Working With the Same Weavers in Assam since 2019

When you work with handloom, finding a weaver is only the beginning, and even that first step is a long journey. The real work is building a relationship that lasts.

When I started Arras in 2019, I didn't know exactly how things would unfold. I knew I wanted to work with Eri silk and the people who made it, but I was still learning how to turn that idea into a business.

Over the years, I've learnt that sourcing isn't simply about finding a beautiful saree, negotiating a price and placing an order.

It's about the people who make it, the way they work and the trust you build over time.

It takes time to find the right people

When you're sourcing handloom from Assam, you can't always find the right weaver by browsing a catalogue or sending an email.

Sometimes you need to travel, meet people, look at their work and understand how they make their products. 

It took me almost a year to find the weavers we currently work with. During our initial research, we met many others, and it wasn't always easy to say no. But ultimately, the quality of weaving wasn't what we wanted to offer our Arras customers.

You need to know what kind of yarn they use, how they approach their weaving and whether their quality is consistent.

You also need to figure out whether you can work together.

A beautiful saree is one thing. Building a working relationship around it is another.

Trust doesn't happen overnight

When you first start working with someone, there is a learning curve on both sides.

You learn how they work. They learn what you expect.

You learn which details need to be checked, what finishing matters to you and how to communicate when something isn't quite right.

In the beginning, you may need to check much more closely. You may need to explain things that seem obvious to you but aren't necessarily part of the way someone has always worked.

Over time, you develop a shared understanding.

That doesn't mean you stop checking the quality. It means you know each other better, and the process becomes easier.

For a small business, that familiarity matters enormously.

The relationship grows beyond a single order

One of the things I value most is that these relationships don't end when a saree is delivered.

You speak again when you're planning the next collection. You discuss colours, availability and timelines. You learn what is possible and what might take longer than expected.

You also begin to understand the people behind the work — their families, their businesses and the way their work fits into their lives.

These are not anonymous products coming off a production line.

They are pieces made by people with their own skills, experience and ways of working.

And the more you understand that, the more you appreciate what goes into each one.

Why don't we simply find someone cheaper?

This is a question worth asking, especially when you're running a small business and every cost matters.

There will almost always be someone offering a lower price.

But price isn't the only thing that matters when you're sourcing handmade products.

If you already have a relationship with a weaver whose work you understand and trust, starting over with someone new isn't necessarily the better decision.

You would have to learn how they work, understand their quality standards and build a new working relationship from scratch.

There is also no guarantee that a lower price will mean the same quality, the same communication or the same reliability.

And I don't think the people who make our products should be treated as interchangeable simply because someone else might charge less.

Of course, a business has to be commercially sustainable. We have to think about costs, quality and what our customers will want to buy.

But there is a difference between being careful with money and choosing a supplier based on price alone.

Handmade work comes with its own realities

Working with handloom also means accepting that not everything happens on the timeline you would choose.

A saree takes time to weave.

Yarn may not always be available when you need it.

A particular colour or design may take longer than expected.

And the person making your product is running a business and managing their own responsibilities too.

You can plan, communicate and follow up, but you cannot always make a handmade process behave like factory production.

For me, the answer isn't to pretend these challenges don't exist. It's to work with people who understand what we're trying to achieve and with whom we can communicate honestly.

For us, sourcing is personal

Arras began with the idea of bringing traditional textiles to people who would appreciate them.

That idea still matters to me.

But over the years, I've come to understand that the work isn't only about the finished saree or scarf. It's also about the relationships that make the product possible.

The person who knows how to work with the yarn.

The hands that bring the fabric to life.

The conversations that help us decide what to make next.

The trust that grows when you work together over time.

We may not be able to tell the story of every person involved in every part of our supply chain. But we do believe that knowing who makes our products, and building relationships with the people we work with, is worth the time it takes.

Because for us, sourcing isn't just finding something beautiful to sell.

It's knowing the people behind the things we bring into the world.

And that is one of the reasons we keep coming back to the same weavers.