INTELLIGENCE

Decide With Your Eyes Open

Real against fake. Silk against cotton for a Delhi summer. Why a handwoven saree costs what it costs. The questions a buyer asks before deciding, answered without a sales pitch.

Compare two crafts Read the guides

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Two Crafts, One Table

Pick any two. The table lays out what each is made of, how it is made, how it wears and how it is cared for, so the choice is yours, not ours.

First Craft

Second Craft

First Craft

Resist-and-mordant block print on cotton in natural indigo and madder, by the Khatri families of Kutch.
Printed on both faces; a real one reads the same from either side.
About three weeks a piece, in 8 to 16 steps depending on who counts.
Kutch Ajrakh GI granted 2024.
Cold wash, separately for the first few washes; the colour settles deeper, it does not fade.

Second Craft

Tie-dyed by hand on cotton or silk, each dot a point pinched up and bound with thread by Khatri women of Kutch and Jamnagar.
The design is tied, never printed; the pattern is the cluster of tiny white rings the thread kept dry.
A fine odhani can carry tens of thousands of knots, tied over days to weeks.
Jamnagari Bandhani GI granted 2016.
First wash cold with a spoon of salt; leave the puckered texture alone, do not iron it flat.

Comparison data for Ajrakh vs Bandhani is being researched.

Try Maheshwari vs Chanderi or Maheshwari vs Banarasi for complete data.

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How to wash it, store it, wear it and mend it.

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The people behind the cloth, told the way they tell it.

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Located in Gwalior, iTokri stands as India’s first crafts store launched in 2012, operating under a fully integrated inventory model. This ensures that almost all products are meticulously handled and shipped directly from our base, affirming our commitment to authenticity and quality in every piece offered to our customers. This operational excellence underscores iTokri’s authority in the domain of traditional Indian crafts, making each purchase a genuine encounter with India’s rich artisanal heritage.

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