally found an answer,it was a challenge to turn coarse and rugged silk into a supple and soft fabric of international quality, says Govind.

After four years of tedious technical brainstorming with weavers,Govind is finally out with a collection that presents the eco-friendly Eri silk in a contemporary avatar. The Peace Silk: A Traveller’s Collection is a selection of Eri silk stoles and shawls,made using organic dyes and is available in Govinds stores in Bangalore and New Delhi.

In her signature style,the collection is simple,sans embellishments and ranges from Rs 3,500 to Rs 12,000. The colour palette is predominantly Indigo from navy to washed denim blue to pale sky along with shades of alzerine (hazy twilight mauve and soft shell pink),and black. Whats even more intriguing are the thermal properties of Eri silk (being warm in winter,cool in summer) making it ideal for stoles and shawls. I essentially wanted to make an Eri with softness,drape and bounce that challenges the Pashmina, says Govind,who is now putting together a range of Eri silk sarees.

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