Scarf Galaxy is a company that started literally on the streets of Varanasi, India.  We, the owners, went to Varanasi to attend a spiritual retreat and once there ended up meeting a wonderful resident who wanted to "help us start a business" in India.  Well, as we got to know Nadeem better we realized that he along with many other Indians were struggling to make a living.  The merchants there are very interested in working hard to make and sell their goods.  So, off we went with Nadeem to various merchants in and throughout Varanasi.  We visited carpet manufacturers, bead makers, jewlery makers and weavers.  The weavers were the most intregueing of the bunch.  They sit on dirt of concrete floors for hours with their large looms, threading the silk threads through the waft of the fabric.  Some are giften enough to weave a design in a fabric from memory.  These weaves are literally called "memory weaves".  Others use wooden cards that have the patterns cut out and help them track the patterns in the silk fabric.  It takes hours and sometimes days to complete a scarf or wrap.  These silk scarves are truly an amazing creation.  If you could see how the silk is processed, how it is then woven into a scarf.....you would come to truly appreciate these accessories.  What we think as a nice piece for a special dress or outfit, takes on a very different meaning once you see how these beautiful scarves are made. 

Each country manufactures their own type of silk for weaving.  In India the silk is smooth and strong.  In Laos the silk is not as smooth, yet is just as strong.  Some will tell you that the finest silk comes from Laos because they worms there feed on the Mulberry tree.  Of course, each country believes that their product is the best and we believe that they are all the best.  The weaver in each country focus on different designs, but one thing they all have in common is their desire to tell a story through the weave of the fabric.  It is said that the weavers have been the true story tellers and keepers throughout time.  They have been known to weave stories, maps and symbols into their designs to remind their people of the true history of the place they live.  It is very interesting to listen to their perceptions of what they weave. 

If you are buying a piece that has been hand woven, it is a unique piece.  All the scarves that have a pattern in them are hand woven.  The others which are  hand painted have been machine woven and hand painted and/or embroidered.  The care and detail that goes into each scarf can be truly amazing.  You are buying hours and at times, days worth of weaving and creating.  It  is much more than a mere scarf, you are buying a piece of art that tells a story.  In India, there are weavers who do "memory weaves".  These fabrics come straight from the weavers memory, they do not weave off a card like most weavers.  These weavers are some of the most gifted in the world and are becoming a dying breed.  The young are no longer interested in learning this truly amazing craft because they can't make enough money at it to support their families.  So if you happen to come across one of these weavings, you will want to make it your own quickly because they may not be around for long.

As you can see, we love silk scarves.  More importantly, we love the people who weave these amazing products.  It is hard to imagine the effort that goes into each of these pieces.  We see a scarf and buy it because we like the way it looks or we need a particular scarf to go with that particular outfit.......there is nothing wrong with this, however, if you are at all interested in looking deeper into these items, you can also find a story that needs to be told for each one.  The weavers of the world are a dying breed, yet they have so much to say.  Some listen to the patterns woven into the fabric, other are attraced to the particular color.  Regardless, each piece can bring a person great joy, not just in the wearing, but in the gift of spirit.....we hope each customer can come to love these pieces as much as we do.