Process

The 12-Step Art of the Hand-Screened Textile: Our Shared Heritage
True luxury cannot be rushed. At Parekh Bugbee, every piece we create is a collaborative masterwork born of patience, traditional craft, and a deep reverence for the natural world. From our multi-generational family factory in Mumbai, India—constructed in 1968 largely from reclaimed and recycled materials—our team of master artisans transforms pure silk, pure wool, and organic cotton into limited-run, collectible pieces of wearable art.
Every hand silk-screen printed scarf we create follows an intentional rhythm passed down through decades. This is the story behind the making.

 

The 12-Step Artisanal Journey

Parekh Bugbee factory silkscreen printing process with recycled materials



I. The Artist’s Hand - Original Drawing

Every print begins as a quiet conversation between a pencil and paper. In our studio, an artist meticulously hand-draws the initial sketch, mapping out the fine details of the motif. Once the composition is complete, the artist hand-colors the design, mapping out the precise layers of paint and dye required to bring the finished narrative to life.


Parekh Bugbee artist drawing the initial sketch for silkscreen making

 

 

Artist hand colouring the drawing for silkscreen making process

 

II. Constructing the Silk Screens

Traditional silk-screening is a beautiful, physical print-making technique. A delicate mesh cloth is stretched tightly over a heavy metal frame to form a screen. Because every color in our design requires its own separate layer, we build one unique screen per color. Once the stencils are perfectly exposed and ready, our artisans carry the heavy frames down to the main printing floor.

    Parekh Bugbee silkscreens ready to be printed on silk textilesParekh Bugbee silkscreens ready for printing on silk textiles

    Artisan taking the silkscreens on the factory floorOur artisan taking the stretched and ready screens onto the factory printing floor. 

     

    III. Sun-Drenched Hand-Washing


    We source our raw, unprinted textiles directly from traditional weaving mills. To prepare the fine material for printing, our team washes the fabric two or three times entirely by hand in warm water to "degum" it—a delicate cleansing process that removes sericin, the natural protein left behind by the silkworm. The silk is then laid out to dry under direct, natural sunlight for three to four hours, a step that coaxes out the fiber’s brilliant, signature luster.

      Natural silk fabric drying in sunlight after degumming process ready for printing

       

      IV. Preparing the Hot Wax Tables


      To keep the fine fabric perfectly stable during printing, our workers wash down our long printing tables just before laying out the material. We heat these specialized tables until they reach a warm 115 to 122 degrees Fahrenheit. Once the optimal temperature is met, a thin layer of wax is applied, and two pairs of artisan hands carefully pull and stretch the fabric completely flat across the warm, wax-fastened surface.

      Artisans washing the hot wax tablesArtisans preparing the hot was tables for silkscreen printing the silk textiles

      Artisans applying the fabric on hot wax tables for silkscreen printing process

       

      V. Mixing the Master Palette


      Our Color Master carefully measures and mixes our premium, non-toxic German acetic dyes. He inspects each fluid shade by hand, numbers them, and coordinates them in the exact order they will need to be introduced to the silkscreens.

          Measuring of natural silk german dyes used for printing of silk textilesColor master checking the natural silk dyes for silkscreen printingSampling and numbering of natural silk dyes ready for printing Parekh Bugbee textiles

           

          VI. The First Impression

          With the fabric secured to the hot wax table, our expert print artisans lay the first screen over the stretched silk. Passing a heavy squeegee back and forth between them, they use perfectly calibrated, even hand pressure to force the natural dye through the minute pores of the screen material onto the fabric. This rhythmic physical dance is repeated screen by screen, color by color, until the complete, multi-layered visual emerges on the cloth.

              Artisans hand printing the silk textiles with silkscreensArtisans printing the natural dyes on silk fabric by silkscreen print processFirst sample colors printed on the silk scarf

               

              VII. Air-Drying on the Wax Beds

              Once the final color layer is applied, the printed textiles are left undisturbed on the warm tables until they are completely dry to the touch, allowing the pigments to settle perfectly into the fibers.

                Silkscreen printed scarves waiting to dry on hot wax tables

                 

                VIII.  Locking the Colors with Natural Steam


                To permanently fuse our rich pigments into the core of the natural silk fibers, the dry fabric is run through a specialized rolling machine heated to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. This natural water steam process chemically sets the acetic dyes into the natural fibers, ensuring the colors remain vibrant for generations.

                Color fastening by passing the fabric through natural water steam machineColor fastening by passing the printed silk textiles through natural water steam machine


                IX. Clean Water Post-Wash & Closed-Loop Filtration

                After the steaming process, we wash the printed fabrics by hand up to four times in cold water to clear away any microscopic excess color or residual wax from the tables.

                  Final washing of the silk textiles to remove access dyes from the fabric

                    We take great pride in caring for our environment. 100% of the water used during our washing loops is processed through our own underground filtration system, where the natural dyes are separated and neutralized. The clean, reclaimed water is then recycled straight back into the factory for continued washing or redirected to our adjacent family farm to irrigate organic fruits and vegetables.

                    X. The Final Solstice

                    The freshly washed fabric is taken outside and laid out flat under the open sky for a full day. The natural solar heat performs the final color fixation while imparting a deep, gorgeous satin shine to the completed fabric.


                      XI. Hand-Inspection for Quality

                      Every single scarf, shawl, and stole is taken to our finishing room, where a group of local artisanal women inspect the textiles inch by inch under bright light. They carefully check the fabric to ensure there are no flaws or leftover traces of mounting wax from the printing beds.

                        Artisanal women inspecting the final silk scarves and textiles for any major flaws

                        Women checking for any major flaws on the silk scarves and textiles after the final washing and drying

                         

                        XII. Manual Ironing and Global JourneyOnce a piece passes inspection, it is manually ironed to a fluid, beautiful drape. The scarves are carefully folded, packed, and shipped directly to our studio here in the United States, ready to be shared with collectors who value the human soul behind true luxury.

                          Women manually folding and ironing the final finished silk scarves and shawls ready for shipmentWomen manually folding and ironing the final finished silk scarves and shawls ready for shipment