More about the collection...

The Modern Maharani Collection from Mrida is a rich, luxuriant regally curated Autumn’24 Chanderi silk saree collection; handcrafted from the finest of zaris, silk, and tissue ensuring that each piece is magnificent enough to be called as an heirloom; pieces that add colour and modern refinement to your festive ensemble!

Many women inspired us when creating The Modern Maharani Collection; Indira Devi, Maharani of Cooch Behar, Sanyogitabai Holkar of Indore, Maharani Seeta Devi of Kapurthala, and Maharani Gayatri Devi. Closer to our hearts - mum at home, our aunts, women mentors and many more. We all see glimpses of royalty in today’s modern women when they beautifully balance different gender-defining and gender defying roles.

The Modern Maharani Collection thus, beautifully encapsulates the persona of women who are expressive, strong, independent, and unafraid to challenge traditional norms. They are queens in their own right, carving their own paths and defining their own identities. With the Modern Maharani Collection, we celebrate this inquisitive spirit that we see in today’s women who believe in exploring their own self and who chisel their own identity.

The intermixing of contemporary fabrics like single tanna tissue, kattan, pattu silk, cotton-tissue; following the age-old handloom weaving techniques from Chanderi, infusing modern design sensibilities, adding a bitter-sweet interplay on the borders of the pallu, and experimenting with bold and pastel colours – makes the Modern Maharani Collection an opulent treat that indulges all your senses!

The collection carries many finer details of modernity and versatility, yet these collection pieces are quintessentially handloom. The Modern Maharani Collection is not just stunning and subtle but magnificent. It carries an untouched tale of royalty that each woman carries in her heart, as she forges her own path!

A pure tissue saree needs a reshami zari which is an apt mixture of metal and silk yarn. This mixture is then used on cotton-tissue dyed fabric. This fabric goes through a unique weaving technique that involves only the warp threads. The warp threads (made of cotton-tissue dyed fabric) are fixed on the loom frame. The weft thread is completely omitted in this process. It is then that the weavers create intricate patterns by manipulating the warp threads. What results is a sheen and magnificently delicate fabric. The single tana Tissue Sarees like the Indira from our Modern Maharani Collection, due to this process, looks regal and charming - exuding an understated elegance.

We do not undertake customisation for handloom silk sarees, as each saree takes around 15-20 days to complete. The Chanderi silk saree designs mainly consist of florals, trees, bootis, vines and other elements. Multiple factors define “the creation time” of each saree like the weaving technique, pattern and complexity and the fibres. For example, Taarini from our collection depicts the weaving details of the Hindu “Vivah Sanskar”; using hand weaving doli-baraat motifs in silver and black, we narrate the beauty of these age-old cultural traditions. It took us 25 days to create this piece. Aesthetic sensibilities, choice of fabric, the colour and design, type of weave makes each saree from our Modern Maharani Collection a piece to behold! The slow and meticulous process involved in handloom weaving contributes to the unique character that these beautiful gems carry. Hence, all sarees under this collection are one of kind and are made only in small batches.

At Mrida sarees, we value authenticity and purity. We work with artisans who are certified to create handloom sarees. All our sarees also carry GI tag of authenticity. In fact, each of the 5 pieces of this Chanderi silk sarees are unique and no two pieces are same.

Look for the telltale signs like the translucent sheer – hold up the saree and check the sheerness. The fabric is also smooth and lightweight, unlike blends that are little coarse. The lustre of an authentic Chanderi Silk saree is not shiny but it carries a light regal sheen. You can check our pink sheen sarees for reference. Also note that a hand-woven piece will always carry some unevenness signifying that it’s made of handloom. For extreme cases, you can also carry a small burn test. Silk, when ignited will create a clean flame and the ashes will crumble, the scent that emits is like that of a burnt hair.

Kattan silk is the classic combination that’s made of cotton and silk, providing durable, translucent and lightweight fabrics that carry intricate weaves. One also finds Tussar silk and Tissue – these combinations make the saree versatile and elegant. It's all about finding the perfect blend for you, with Mrida explore a wide range of silk sarees that are handcrafted with care just for you!