READ THIS if you’re shopping for handlooms! Make sure you’re getting what you’re paying for.
At Southloom.com we educate our customer throughly on what they are buying. We get a lot of questions why two Handloom products that look very similar are sometimes priced strikingly different. We’re writing this short paragraph to explain why.
Prices of Kerala Handloom clothing depend primarily on 3 factors. Keep reading to understand how.
1. The Yarn 
- Currently there are two kinds of yarns (പാവ് in Malayalam) used to weave Kerala Handlooms. The first one is the more expensive one called ‘Unakkupaavu’ - the weavers use a traditional technique to season the yarn before weaving using natural starch to condition it. This gives the clothing a very soft and fine texture. The other Kind is popularly called ‘Mill Paavu’ which comes straight from the mill, as the name suggests. Handlooms woven with Unakkupaavu are more Premium, Softer and Finer in texture. Mill Paavu Handloom is more stiffer and coarse.
- Currently there are two kinds of yarns (പാവ് in Malayalam) used to weave Kerala Handlooms. The first one is the more expensive one called ‘Unakkupaavu’ - the weavers use a traditional technique to season the yarn before weaving using natural starch to condition it. This gives the clothing a very soft and fine texture. The other Kind is popularly called ‘Mill Paavu’ which comes straight from the mill, as the name suggests. Handlooms woven with Unakkupaavu are more Premium, Softer and Finer in texture. Mill Paavu Handloom is more stiffer and coarse.2. The Kasavu / Zari 
- Today a vast majority of all Kerala Handlooms woven in the state use ‘Half Fine’ Kasavu. This is the kind of Kasavu used in your everyday handloom. The other variety that exists is called ‘Pure’ Kasavu, which actually contains traces of Gold in it which makes it exponentially expensive compared to the Half Fine alternative. For example a similar looking Saree with Pure Kasavu can be priced up to 10 times more than its Half Fine cousin.
- Today a vast majority of all Kerala Handlooms woven in the state use ‘Half Fine’ Kasavu. This is the kind of Kasavu used in your everyday handloom. The other variety that exists is called ‘Pure’ Kasavu, which actually contains traces of Gold in it which makes it exponentially expensive compared to the Half Fine alternative. For example a similar looking Saree with Pure Kasavu can be priced up to 10 times more than its Half Fine cousin.3. Weaving Technique 
- Complexity of the Designs on Handloom Sarees or Set Mundu is a big factor that determines the price of the product. Sometimes the weavers use a ‘Jacquard’ technique to weave designs on a Saree, which is less time consuming compared to the ‘കോർക്കൽ’ (Korkkal) technique. In the first kind designs are punched into a card and the costume is woven with it, while in the second technique the design has to be first carved on to a piece of wood and it is them imprinted on the fabric and it is then woven into the fabric manually with Kasavu. The second technique takes more time to finish and hence the weaver’s charges or നെയ്ത്ത് കൂലി gets reflected in the price of the product.
- Complexity of the Designs on Handloom Sarees or Set Mundu is a big factor that determines the price of the product. Sometimes the weavers use a ‘Jacquard’ technique to weave designs on a Saree, which is less time consuming compared to the ‘കോർക്കൽ’ (Korkkal) technique. In the first kind designs are punched into a card and the costume is woven with it, while in the second technique the design has to be first carved on to a piece of wood and it is them imprinted on the fabric and it is then woven into the fabric manually with Kasavu. The second technique takes more time to finish and hence the weaver’s charges or നെയ്ത്ത് കൂലി gets reflected in the price of the product.At Southloom.com we have something that fits every budget. We have choices of every kind of handloom mentioned above at our Showroom at Kuravankonam. Come and experience the difference and choose what fits you the best
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