Dacca Muslin is no longer a myth! Dhaka Muslin saree is an awesome reality now that makes us proud. The Bangladesh government revived original Dhakai Muslin in 2022. Now it is a GI product of Bangladesh.
In this article, we discuss everything about the Dhaka muslin saree. Why is it the most expensive saree on the planet? What is the minimum price you need to pay to buy an original Dhakai muslin saree? We also break all the myths and misconceptions about luxury Dhaka muslin sarees.
We, team muslin Dhaka, have 40 years of combined experience on Dhaka muslin & luxury fabrics. Above all, we made our own Dhaka Muslin saree & scarf. Based on our own experience, we debunk everything about Dhakai Muslin Saree!
How do you find Original Dhakai Muslin Saree?
Right now, if you search for muslin saree, even dhaka muslin saree; you will get plenty of options to buy! We are really sorry to say no one is not even close to the original dhakai muslin!
Why? Please check out the characteristics of Dhaka Muslin?
You might find a few actual dhakai muslin saree in premium auctions or in museums. There are only 16 to 22 saree available to the Bangladesh government right now. The muslin revival team made them three years back.
Is there any original Dhaka muslin saree available for sale?
Right now, the Bangladesh government is not selling any muslin. The options you see in the market are not an option at all!
We are not bragging to you. Team muslin dhaka made the same authentic dhakai muslin that the Bangladesh government made. We have been searching for royal dhaka muslin since 2017. Inspired by the government and our own experience, we finally made two sarees. We followed the same steps the revival team did.
Apart from that we modify our own muslin saree. We have a few authentic, unique, actual dhakai muslin!
Is there any Dhakai muslin Saree left?
We already said you might find it in premium auctions as a collector. Otherwise you can book your own Dhakai muslin saree through muslin dhaka website. Note that Dhakai muslin saree is the most expensive saree on this planet.
Why Is it so unique?
“If Kanjeevaram saree is the “queen of sarees”, surely Dhakai Muslin saree will be the king of all sarees. “
Shariful Alam Pavel, Founder, Muslin Dhaka
Dacca muslin saree has a grand elegance that words can not express. It’s very hard to define the divine beauty. Dhaka muslin is an experience you understand only while touching & feeling a real masterpiece.
I keep the emotional side here & invite you to experience dhaka muslin in our experience center!
Let’s go for the logical side of the grandness of Muslin. Why is it so unique?
- Dhaka Muslin is made with phuti karpas cotton. You only found it within a 40 to 50 kilometers radius of Dhaka city!
- Making Dhaka Muslin – everything is Handmade.
- Dacca muslin thread is extremely delicate. The thread count is 300 to 500 even more!
- Pre-weaving has 9 to 11 steps that also require special skills
- The weaving – The muslin weaving is the hardest part. Our weaver did it with extreme skill carried by generations. They are the artists weaving your dream!
History of Dhaka Muslin Saree
Dhaka is best known for Mosque & Muslin! Dacca Muslin has a rich history of almost 4000 years! In so many ancient historical stories & literature you will find our pride, Muslin!
Recent archeological discovery proves that Dhaka existed even 2500 years ago. Hope we will find more about Dhaka city, our rich civilization, muslin fashion in upcoming days.
We divide Dhaka muslin saree history into four parts.
First the ancient time – Muslin is the first global luxury brand even 500 BC. You will find historical mention of Dacca muslin in Greek & Roman accounts. From this time you will get a few myths about muslin. There are many stories about this awesome fabric. It was the cloth of Venus, made by the fairy, many more.
Second – Middle age – from eight century to mughal time, Dhaka muslin is already established as a global luxury brand. All the elites exchange these masterpieces all over the world. Greek, Roman, Arab & others use muslin from Bengal. Apart from Dhaka, a big marketplace was in Mosul, Iraq. It was 26 times more costly than Silk!
The elites of Bengal love Dhaka Muslin like the rest of the world. They love to wear Dacca Muslin Saree. Women have a special attraction to this divine cloth.
Third Mughal Era: this is the peak time of Dhakai Muslin saree. In the time of Mughal dynasty, Muslin became the Louis Vuitton of global luxury fashion. Princes, Queens & royal women wear dhakai muslin saree. With the patronization of mughal, Muslin became the heart of export. Bengal province, todays Bangladesh, was the most wealthy province in the Mughal dynasty. It was accountable for 50 percent of the entire Mughal revenue. A lion’s share of income came from dacca muslin.
We see Marie Antoinette, Josephine Bonaparte, Jane Austen & many European royals who also love & promote dacca muslin.
New Era : This is our time. After 200 years of disappearance Muslin was revived by the Bangladesh government. Muslin still is not an industry right now. But very few like us working to make it happen. We are the new frontier of dhakai muslin.
We bring back this heritage luxury fashion for the world again.
How to identify Dhakai Muslin Saree?
