My upcycling journey was inspired by a passion for environmental sustainability and also by my grandmother, a true re-fashionista. My grandmother had several saris from her bridal trousseau that had been with her for nearly 60 years — including a remnant of a lehenga worn by her mother nearly 75 years ago. These pieces held great sentimental value, and while the silk had become fragile over time, the intricate threadwork done at that time with zari, threads made of real gold or silver, had only become more beautiful with age.

To preserve these mementos of the past, my grandmother upcycled the saris and fabric remnants into elegant evening stoles. For each piece, a professional shawl-walla (craftsman specializing in making and repairing shawls) weighed in on how much of the fabric was strong enough to be repurposed.

From one sari and the lehenga remnant, my grandmother was able to salvage two pieces of fabric, each about 28 inches wide and 56 inches long (Images 1 & 2 below). From another sari, she salvaged a narrower, longer piece, but the border on that sari was still strong, so she combined the border with the narrow piece to get enough fabric to make a stole (Image 3). For the final sari, she was only able to repurpose the elaborate border (Image 4).

Each piece was cut and attached to a solid-colored pashmina shawl (28″ x 80″ long) that complimented the color of the sari fabric. The shawl-walla hand stitched the sari fabric to the shawls, creating four stunning, one-of-a-kind stoles that can glam up just about any South Asian or western outfit. Most importantly, the delicate fabric has now become stronger from the wool layer beneath it, adding even more years to its life.

Check out the finished products below!

Image 1: Lehenga remnant repurposed as a stole

Image 2: Trousseau sari upcycled into a stole

Image 3: Sari remnant and border repurposed as a stole

Image 4: Zari sari border and accents added to a pashmina shawl