On the first day of January 2026, the new mayor of New York City was sworn into office just after midnight at an abandoned subway station beneath City Hall. Zohran Mamdani — the youngest NYC mayor in over a century, the first of South Asian descent, the first Muslim to hold the office — stood in a black coat and white shirt as he took his oath. And at his collar, completing the look, was a tie that almost nobody in that decommissioned underground station recognised for what it was.
An Eri silk tie. Made in India. Woven from thread produced in the hills of Assam, Meghalaya, and Nagaland, by communities that have been rearing the Samia ricini silkworm on castor leaves for generations.
Fashion editor Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, writing in her newsletter Brain Matter, called the piece "some of the most beautiful menswear on the market precisely because it's committed to restoring humanness in design. You see it in the loomwork, the embroidery, the weave itself."
A hand-woven silk from Northeast India — at the inauguration of an American mayor, praised by one of fashion's most respected voices — is not a coincidence. It is a signal. Eri silk's moment has arrived. And the question is not whether the world will discover it, but whether India is ready to lead that conversation.
What is happening to fashion right now
To understand why Eri silk matters, you first have to understand what is wrong with the alternative.
India's apparel market is projected to grow from USD 120.36 billion in 2025 to USD 171.60 billion by 2034. That growth is real and significant. But the dominant engine driving it — fast fashion — is increasingly a liability. Fast fashion depends on cheap synthetic fibres (primarily polyester, derived from fossil fuels), disposable production cycles, and supply chains in which the people who make the clothing receive the smallest share of its value.
Search volume for 'Sustainable Fashion' has grown by 120% year-on-year on Indian search engines. That is not a niche trend. That is the mainstream beginning to ask a question it cannot un-ask: what is this thing I am wearing actually made of, and what did it cost to make it?
India's sustainable fashion market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 21.96% from 2026 to 2033 — more than five times the overall apparel market's growth rate. The consumers driving this growth are urban, educated, increasingly young, and willing to pay more for something whose story holds up under scrutiny.
Into this moment walks Eri silk. A fabric with a 2,000-year heritage, produced without a single animal death, certified chemical-free by the most rigorous international standard, grown on drought-resistant plants with no pesticides, woven entirely by hand in village settings, supporting tens of thousands of women in Northeast India. If someone were designing the ideal sustainable fabric for 2026 from scratch, they would produce something that looks almost exactly like Eri silk.
The difference is: Eri silk already exists. It has always existed. The world is only now ready for it.
What Eri silk actually is
Eri silk is produced by the Samia ricini silkworm — one of the only fully domesticated silk species alongside mulberry silk. The name "Eri" comes from the Assamese word era, meaning castor, because the silkworm feeds primarily on the leaves of the castor plant (Ricinus communis). It is also called Endi in some communities, and Errandi in others. In the global sustainable fashion world, it is increasingly known by the name that defines its most remarkable quality: Ahimsa silk — peace silk.
Unlike conventional silk, Eri cocoons are open-ended, allowing the moth to emerge naturally before the fibre is processed. This makes Eri a cruelty-free silk, often referred to as peace silk or Ahimsa silk.
This is not a marketing claim. It is a structural biological fact. The Samia ricini silkworm spins its cocoon in a loose, irregular, open-ended form. The continuous thread that conventional silk-makers need — the thread they obtain by boiling cocoons while the chrysalis is still inside — simply cannot be drawn from an Eri cocoon. The moth exits naturally. The empty cocoon is then collected, softened, and spun into yarn. According to PETA, 3,000 silk worms are killed to produce one pound of silk; 10,000 silk worms are killed to produce one silk sari.</cite> In Eri silk production, that number is zero.
Eri silk is produced across Northeast India. Assam accounts for 38.3% of India's Eri silk production, Manipur 29.8%, Meghalaya 22.6%, and Nagaland 6.8%. It is a regional identity as much as a textile — woven into the material and ceremonial life of the Bodo, Mising, Karbi, and Khasi communities, among others, for whom the castor plant, the silkworm, and the loom are not industrial inputs but living elements of a cultural system.
The five things that make Eri silk genuinely sustainable
The word "sustainable" is used so loosely in fashion that it has almost lost meaning. A garment described as "sustainable" might use slightly less water than a conventional one, or be made in a factory that recycles 10% of its offcuts. The standard is rarely defined. So let us define it — and measure Eri silk against it.
