What it is

Tussar (also written tussah, tasar, or kosa) is silk produced by wild silkworms of the genus Antheraea — primarily Antheraea mylitta in India. Unlike the cultivated mulberry silkworm, which is fed a controlled diet of mulberry leaves indoors, the tussar silkworm lives in the wild on forest trees: arjun, asan, sal, and saja. Its cocoons are gathered from these forests by tribal artisans, mostly in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and Bihar.

Because the silkworm has been wild, fed on a varied diet, and exposed to the elements, tussar silk does not have the perfect uniformity of mulberry silk. The filament is coarser. The colour, untouched by dye, is a warm honey-gold. The slubs and irregularities are part of the cloth’s character — not faults to be ironed out.

How it is made

Tribal artisans collect tussar cocoons from forest trees. The cocoons may then be reeled in the conventional way (with the pupa still inside — the standard tussar) or harvested after the moth has emerged naturally, producing peace silk (ahimsa tussar). Sūt sources peace-tussar where available; we will identify the production method on the swatch card you receive.

Cocoons are softened in warm water, the filament end is located, and several filaments are reeled together onto a spool. The yarn is then handwoven on a pit loom in centres like Bhagalpur (Bihar) and Champa (Chhattisgarh). The whole process — from forest to finished cloth — supports an economy in which intact forest is more valuable than cleared forest.

The hand

Warmer in tone and more textured than mulberry silk. The natural honey-gold colour reads beautifully against most skin tones, even before any dyeing. Less drape than mulberry; more body. A faint, uneven sheen rather than the polished lustre of cultivated silk. Slubs in the yarn create a quietly irregular surface that is part of the appeal — the cloth visibly remembers that it came from a living forest.

Why it is worth its price

Tussar is a forest economy. Every acre of intact tropical forest in central and eastern India that supports tussar silkworms is an acre that is not being cleared for monoculture, mining, or logging. The cocoon gatherers are usually tribal women; the silk is paid into communities that have very few other sources of income compatible with keeping their forests standing.

Tussar also takes natural dyes — particularly indigo, madder, and the iron-and-tannin range — with exceptional depth. The slightly irregular surface holds dye unevenly in a way that mill silk cannot replicate; that depth is one of the reasons tussar saris have been heirloom cloth in India for centuries.

How to care for it

• Dry-clean is the recommended first method, especially for dyed pieces.
• If hand-washing: cool water, silk-safe detergent. No soaking, no agitation.
• Never wring. Roll in a clean dry towel to remove water.
• Dry: lay flat or hang from a padded hanger, away from direct sun. Tussar yellows faster than mulberry in sunlight because of its natural protein content.
• Iron: on the reverse, cool to warm, with a pressing cloth, while slightly damp.
• Storage: fold with acid-free tissue or hang on a padded hanger. Cedar or lavender deters silk moths.
• Tussar ages by mellowing in colour and softening in hand. Both are improvements.

Best worn as

Dresses, kurtas, jackets, saris, stoles, summer suiting in heavier weights. Tussar holds presence without slipperiness, which makes it excellent for occasions where you want a silk that is read as serious rather than glamorous. The natural honey colour works as both a neutral and a feature.