The name comes from Persia. The belief lives in the hands that weave.

For as long as I can remember, I have been drawn to cloth — to the way a weaver's hand can be seen in a length of silk, to the way embroidery carries a story from one generation to the next.

But over the years, I noticed something was missing. The work was extraordinary. The platforms were not.

A designer in Jaipur, with a studio full of hand-embroidered pieces, no way for a customer in London to find her. A weaver in Varanasi, whose family had been on the same loom for three generations, no way for a curator in Dubai to know his name. A private label in Mumbai, with work that could stand beside the best in the world, invisible outside its own city.

And on the other side, customers — women across the world who love South Asian craft, who want something real, something with a name and a hand behind it — with no single place to go. No platform that treated the region as one, no place that hosted both the traditions and the designers working in them.

That was the gap. That is what Zarbaft is for.

Zarbaft is about three things:

Craft first. We look beyond appearance to understand materials, techniques, workmanship and the people behind the cloth. We value authenticity, thoughtful design and accurate representation of how a piece is made.

One roof. We are building a home for distinguished private labels, independent designers and textile makers from across South and Southeast Asia — a place where each can be discovered without losing their name, identity or story.

A quiet standard. Not gold to dazzle. Gold as a standard. The same restraint in what we host, how we present it, and how we work with the people behind it.

The name comes from Persia. The belief lives in the hands that weave. And the work — that belongs to all of us.

Navvin S Bhalla

Curator, Zarbaft

Zarbaft comes from the Persian zar — gold — and refers to cloth woven with gold. Not the thread itself, but what the thread becomes when it passes through the hands of a weaver.

The name belongs to a wider history of luxury textiles, where silk, metallic threads, intricate weaving and exceptional craftsmanship carried cultural significance.

Across centuries, trade routes connecting Persia, Central Asia, the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia enabled the exchange of materials, techniques, patterns and artistic ideas.

These exchanges influenced textile cultures in different ways. Yet each region developed its own traditions, shaped by local materials, skills, communities and histories.

The name Zarbaft honours this shared appreciation for extraordinary cloth — without suggesting that every tradition emerged from a single origin.

What connects them is not one technique or one history, but the care and imagination of the people who make them.

The story of textile craftsmanship across South and Southeast Asia is not one story. It is many.

In India, Banarasi brocade, Kanjivaram silk, Paithani and the zari traditions of Banaras and Surat reflect distinct regional approaches to weaving, ornamentation and ceremonial dress.

In Pakistan, the embroidered traditions of Punjab, the Ajrak block-printing of Sindh and the textile heritage of Balochistan each carry their own cultural identities.

In Bangladesh, Dhaka's Jamdani weaving and Bengal's Kantha embroidery represent different expressions of textile artistry.

Sri Lanka's handloom traditions, Nepal's pashmina craftsmanship and Bhutan's intricate kushuthara weaving each belong to their own histories of skill, identity and dress.

Further east, Songket traditions flourish in Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei, where supplementary metallic threads create richly patterned ceremonial textiles. Other regional traditions, including ikat and kain limar, reflect their own techniques and cultural histories.

These traditions have developed through local knowledge, cultural exchange, trade and generations of craftsmanship.

Some share techniques. Others share materials, motifs or ceremonial purposes. Many remain entirely distinctive.

They are connected by geography and centuries of exchange, but they are not interchangeable.

Each has its own hands, its own history, its own meaning.

Zarbaft's portfolio begins in India. It carries the regional traditions we know best — the sarees, the weaves, the embroideries that have defined the subcontinent's textile identity for centuries.

Its editorial vision extends beyond India — into Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei. Into the shawls, khes, songkets, ikats and ceremonial cloths of the wider region.

The portfolio is organised under a single umbrella — The Zarbaft Edit — with five categories:

• Bridal & Couture
• Luxury Formal & Prêt
• The Art of Embellishment
• Occasion & Seasonal
• Textiles & Heritage

Through Labels & Makers, Zarbaft is building a platform to welcome distinctive private labels, independent designers, weaving houses and artisan collectives from across South and Southeast Asia.

Our ambition is to bring established names and emerging talent into one considered space, while allowing each participating label to retain its identity, creative direction and story.

Partnerships and collections will be introduced as they are confirmed.

Within Heritage & Craft, we document the textile traditions themselves — country by country, region by region, technique by technique.

The connecting thread is not gold. It is care.

If you are a designer or a private label working anywhere across South and Southeast Asia — India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei — I would like to hear from you. Zarbaft is being built to give exceptional work a considered place to be discovered, understood and appreciated.

Explore the portfolio, browse the labels, or send us a message. Let's begin.

Navvin S Bhalla

Curator, Zarbaft — Dubai, United Arab Emirates