1. No animals are harmed in production
This is the foundational claim of Ahimsa silk, and in Eri's case it is verifiable. Eri silk earns its reputation as a non-violent silk because of the unique way its cocoons are spun. Unlike other silkworms, which create their cocoons in a smooth, continuous strand, Eri silkworms spin theirs in a more erratic, zig-zag pattern. This difference means that the long, unbroken floss silk filaments typically associated with conventional silk cannot be obtained from Eri silk cocoons. It is not a choice to let the moth live. It is a biological inevitability — and one that reframes the entire ethics of silk production.
There is an honest caveat worth stating: in many regions, including Assam, Eri silkworms are a traditional food source. If the pupae is to be eaten, it is removed from the cocoon by hand before it has metamorphosed into a moth. The pupae constitutes an important supplemental income for silk farmers and a sustainable and nutritious source of protein for the community. This practice varies by community and producer. Buyers for whom the complete non-harm of the silkworm is the priority should seek out producers who explicitly rear for fibre only. At Heritagene, we work with communities whose Eri production is dedicated to textile use.
2. The feed crop is drought-resistant and chemical-free
The castor plant (Ricinus communis) on which Eri silkworms are reared is a remarkable agricultural input. It grows on marginal land. It requires significantly less water than mulberry (used for conventional silk) or cotton. It needs no pesticides or synthetic fertilisers — in fact, the silkworm's sensitivity to chemical residue means that castor cultivation for Eri silk rearing is inherently organic. The silk is produced by small-scale weavers often working out of their homes in cottage industry style set-ups, close to forested areas in rural India. High energy and water usage associated with commercial production is thereby avoided.
3. Chemical-free processing — OEKO-TEX certified
Eri silk and OEKO-TEX certification together mark an important step for India's North-East textile economy. Multiple Eri silk products from the North-East, including yarn and fabric from Assam-based producers, have received OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certification — the world's best-known label for textiles tested free of harmful substances. OEKO-TEX Standard 100 tests for over 100 harmful substances across every component of the textile — from fibre to thread to dye to finishing. The combination of ahimsa production and chemical-free certification is positioning Eri silk for the global premium and sustainable-fashion markets.
Eri silk from the Northeast has also secured a Geographical Indication (GI) tag — specifically for Bodo Eri silk from the Bodoland region of Assam — underscoring its authenticity and regional heritage. These milestones have boosted its profile in export markets, positioning Eri Silk as a premium sustainable textile and showcasing India's rich handloom heritage on the global stage.
4. Fully biodegradable
Silk is a natural protein fibre — like wool, like linen, like cotton — and it biodegrades completely. The fast fashion alternative, polyester, is made from petrochemicals, does not biodegrade, and releases microplastics into water systems every time it is washed. In a fast-paced world dominated by micro-trends and fast fashion, synthetic fibres such as polyester have come to dominate global markets. While India is among the world's leading producers of synthetic fibres, these materials rely on fossil fuels, release microplastics into water bodies, emit greenhouse gases during production, and remain non-biodegradable. An Eri silk garment left in soil will return to the earth. A polyester garment will be in that soil for 200 years.
5. Produced in a circular village economy with no waste
Eri silk production is deeply connected to the cultural heritage of the communities in northeastern and eastern India. It is not a mass-produced textile; rather, it is created by small-scale farmers and artisans using techniques that have been passed down through generations. In the main, the entire process — from rearing the silkworms to spinning and dyeing the yarn and weaving the fabric — is done by hand, often within the home or local cooperatives. The castor leaves feed the worm. The worm produces the cocoon. The cocoon produces the fibre. The pupae — in communities that use them — become a protein food source. The remaining plant matter returns to the soil. Nothing is wasted. This is not a designed circular economy — it is a living one that has operated this way for centuries.
What Eri silk feels like: the fabric argument
Sustainable credentials matter to the buyer who has already decided they care about ethics. But a fabric also has to work on the body. Eri silk is exceptional on this criterion independently.
The fibre is spun instead of reeled, giving Eri its distinctive texture and performance characteristics that set it apart from mulberry and tussar silks. Eri silk is naturally warm, breathable, moisture-absorbent, durable, and has a matte, understated finish that ages gracefully with use.
The spun (rather than reeled) thread produces a fabric with a texture closer to fine wool or cashmere than to the high-gloss sheen of conventional silk. It is soft without being slippery. It drapes beautifully but has body. It is warm in winter and breathable in summer — the same thermal regulation properties that make wool a perennial wardrobe staple, combined with the lightness and drape of silk.
