The exquisite Mysuru silk sarees will soon be available in ‘Made to Order’ designs. Minister for Sericulture and Youth Empowerment and Sports K C Narayana Gowda said Karnataka Silk Industries Corporation (KSIC), which manufactures authentic Mysuru silk fabrics, is trying to introduce the latest designs on silk sarees.
Apart from replacing old designs with new ones by taking suggestions from the younger generation, Mr. Gowda said KSIC is considering a proposal to offer customers ‘custom-made’ designs on their silk sarees as part of its ‘Make to Order’ design policy.
“You may not like the design I choose and I may not like design you fancy. So, we will prepare hundreds of designs, compile them, and show them to prospective buyers. Within one month, the saree with your chosen design will be readied and delivered. That is our plan,” the Minister told reporters in Mysuru on March 27.
Mr. Gowda was in Mysuru on March 27 to open a new showroom of Karnataka Silk Industries Corporation’s (KSIC) Mysore Silk sarees. He said there is a huge demand for Mysuru silk across the world. Apart from sarees, even panches (dhotis) are sought after because of the fabric’s smoothness.
KSIC is not only reviewing the designs on silk fabrics, but also making efforts to improve the marketing by offering ‘marriage packs’ and ‘engagement packs’.
The Karnataka Government is trying to create a market for raw silk produced in Karnataka in Benaras (Varanasi), Chennai and Hyderabad, among other places.
A file photo of the cocoon market in Mysuru. | Photo Credit: M A Sriram
During the last few weeks, sericulture farmers in Karnataka received a good price for cocoons, particularly the superior quality bivoltine cocoons, which are preferred by reelers.
While the price of bivoltine cocoon had crossed ₹1,000 per kg in the first week of February 2022 at the government cocoon market in Ramanagaram, the highest price fetched on March 28 was ₹856. The average price fetched by bivoltine cocoon was ₹697 per kg and crossbreed variety was ₹496 per kg on March 28.
