"The color of butter, as red as the sun..."
The first of the three Assam silks:
MUGA
Spun gold. Just as the burnished metal develops a patina, this fibre counterpart deepens in its lustre over time, and becomes more supple to the touch. Muga silk lasts for at least one hundred years.
The continuous attention required by the worm throughout its life-cycle, and its painstaking hand-reeling process, mean that today muga silk remains one of the rarest and most precious fabrics in the world.
Although Assam is often associated with tea, the land was once known as the country of the cocoon-bearers – 'Kosha-karanam-bhumi', as told by the Ramayana. So fine was the silk, it was reserved exclusively for royalty and the divine, woven under centuries of courtly patronage.
The second silk –
PAAT
Stiff and weighted, Assam paat silk bears a dimensionality that gives it a uniquely reflective, even holographic, quality; it bounces light like a jewel. Against the motifs – or stories – embedded into it in the luminous Gunaa thread, the finished look of Assam paat is akin to a panel of stained glass in textile form.
When the colonial period arrived, this tradition was interrupted. Local textile industries across India were dismantled – weaving communities were displaced, looms fell silent, and a region long known for exporting exquisite finished cloth was recast as a market for others’ fabrics.
Silk the third:
ERI
A wardrobe staple of the tribes of Assam for centuries, eri silk keeps its wearer cool in the heat of a monsoon summer and warm in the cold heights of the Northeast. Soft, light, and breathable, eri is also a peace silk - or ‘ahimsa’ (nonviolent) silk - as the silkworm is not killed in the silk harvesting process. Eri silk’s natural color is ivory, but at Gunaa, our weavers also use natural dyes to create a variety of earth-toned variations.
With a loom in the back garden of every other Assamese household, women continued to weave, passing down the skill from mother to daughter. “Assamese women are born weavers; they weave fairy-tales in their cloth,” Gandhi once said.
Now, founded by an Assamese mother and daughter, Gunaa aims to restore the fairytale of Assam silk to its original glory. This is the latest chapter in the story of Assam silk: GUNAA, named after the luminous thread woven into our cloth and the Sanskrit concept of the thread composing the fabric of reality.
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BOOK OF SILK
A Guide to Assam Silk
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Kesa Paat Silk
Paat silk, woven as a sheer, fine mesh fabric, as light and delicate as gossamer wings.
Gunaa
The luminous thread woven into our cloth and the Sanskrit concept of the thread composing the fabric of reality. GUNAA - the two, intertwined.
Gunaa thread comes in metallic shades of gold, silver, and a bronzey 'antique'.
Buta
The small, repeated motif woven with Gunaa on paat silk.
Natural Dyes
Eri silk, originally off-white, takes natural dyes with exceptional depth and softness. To transform the fabric into a range of hues – from coral pinks and deeper crimsons to warm yellows and soothing greens – we work with artisans who use traditional, skin-friendly dyes such as manjistha, indigo, turmeric, onion, and more, employing time-honoured, environmentally safe dyeing processes.
Assam
Situated at the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas, Assam is a state in Northeast India distinguished by tropical rainforests, bamboo groves, grasslands, wetlands, and the winding Brahmaputra River. Historically known as “Kamarupa” – from the Sanskrit words Kama (desire) and Rupa (form) – the region has long been associated with spiritual traditions centered around the ancient Kamakhya Temple.
Assam is also home to extraordinary wildlife, including elephants, tigers, and the one-horned rhinoceros, many of which are protected within the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Kaziranga and Manas National Parks.
G. I. Certification
Geographical Indication (GI) certification denotes goods whose authenticity and distinctive qualities are intrinsically linked to a specific region, outside which they cannot be reproduced at the same level. Internationally recognized examples include Parmigiano Reggiano from Italy and Champagne from France.
All our garments are made using government-authenticated, GI-certified Assam silk, woven in accordance with centuries-old sericultural techniques and standards that have been cultivated, perfected, and preserved over generations of Assamese artisans.
Choosing Gunaa ensures your acquisition of a garment spun from a storied silk that carries the weight of provenance, heritage, and rarity – directly from the source.