Meet our signature Cocoon Coat - a boxy, wide cut and one size coat, cut in a slightly slimmer version to our Cocoon Coats in other fabrics.
- Dropped shoulders which taper into semi-fitted sleeves; the narrow sleeves provide shape to the oversized body
- Broad welt side pockets
- Falls to just under the knee
- Closes in the front with a hidden placket and coconut-shell buttons
- Crafted in elegant and luxurious raw dupioni silk, hand spun and hand woven. Fully lined in a hand woven silk/cotton blend that has been hand block printed in natural resin dyes in the discharge technique in tiny polka dots. We love to turn back the cuffs and let a little of this ultra charming polka pattern show.
Cross-body measurements taken flat so double where necessary; +/- a tolerance inherent to hand made clothing.
TEXTILE & CARE
- Fabric: Outer - 100% raw dupioni silk; lining - 50% silk/50% cotton blend
- Handfeel: Raw silk is slubbed, crisp and lustrous. Inner silk/cotton is soft and light
- Care: Dry cleaning recommended
- Origin: Bihar, India
TEXTILE STORY
Raw silks, like this Dupioni silk, are woven from the leftover waste of silk cocoons. Hand spun and woven in Bihar by a government-supported weavers association, the raw silk yarn is woven onto a warp of fine silk which creates a crisp, beautifully slubbed and lustrous cloth.
We're quite proud of the beautiful lining we've used for these coats. A super light and soft blend of silk and cotton is first hand woven by our Fair Trade-registered partner in West Bengal, then block printed in Bangalore using hand block printed discharge technique in GOTS certified dyes. Any variations or irregularities are part of the design and inherent to the production process.
HANDMADE FABRICS PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT
Conventional silk is produced through boiling silk worms in their cocoons, killing some 6,000 worms to produce 1 kg (2 pounds) of silk. Peace silk, also known as non-violent silk, is a sustainable and ethical approach to silk production which does not involve harming or killing the silk worm. A cottage industry, the production of peace silk supports a wide and varied eco-system of women and men farmers, spinners, weavers and dyers.
Our Peace Silk Collection brings together a diverse range of silks and artisans from India's northeastern rural villages. Once the moths have hatched the cocoon, the cocoons are collected by women silk farmers, then spun, yarn-dyed and woven. This collection includes domesticated mulberry and eri silk, wild tussar and balkal silks, as well as the waste silk generated by regular silk production, like raw silk.
Silk spun and woven in this way retains properties lost during conventional means of silk production. Peace silk is less lustrous than typical silk, but is incredibly soft and has a rich, slubbed texture and an incredible drape. It retains warmth in winter and breathes in the heat so is comfortable to wear year round. Any variations or irregularities are part of the design and inherent to the production process.
STORY OF COLLECTION
These everyday pieces, crafted in incredibly soft peace silk, celebrate the humane side of silk production - no silk worm was harmed in the creation of this collection.
One of the world’s most luxurious textiles, coveted for millennia, and with a global trade route named in it’s honour, is created from the protein secretions of the silk worm. Within conventional silk production, as a thanks for all her hard work, the worm is boiled alive to preserve the integrity of the long, silk filament fibres.
The beauty of peace silk, on the other hand, is not only that the moth can hatch before the cocoon is harvested, but also the texture and drape of the shorter staple & delicately slubbed cloth. We adore it - after some wear it feels like a second skin.
Refined in silhouette & colour palette and timeless in style; these pieces are designed for comfort & movement throughout the seasons, lasting beyond any trends.
Harvested, spun, dyed & woven in India’s northeast & stitched by brothers Parvez & Lal in Delhi.
