Jamdani

Jamdani is a fine, figured muslin woven for centuries in the Dhaka region and, in India, chiefly in Fulia and Shantipur in West Bengal. What separates it from a printed cotton saree is that every motif is built into the cloth as it is woven, by hand, rather than added afterwards. It shares its historical roots with the extraordinarily fine Dhaka muslin once exported across the world; modern Jamdani is a coarser, more affordable descendant of that same craft.

Region: Historically Dhaka; in India, chiefly Fulia and Shantipur in West Bengal
GI status: Indian Jamdani received a GI tag in 2013; Bangladesh registered its own GI for Jamdani in 2016. UNESCO recognised the weaving tradition as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2013.

1. 01Extremely fine cotton yarn is prepared for the warp and weft.
2. 02Motifs are added by hand during weaving: the weaver inserts small lengths of supplementary weft thread with the fingertips at exactly the right point in each row, building geometric or floral shapes as discontinuous patches rather than one continuous carried thread.
3. 03No mechanical jacquard is used for the traditional technique; it depends entirely on the weaver's memory of the pattern and manual precision.
4. 04A single fine Jamdani saree can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months, depending on the density of the motifs.

• Hold it to the light: the base cloth should be sheer, and the motifs should look slightly raised or textured rather than flat-printed.
• Look at the reverse: hand-inserted motifs leave short thread ends rather than one continuous carried thread; a machine-embroidered imitation shows a continuous stitched line on the back.
• Ask whether it is handloom Jamdani from Fulia or Shantipur, or Dhaka for the Bangladeshi original. A lot of printed cotton is sold loosely as 'Jamdani print', which is not the same product.

WEIGHT

Very light, among the lightest sarees in this guide.

WARMTH

Cool; historically prized for exactly this reason.

BREATHABILITY

Excellent.

DRAPE

Soft and fluid, clings slightly in humid weather because of how fine the base cloth is.

WRINKLING

Creases easily since the cloth is so fine, but the creases are soft and drop out quickly.

Best season: Summer and humid weather generally

WASHING

Gentle hand wash in cold water with a mild detergent; do not wring, and do not machine wash.

IRONING

Low to medium heat, slightly damp, cloth between iron and fabric if it carries any zari.

STORAGE

Fold loosely in muslin or cotton. Because the fabric is so fine, avoid tight folding that could strain the weave at the crease.

STAINS

Treat promptly with a mild detergent and cold water; do not scrub, since the fine weave can distort.

PERFUME AND DEODORANT

Scent skin rather than the saree directly; alcohol-based sprays can mark such a fine, sheer weave more visibly than a heavier fabric.

Jamdani's sheerness means an underskirt or fall in a matching colour matters more than usual; drape with a light hand so the woven motifs are not crushed into heavy pleats.