The sheer pleasure of passing one’s hand over soft silk is what makes a woman fall in love with the queen of fabrics. If you are one such obsessive lover, who cares for what you wear, then TISH-fab is where you must unwind the passion for silk. At its gallery near Althara temple, Vazhuthacaud, Thiruvananthapuram Silks remains a secret silk abode, yet to be explored fully by eves.Around 350 families, mostly women members, belonging to 18 villages in the outskirts of Thiruvananthapuram are behind TISH-fab, which is slowly emerging into a branded silk house managed by the Thiruvananthapuram Integrated Silk Handloom (TISH), which is a handloom weavers’ co-operative society. It was under an ambitious and long-sighted programme of the Industries Department that Thiruvananthapuram Silks came into being. Under the project, the silk woven by the families are collected by TISH, outsourced to designer houses around the country - those in Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata and Delhi - where value additions are made and then put up for sale at its gallery here. We tell you this is the best time to drop in at TISH-fab, because it is all set to open its doors for silk lovers with a fabulous collection from August 25 in view of the festival season. Look out for innovative handcrafted silk products in thousands of designs and you will be floored by the umpteen choices. The bridal silks are wonders in different patterns. A bride can suggest a colour and pattern for her attire and TISH-fab will get it ready in 28 days. Or she can choose from the variety lined up here, which is priced from ` 25,000 to ` 70,000. The party wear sarees in pure silk are a treat as it comes value-added from designer houses across the country. The range starts from ` 20,000. The embroidered sarees come in different hues, that match the taste of Kerala brides. And they keep up the exclusivity too.“All our sarees are six-and-a-half metres long and come with blouse pieces. The silk base cloth is woven by the handloom units under our society and the designs and patterns are updated by a team of designer consultants across the country. That includes yesteryear film star Poornima Jayaram, designers Namritha Bhatia and Mousami Chatterji and many others known in the fashion industry,’’ says S Mohanan, Managing Director of Kerala Handloom Silk Consortium.Majida, Secretary of the Co-operative Society, would patiently take you through the collection stocked in the glass almirahs in the gallery. “The traditional Kerala ‘pudava’ is our strength. It comes in silk and a combination of silk and cotton for the older generation. There is also an exhaustive range of printed silks that has shed the conventional look and have taken a more fashionable go,”’ says Majida. A pure ‘pudava-kavani’ set, woven in pure silk with broad zari border, would cost ` 17,000. Simple silk-cotton combinations would start from ` 3000. The Christian bridal collection with exclusive designer work is also a must-see.The highlight of the silk collection is that they are light weight and could be draped without much hassles. There is a collection for bridal groom as well. Salwar sets are also stocked. “We have a total of 3800 designs in a price range of ` 2500-70,000. The silk in the market is often a mix of silk, cotton and synthetic. Here, it comes straight from the looms in our villages, so it’s worth the price you pay,” says Prasannakumar, Marketing Manager of Thiruvananthapuram Silks. TISH-fab had organised an Onam sale last year. However, it is the first exhibition to be hosted after it stepped up its production and sales last December. Drop in to feel and own the grandeur of pure silk at its gallery. The exhibition will be on till September 8. Ph: 2727234
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