Taatini believes strongly in ensuring the purity of their product, so they are very discriminating about the yarn that is used in their sarees and stoles. Taatini first choice of silk is ‘Eri,’ silk. This is a creamy white silk, indigenous to the northeast of India. It is also known as a ‘peace’ silk because only Eri is spun from the cocoon of the silkworm without destroying the worm.

Traditionally, Eri, being heavy, was used mostly for shawls. However, Taatini needed a much softer, finer yarn that would drape well. It has taken years of dedication, experimentation and a long process of working intensively with a national awardee Seri- culturist, the cultivators and the women who hand-spin the yarn. The result is that the cultivators now monitor and feed high quality castor leaves to fatten up the worms and create the perfect cocoons. This enables the cultivators to draw out the fine Eri silk yarns that are vital for the perfect Taatini drape. Another kind of silk Taatini uses is ‘Muga,’ the only naturally gold silk thread, that is also found solely in Assam. Muga is a temperamental wild silk. The moths are susceptible to infections which effect the amount of Muga available. This silk is truly an Heirloom. It is common to find women wearing the silk that they inherited from their great grandmother. Muga also changes in colour depending on the climate. A pure Muga stored in Delhi will have a different sheen to one stored in Bangalore. The silk retains the essence of the forests and brings to you the fragrance of wooded groves.

Paat is the Assamese name for mulberry silk. Nuni paat is the indigenous mulberry silk cultivated and spun in Assam. Different processes give you variations in the yarn. A saree with an organza-like feel is made of yarn called Kesa Paat (mulberry silk that has not been degummed). Taatini explores different denier strengths and combinations of these yarns to bring to you a handcrafted and handwoven labour of love.

To tie all these elements together, the choice of dye is vital. Fortunately, Assam is blessed with rich flora and fauna. Taatini has worked with the vegetable dye artisans before initiating their relationship with the weaver. Through and intensive process of trial and error, Taatini has created a range of natural dyes from a long list of natural sources: onion skin, jackfruit bark, turmeric, pomegranate and, of course, indigo. Taatini also uses azo-free dyes for some of their mulberry silk sarees. The carbon footprint of the yarns used in a Taatini garment is minimal. The yarn is both sustainable and organic.

Simultaneously, Taatini launched a search for other weavers who might help them to overcome the limitations of the Assam looms. So, they looked at other regions to weave the vertical borders. Preeti and Moumi were fortunate enough to meet the Ansaris, a national Award-winning father-son duo from a village near Banaras. They, unlike most weavers, were willing to try something new. So, they worked with the Ansaris to interpret the tribal designs of the Northeast on Banaras looms. This process had its own set of challenges. The Banaras loom produces very fine weaves and designs, so to achieve the unique tribal look on these looms, the weavers have had to go back to the traditional Karahi work done during the Mughal times in Banaras and a combination of different types of weaves. Ansariji senior was an invaluable help in helping Taatini achieve this look. Taatini sarees are crafted on the traditional pit loom of Banaras where the weaver has to take each weft thread across the width of the saree by hand. An additional feature is that Taatini’s motifs have more than one colour. Even though the trend today in Banaras is to use one colour across the motifs to make it less labour-intensive, Preeti and Moumi have deliberately kept away from this trend to maintain the integrity of the bright, colourful northeast designs.