Persephone – Handwoven & Handblocked Ajrakh Kota Saree

I love it when Kutch Ajrakh marries Rajasthani Kota Doria. To me, a handloom kota saree is sensual elegance, and to be patterned with ancient Ajrakh creates a new level of slow, goddess-coded luxury. This sheer handwoven cotton takes beautifully to the buttersoft-making effect of Ajrakh’s layered process and natural dyes. Due to the nature of the traditional Ajrakh process of handprinting in several layers, handwoven kota dorias of Rajasthan become cloud like diaphanous drapes. You’re welcome to starch these if you prefer a crisp and strengthened Kota, but I like keeping them in their mulmul-like, delicate drape, they feel beautiful if worn with care. There’s something poetic about how Ajrakh’s intricate, precise patterns are rendered hazy when handblocked onto a sheer like Kota Doria, it’s as though the designs are more implied, felt, soft rather than stark.