ABOUT

These upcycled cocoon necklaces are a completely handmade artisan product, crafted from Natural Mulberry silk cocoons, a by-product of weaving, that are mindfully upcycled by rural women after the moth has exited from its home. The dead stock and waste cocoons are re-used, which means that the materials exit and re-enter our production process, thus completing the chain of circular farming. Dyed and hand painted inside out in small batches, these zero waste beauties are truly unique and one of a kind. Extremely light-weight and eco-friendly, these bold statement pieces are a perfect start to build your conscious wardrobes!

INSPIRATION: All credit for this rightly goes to my eleven year old daughter, Aeshaane who has been a huge part of the designing process. She took a few cocoons lying around at home and casually hand painted them in multiple hues. She loves to make bracelets and bands, and wasted no time in quickly stringing them together with her little hands to make a pretty wearable chain. She was so excited, she named her first piece 'The Rainbow necklace' and chose the titles for all the others. Her favourite one is the 'BFF (Best friends forever) necklace', because both her best friend and she own one each, a bond to seal their friendship. Meet 'The Little Person' here.

DETAILS

DIMENSIONS: L 39 cm

WEIGHT: 40 grams

COLOUR: Hand dyed in Black, Ash, Burgundy and Natural White

Variations in colour and texture are hallmarks of dyeing in small batches. Here’s to celebrating blemishes, flaws, faulty and irregular.

DYES: Azo-free non toxic dyes

SHIPPING: 14 - 21 business days

At aeshaane, we invite everyone to slow down and cherish garments that are made slowly and deliberately by artisans. After all, 'Things of beauty have no fear of time'! Free Worldwide shipping on all orders.

RETURNS & EXCHANGES:

Made to order fashion: Each piece is specially handcrafted for you, thereby reducing waste, since items are not produced in advance. Please check the Return/Exchanges policy.

ARTISANS

Our rural women artisans who also double as domestic help, gather around post noon to carefully string these pieces together with nimble hands. For those without any kind of formal education, employment opportunities are extremely limited in India. But at aeshaane, besides earning a fair income from their work, they also have a sense of belonging, a place they can call their own, that gives them a life filled with love, pride and dignity, where they can benefit from being together as a community. From carefully cleaning the cocoons to hand painting and stringing them, each piece takes several days to make. Meet the makers here.

At aeshaane, our artisans have

A safe and flexible working environment
Encouragement to use their own creativity
Ability to work remotely or from home
Integration into an uplifting community
Dignified work where their voices are heard
Options to participate in workshops and other training programs

WORKSHOP: These necklaces are handmade at aeshaane's in-house workshop in Chennai, India where our artisans share our values and produce in a fair way. We celebrate all that is slow, ethical and does not harm the people, animals or the planet. To know more, click on Behind the scenes.

MATERIAL

MATERIAL: Natural Mulberry silk cocoons and Waxed Cotton Chord

HANDFEEL: The necklace is extremely light-weight and the Natural silk Mulberry cocoons are very robust. One can't help but wonder, how these tiny silk moths manage to spin around 300,000 times in just 3 - 8 days, weaving such beautiful, strong and durable habitats.

IS IT NON-VIOLENT? Part of the process to rear silk traditionally involves the cocoons being put into very hot water, to preserve the integrity of the long silk fibres. This method clearly kills the silkworm, breaking the chain of ethical processing. However, at aeshaane we believe in slow silk farming, where we wait for the moths to naturally exit the cocoons and complete their life cycle of mating and hatching eggs in an organic manner. The broken empty cocoons are then cleaned and upcycled to create the neckpieces.

PROPERTIES: Mulberry silk is always considered the most expensive type of natural silk. It's made from the silkworms, Bombyx mori moth that feed on Mulberry leaves. The fibres from these natural cocoons are readily biodegradable after serving its full lifecycle. Besides being 100% hypo-allergic and antibacterial, the silk is also completely odourless. For more information check out Our silks.

ORIGIN: Mulberry silk is produced mainly in Karnataka, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh

CARE

We help you take good care of your purchase. With a little love and care, your silk necklace will last for years. We celebrate re-use, swapping and encourage you to repair whenever possible.

Keep away from fragrance and water
Do not iron
Each cocoon necklace comes in a recycled box for storage.
Though the cocoons are robust, we recommend not to place heavy weight on top
Slight pilling is common and is perfectly normal. It's the hallmark of natural fibres. It appears with frequent use and can easily be removed, by gently taking it off with your fingers.

The 'Plumeria' Necklace