AAB-E-ZAR

Textiles woven with warp yarns in silk and the weft in zari, are commonly referred to as Tissue in the Indian handloom vocabulary. Such fabrics are diaphanous and light weight, with a rich reflective quality, lending themselves to sinuous drapes despite an often use of heavy brocading on them. Like many other well known traditions of Banaras, the origin of Tissue here is obscure; the word stands for textiles in French, and it is possible that its emergence was a part of the broad influence of European fabrics on Indian handlooms in the late 19th to early 20th century.