Weaver stories

Every piece on Taantghor comes from a loom somewhere in Bangladesh. Each region has its own way of weaving, passed down in families and workshops. Here is a short introduction to the crafts our sellers work in.

Jamdani of Rupganj, Narayanganj

Along the Shitalakshya river in Rupganj and the villages around it, weavers make jamdani on pit looms. The motifs are not printed or embroidered: they are worked into the cloth by hand, thread by thread, as the fabric is woven, often by two weavers sitting side by side. A fine jamdani saree can take weeks. The traditional art of jamdani weaving is inscribed by UNESCO on its list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Tant of Tangail

Tangail, and villages such as Pathrail, are known for the tant saree: light, soft cotton and half-silk sarees with fine borders and buttis, made for everyday wear in a hot climate. Tangail weavers are known for neat finishing and a wide range of colours, which makes their sarees popular with shops all year round.

Check lungi of the Pabna–Sirajganj belt

Shahjadpur, and the weaving villages across the Sirajganj–Pabna belt, produce a large share of the country's handloom lungi. The classic check and stripe lungi is woven from dyed cotton yarn, and buyers judge it by the tightness of the weave, the fastness of the colour and the feel after washing.

Gamcha of Kushtia and Kumarkhali

Kumarkhali in Kushtia has long been a centre of handloom cloth. Its gamcha, the light checked cotton towel used in every Bangladeshi home, is woven thin so it dries quickly, and in bright colours that soften with use.

Benarasi of Mirpur

In the Benarasi Palli of Mirpur, Dhaka, weavers make heavy silk benarasi sarees with zari work, the sarees most families choose for weddings. The craft came with weaving families who settled in Mirpur, and the area remains the best-known benarasi market in the country.

Silk of Rajshahi

Rajshahi is the home of Bangladeshi mulberry silk. Around Sopura and the city's silk workshops, yarn is reeled, dyed and woven into sarees, three-pieces and fabric with a natural sheen and a soft drape.

Why buy direct

Buying from the loom or the cooperative that made the cloth means fewer middlemen, a fairer price for the weaver and a better price for your shop. Handmade cloth also carries small irregularities, like a slight colour difference or a little slub in the weave. These are the marks of the loom, not defects.

Browse the stores on Taantghor to see who is weaving now.