COVER STORY

@ Richmond Road

Timeless Heritage Silks

Pathi Silks has been weaving fabulous designs By Jeelani MN in silk sarees for over a century

Situated on the prominent and busy Richmond Road, Pathi Silks is renownedfor its exquisite designs in silks since the last 120 years. In an age when businesses come and go, Pathi Silks stands as a shining example of sustained and successful family business for generations. Pathi Silks was founded in 1902 by Shri. Pathi Adinaraniah, which was carried on by Shri. Pathi A. Radha Krishna, as of today the Managing Partners are Shri. Pathi R. Sampath Kumar and his son Shri. Pathi S. Nanjundeshwar, who is the fourth generation of the Pathi family. His great vision and principals are continuing to shine through every generation, maintaining high quality, innovation, personalised service and customer satisfaction as their core values.

@ Richmond Road

Adelightful ensemble in pink and yellow and green square patterns. A vibrant and vivacious silken symphony.

Their flagship showroom opened its doors to its Central Business District (CBD) customers in 2021. They are the veterans in the wholesale saree business, who have ventured into retail, showcasing the intricate, traditional saree collection that is every woman’s dream. Pathi Silks on Richmond Road is spread across a space of 3800 sq ft, with a team of twenty-five very efficient, well-versed staff that showcase not just the saree or fabric you wish to purchase, but also explain the intricacies of the fabric, its weave and design, highlighting their distinguished workmanship which encapsulate the fantasies of the customer. They are pioneers in manufacturing silk sarees, well-recognised for supplying to the top stores all across India and abroad. They have created many sarees from their in-house designs and also revived old traditional designs which may have faded away from the regular market, as well as new-age sarees with latest concepts.

@ Richmond Road

Magenta checked design lifted with a rich carnelian border and pallu with heavy zari bootas and intricate work in gorgeous silk. Along with royal blue and gold classical Kanjeevaram.

They have dedicated and exhibited their expertise and passion for what they have been relentlessly pursuing for over a century. 120 years of great skill and craftsmanship. is seen in each piece that is produced, making them the most respected and famed as fashionable in the industry, with the constant pursuit to make each saree beautifully perfect, and exciting for every generation. Their manufacturing unit is in Bommasandra in Bengaluru with a working staff of three hundred. They also have contract looms across India in the handloom sector in Kanchipuram, Banaras, Pochampallee, Sambalpur, and other places where they give them their designs, colour concepts and get exclusive products made, which are then wholesaled in the market. Pathi Silks quite recently thought of venturing into the retail business, so that they could reach the customer and feel the pulse of the ongoing generation and

@ Richmond Road

Avision of beauty in peach and pink draped silk with eye-catching threadwork design and double border. A delightful departure from the usual.

moods of what to cater to. Since they have a strong background in manufacturing, reaching out to the customers with exclusive and also customised designs was an opportunity to showcase their relentless love for silks. Pathi Silks has more plans to flourish and reach the top of the silk saree trade, evenly balancing out retail and wholesale business. But for now, they want to create a niche in the retail business. Their products are available at a very reasonable price, since they are manufacturers themselves. This factor acts as a trump card to their retail line, and makes them a major competitor in the Bengaluru retail silk saree market. Across India they were applauded for finally going retail as being the pioneers, and having a century of expertise in the silk business, the exclusivity of their designs has always been much in demand. Creating a connection with the market in retail has also breathed new life into their wholesale business.

The customisation and amalgamation of new designs is creating an exclusivity in variety for their customers, and improving their wholesale business at the same time, as Pathi Silks is creating new concepts in designs, which are mostly unavailable in the regular retail market. Pathi Silks has come up with a new concept, Heritage Weaves – the recreation of 200 to 300 year old designs in Kanjeevaram Silk Sarees – in pure gold zari, and reviving the lost art of the old designs. They are amalgamating new designs on the heritage weaves, such as bandhni, hand painting, kalamkari, hand painted motifs, unusual prints and awe-inspiring borders. These are exclusive pieces that are extremely creative and challenging and take a long time to manufacture, with each piece taking three to four months to reach the store. The end result of course is that every piece is very niche, voguish and unique. Heirloom sarees have always been a legacy in many South Indian families and Pathi Silks customises for their patrons. Customers are looking to revive their heirloom fabrics. Pathi Silks recently restored a 200 year old silk saree which has been passed on in the family over the generations.Pathi Silks takes utmost care in restoring the fabrics, with pure ingenuity. Their depth of knowledge has made the patrons appreciate their expertise, as they flock for their special skills from across the world. This constant initiative to help its patrons revive and restore the fabrics is adding more beauty to their current collective, and this personalisation is winning them accolades and many happy customers. Be it for restoring heirlooms or customising saree borders with the latest out-of-the-box designs, merging old and new designs in a timeless fabric, or recreating the traditional designs that have faded out of the market or have

been restructured to cater to the market, their patrons are aware that only Pathi Silks can be trusted with such craftsmanship, and this makes them superior to their peers. Pathi Silks is going to be any customer’s favourite place for good silk retail therapy. South Indians of the younger generation are getting more inclined toward the customs and traditions, and are getting back to their heritage. They prefer organic fabrics such as silk for traditional events. Pathi Silks has witnessed an upsurge in younger customers, who are getting closer to their roots and wish to inculcate more tradition through silk fabric in their life. Wedding trends come and go. Gowns and ghagra cholis had recently taken over the South Indian wedding circuit, due to the influence from the North of India and abroad, but traditional silk saree never went out of business. To create a stir in the wedding season Pathi Silks regularly creates new concept designs and handcrafts the six-yards with timeless traditional beauty. Pathi Silks – The wedding Season concept is as unique as them. They are showcasing Banaras Tanchois on Kanjeevarams, which is another magnificent design amalgamation, and this interesting marriage of designs is what makes Pathi Silks very unique and the perfect place for silk connoisseurs. Each piece has a unique story and design concept, and owning it gives a sense of pride to the customer. With this standard of perseverance that has lasted 120 years, Pathi Silks has never failed in surprising its customer base in wholesale or retail. They are also creating sarees with a combination of zaris such as rose gold zari, gold zari, and others. Maintaining this balance between the traditional and the new, and creating concept designs with painstaking detailing over time, with utmost beauty and dedication, they are setting stones for a pathway that will be hard to pave for other retailers. Their plan of expansion is to open stores pan-India across major cities.Bangalore is their homeland where they want to grow slowly and steadily. They already enjoy a good rapport with their customers who have immense confidence in the brand. Very soon this much-loved brand will be seen across the city. Pathi Silks is easy to spot at its current location and one can walk-in to browse and see first-hand the beautiful range of different sarees and fabrics available, suitable for all occasions.

PATHI SILKS No 9/11 Classic Court, Richmond Road Bangalore – 560 025. Tel: 99801 33737 pathi_silks pathisilks 99801 33737