Dhakai Muslin is coarse. You will feel the actual dacca muslin once touched. The fabric is very delicate. It is so delicate that a full muslin saree goes through the ring. With experience & authentic brands like Muslin Dhaka, you will get original dhaka muslin saree.
You can read about the unique characteristics of Dhaka muslin here.
We are working with the government to build a certification process. The government authority will certify the original masterpiece muslin. That also helps to identify authentic royal muslin.
We invite you to experience our dhakai muslin with extensive research all over the world to identify the most authentic saree.
Challenges of Dhaka Muslin Saree?
There are some challenges & opportunities of Dhakai Muslin . Please read the detailed article if you want to know more.
In brief, the challenges of Dhakai Muslin are :
- Need global awareness
- Increased mechanization & cheaper alternatives
- Weavers leaving professions to earn better
- Authenticity issue: need certification
- Public-private partnership
Bangladesh govt takes initiatives to bring the divine fashion shine back. But this is not enough. We need private sector entrepreneurs to come forward. Need to collaborate with the modern luxury fashion brands.
Types of Dhakai Muslin Saree
It is really hard to find the type of dacca muslin saree. There is only one type of original muslin saree. Still you may find a lot of variant cotton saree that people sell in the name of muslin.
Let’s debunk the myths :
Original Dhakai Muslin Saree : original Muslin saree that we talked about in the whole article. It is 100 percent cotton saree made from Phuti karpus – a very rare type of cotton.
dhakai muslin jamdani saree: Historically, Jamdani was a lower quality cheap muslin. We see a direct influence of Persian design on it. Jamdani is a Persian word meaning jam ( Flower) & dani ( Vase).
It indicates unique floral patterns weaved in the fabric. Jamdani saree, people sometimes call muslin Jamdani saree these days actually a marketing gimmick. We will go deep down later.
dhaka muslin silk saree : It is a blend of cotton & silk. You will find a lot of saree in the market. Unfortunately, No one is the original Dacca muslin.
Please read our article about regular cotton muslin saree to know more.
Dhaka Muslin Saree’s design
Generally, the more design on the saree, it takes more time, become more expensive. We see the costliest sarees in the market. Unlike others, Muslin saree is great for minimalist design.
Muslin itself is an art. You won’t see too much design & pattern in Muslin. Rather find out the soothing, soft gentle touch of the artisan in the magical masterpieces.
We made some designer dhaka muslin scarf, wedding dhakai muslin saree, wedding scarf & other muslin cloths. All of the masterpieces are very costly.
Color of Dhakai Muslin saree
Dhaka muslin saree’s primary color is natural. The fabric is unbleached, undyed muslin. So the main part is natural color, while the design part could be dyed design thread. But we suggest using natural color cotton thread. Due to the nature of dhakai muslin, it tends to attract colors from dyed yarn.
So, color options are limited for now. More research work is ongoing to overcome this issue.
Natural Off-white muslin saree is the best with minimalist design.
muslin saree in Dhaka
This is the playground of Dhaka muslin, Jamdani & thousands of variants of saree. You will be lost in the crowd of so many types of sarees. Even though we do not know much about al sarees.
We only know Dhakai Muslin saree. Many claim to make Muslin saree. Most of them actually ended up making regular cotton saree or Jamdani saree. Please do proper research & experience the masterpiece before buying.
Dhaka Muslin saree Vs Dhakai Jamdani Saree
Here comes the interesting part. Difference between Original Dhaka Muslin saree & Dhakai jamdani saree is clear. dhakai jamdani often referred to Muslin jamdani saree or jamdani muslin saree.
One thing is common about all these types of saree. They are all made in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
While pure dhaka muslin saree is made by specific cotton phuti karpus, Jamdani could be made by other types of cotton, silk or blend. They have more fabric options. While Jamdani is made of cotton it is called cotton jamdani saree, sometimes muslin jamdani saree these days.
Authentic Dhaka muslin saree is unbleached & undyed. Made from specialized cotton phuti karpus, while Jamdani is more a design pattern & weaving.
People called cotton jamdani saree as Dhakai muslin jamdani saree today. This Muslin Jamdani Saree is a marketing gimmick.
Historically, while general people can’t afford the most luxurious Dhaka Muslin, they buy Jamdani. A cheap version of the original Dacca Muslin. So Muslin jamdani saree should be Jamdani design & pattern weaving on Muslin fabric!
Over time, we lost original muslin but the jamdani pattern, technique & cheaper alternative saree survived, modified in today’s Jamdani, Jamdani Muslin or cotton Muslin.
We revived muslin with the help of jamdani weavers who were trained generation by generation in weaving. We called them “Tati”.
Original dhakai muslin silk saree is not available in today’s market. It is a variant of cotton silk blend saree.
We already debunk so many myths. Already created a lot of buzz. What we shared just to educate our readers to save them from ignorance.
We request everyone to correct us if there are any unintentional mistakes.
How was Dhakai muslin Saree made?
