Our Story
Cloth with a paper trail.
Three generations between the loom and the ledger — weaving in Surat, sourcing across Varanasi, Kanchipuram, Bhuj and Bhagalpur, and selling to retail buyers and the trade from one catalogue.
How we started
A trading desk that learned to weave
If you cannot name the weaver, you cannot promise the cloth.
Vastra began in 1978 as a two-counter trading desk in Surat's textile market, buying grey cloth and selling it on. The business changed in the 1990s, when a large order went wrong and there was no way to prove where the yarn had come from. We started buying looms instead of promises.
Today we run our own weaving and finishing in Surat and work with named weaving clusters in Varanasi, Kanchipuram, Bhuj and Bhagalpur. Every lot carries the cluster it came from, the count and construction of the cloth, and the dye route used — printed on the invoice, not just claimed in a brochure.
By the numbers
What that looks like today
- 1978
- Trading since
- 340+
- Weavers and artisans in our supply base
- 18
- States shipped to
- 24
- Hours to a quotation on an RFQ
Milestones
Four decades, briefly
1978
A counter in the textile market
Vastra opens as a grey-cloth trading desk on Ring Road, Surat.
1994
First looms
Sixteen powerlooms installed to control quality on our own account rather than buying it in.
2006
Handloom cluster partnerships
Direct buying begins with weaver co-operatives in Varanasi and Bhuj, paying at the loom rather than through agents.
2013
In-house dyeing and finishing
A finishing line with effluent treatment brings colour and shrinkage control under one roof.
2019
Natural dye programme
Madder, indigo and pomegranate rind revived at production scale for a dedicated naturally dyed range.
2024
One catalogue, retail and trade
Retail buyers and wholesale accounts move onto a single catalogue with MOQ pricing, RFQs and GST-compliant invoicing.
What we believe
Three things we will not trade away
Pay the weaver first. Our cluster partners are paid on despatch from the loom, not on our own collection cycle. It costs us working capital and it is the reason our looms stay loyal in a tight season.
Describe the cloth honestly. Count, construction, GSM, weave, dye route and shrinkage are on the product page. Where a fabric is a blend, we say so and give the ratio. Where a print is a screen reproduction of a block design, we do not call it hand block.
Make the paperwork easy. A GSTIN on the account, the right place of supply, an invoice that reconciles, an e-way bill that arrives with the parcel. Most trade relationships are lost in accounts, not in quality.
In their words
Trusted by partners across the trade
“We have bought Banarasi and Kanjivaram from Vastra for four seasons. What keeps us is not the price — it is that the cluster, the zari type and the count are on the invoices.”
head, kajal
“We have bought Banarasi and Kanjivaram from Vastra for four seasons. What keeps us is not the price — it is that the cluster, the zari type and the count are on the invoice. When a customer asks where a saree came from, I can answer without calling anyone.”
Founder, Kamala Handlooms, Chennai
“Two hundred metres, eight shades, delivered in eleven days against a quoted fifteen. The lab dips came before bulk, which is the part most suppliers skip. Their GST paperwork reconciles cleanly, and that saves my accounts team a week every quarter.”
Purchase Head, Shah Textiles Distribution, Ahmedabad
“They told me the indigo would rub off in early wear before I placed the order. Nobody does that. It meant I could brief my customers properly instead of handling complaints. The cloth itself is the best natural indigo I have sourced in India.”
Design Director, Studio Noor, Mumbai
“I ordered a georgette bandhani saree for my sister's wedding and was nervous about the colour. It arrived closer to the photograph than anything I have bought online, and the fall and pico were already done. The muslin wrap it came in is now where I store it.”
Retail customer, Kolkata
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Let’s build together
Partner with a mill that documents its craft.
From a single designer order to a container-load export programme — share your specifications and our trade desk will respond within one business day.