There are three main steps to take to make Dhaka Muslin saree.
- Making Muslin Yarn
- Pre- Weaving
- Weaving
If we write in detail, it will take a lot of space. Rather shared our own video. Please go through it to understand the muslin saree making process.
Apart from the process, there is one separate part: DESIGN. Designer Muslin comes to live in the weaving process. But the design part may come from planning.
What is the Most expensive Saree type?
Apart from Dhaka Muslin Kanjivaram saree, Muga silk & other silk saree with heavy design are the most expensive saree. Designers like Manish malhotra, Sabyasachi & others take this luxury sari to a different level.
South India, especially Tamil Nadu, is famous for the most expensive & luxurious saree in the world.
For cotton, there were no strong competitors. Now we have the “king of Saree,” Dhaka Muslin. It is the costliest & most luxurious saree in the world!
What is the Dhaka muslin saree price?
Original Dhakai muslin saree price is around 8000 to 12000 usd normally. But it can go a lot higher with complex design, luxe metal thread with meticulous making. This era is the revamping of Dhakai muslin. The industry is just a baby now.
The natural beauty & art of handmade Dhaka muslin without adding any pricey jewels makes it one of the costliest saree in the world.
Why is Dhakai Muslin Saree the Most Expensive Saree in the World?
In the single world, the rarest cotton phuti Karpus, most delicate muslin yarn & divine weaving make dhakai muslin saree the most expensive saree in the world.
For your understanding, we are giving a cost breakdown per Saree below :
Yarn cost – ( 300 boblin x 10 usd per boblin ) – 3000 usd
Pre weaving – 200 usd
Weaving – average time ( 4 months x 2 weaver minimum wages 500 usd) – 2000 usd
Production Cost 5200 usd
Designer charge ( not included) 000
Admin Cost minimum 12 percent plus marketing cost minimum 18 percent
30 percent of production cost ( 5200 x 30%) 1560 usd
Total Cost of Muslin Saree 6760 usd
So we can say roughly 6000 to 7000 usd is the total cost of one original Dhakai Muslin. With a minimum profit it normally goes from 9000 to 12000 usd.
(There are a few factors like customization, designer charge can increase the cost. The art is priceless!)
This is the rough calculation for Muslin Saree. Muslin scarf could cost 2000 to 3000 usd while dacca muslin fabric cost 600 to 900 usd per yard.
If the industry grows with the support of our patrons, maybe we can reduce the production cost over time.
How to Care for Dhakai Muslin Saree?
Here is the original dhakai muslin saree care guide 👍
- Touch gently
- Dry wash only.
- Never contact water.
- No need for Iron.
- Keep the dry, cool place at normal temperature.
- Be careful about spills & dirt.
How long does a muslin cloth last?
Muslin can last long. The original muslin revived by muslin revival still team three years back just like new. We hope if we handle muslin cloth with care it will pass over through generations. In museum or collectors collections, we still see Dhaka Muslin well.
Where to buy the original Dhakai Muslin Saree?
We have original dhaka muslin sarees for sale. Do not hesitate to
buy Dhaka muslin saree online from our website. We do not have any muslin saree shops in Dhaka. But you can come to our experience center.
Book your private appointment by emailing here : sharif@muslindhaka.com
FAQ 👍
What is the richest saree in the world?
The Vivah pattu Saree worn by Nita Ambani is one of the richest sarees in the world. It weights 8 kg while royal dhaka muslin saree is only 250/350 gram. This muslin saree will win the richest crown soon.
Which Saree is not in Nita Ambani’s Wardrobe?
Surely, the original Dhakai muslin saree is not in Nita Ambani’s Wardrobe if she does not have collector’s muslin. Fun apart, we want to gift her one masterpiece to complete her wardrobe!
What’s the most expensive fabric?
After Shahtoosh & Dhaka Muslin, Vicuna is the most expensive fabric in the world. If you have money you can buy vicuna. But the first two are rarest, and very hard to find.
Which luxury brand is the oldest?
Hermes is considered the oldest luxe brand that is still in operation. But Dhaka Muslin is the oldest global brand that is revived after 170 years of disappearance.
Which country has the best quality rarest cotton in the world?
Indian subcontinent specially Bangladesh has the best quality rarest cotton in the world name phtuti karpas cotton. The most expensive Dhaka muslin made by this cotton.
Conclusion
We shared almost everything about the original Dhaka Muslin Saree. The divine cloth mesmerized the kings, queens, princess from past, present & hopefully in the future.
We, team Muslin Dhaka, help you get this priceless heritage luxury fashion. Please Book your private appointment by emailing here: sharif@muslindhaka.com
Shariful Alam Pavel, A fashion lover, passionate marketer. Love to share wisdom based on real life experience to enrich knowledge.
Founder of Muslin Dhaka, a brand, speaks the truth about royal muslin and fashion. Explore the digital fashion universe with organic cotton muslin and much more!
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