This is why Eri translates so naturally into contemporary fashion. A fabric that works all year, in all climates, with a matte finish that reads as understated luxury — this is precisely what the premium sustainable fashion segment is looking for. The Mamdani inauguration tie was not chosen as a political statement about textile sourcing. It was chosen because it was beautiful, and it photographed beautifully, and it was the most interesting choice in the room.
The women behind the fibre
No account of Eri silk is complete without this: the economy of Eri silk production is overwhelmingly female.
From silkworm rearing to cocoon collection to spinning to weaving, every stage of Eri silk production in Northeast India is primarily carried out by women — in many communities, almost exclusively so. This is not a recent social initiative. It is a centuries-old arrangement in which women's control over the loom and the sericulture process has been a source of economic agency, social status, and cultural identity within their communities.
PM Modi praised the indigenous Khasi community of Meghalaya for preserving and perfecting this art over generations, highlighting that the silk's production not only honours local traditions but also supports women's self-help groups that are scaling up production and empowering local artisans economically.
When you buy an Eri silk garment from a source that pays fair prices to the producer, the largest part of that payment reaches a woman in a village in Assam or Meghalaya or Nagaland. This is the opposite of the fast fashion supply chain, in which the person who makes the garment typically receives less than 1% of the retail price.
The honest limitations of Eri silk
Eri silk is not a perfect fabric. Honesty about its limitations is part of making the case for it seriously.
It is more expensive than conventional silk or synthetic alternatives.
From an economic perspective, ahimsa silk is around double the price of regular silk. An extra 10 days are required to allow the larvae to grow into moths and hatch. Moreover, ahimsa silk cocoons yield around one-sixth of the fibre volume. This cost differential is not a flaw — it is a correct reflection of the additional time, care, and human labour involved. But it means Eri silk occupies the premium segment of the market, not the mass market.
It does not have the high sheen of conventional silk.
The matte finish that makes Eri silk attractive to many buyers is a dealbreaker for those who want the traditional bright lustre of Muga or mulberry silk. These are genuinely different fabrics with different aesthetics — Eri is not a substitute for Muga, and presenting it as such would be dishonest.
Availability outside Northeast India is still limited. The production base is geographically concentrated, and supply chains connecting Assamese and Meghalayan weavers to national and global buyers are still developing. Platforms like Heritagene exist precisely to bridge this gap — but the infrastructure is not yet mature.
The "fully cruelty-free" claim requires scrutiny. <cite index="4-1">All ahimsa silk is not exactly cruelty-free. Popular mulberry silk varieties are created from silk worms that have been bred over centuries specifically for silk production and have hence lost most survival abilities. Even if allowed to leave the cocoon, they often emerge blind and with underdeveloped wings. Sway uses eri silk where successive generations of silk worms are not used — instead, weavers bring back small quantities of wild silk moths for each cycle which breed and then fly away.</cite> The degree to which Eri silk production is fully non-harmful depends on the specific producer and their practices. Ask questions. Buy from sources who can answer them.
Why now is the moment
Three things are converging in 2026 that make this the right moment for Eri silk to break through in India's fashion conversation.
First, the regulatory environment is shifting. The European Union's Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), which came into force in 2024, is beginning to reshape what global fashion brands can claim and sell. Brands exporting to Europe will increasingly need to document the environmental footprint of their supply chains. Natural fibres with verifiable provenance — GI-tagged, OEKO-TEX certified, traceable to named weaver communities — will have a structural advantage over synthetic alternatives with opaque supply chains.
Second, Indian consumers are asking the right questions. <cite index="10-1">Sustainable fashion trends in India for 2026 are being shaped by a strong shift toward conscious consumer behaviour, where people are prioritising quality, durability, and ethical production over fast-changing styles.</cite> The buyer who two years ago asked "is this silk?" is now asking "is this real silk, where is it from, and who made it?" Eri silk has complete answers to all three questions.
Third, global visibility is building fast. The Mamdani inauguration tie in January 2026 generated international coverage of Eri silk in publications from Outlook to CNN to global fashion media. PM Modi's Mann Ki Baat mention of Eri silk from Meghalaya reached hundreds of millions of listeners. OEKO-TEX certification opened European premium market doors. The Bodo Eri GI tag anchored the textile's identity in intellectual property. These are not isolated events — they are the early signals of a fabric entering the mainstream conversation.
What this means for buyers
If you are reading this and wondering whether Eri silk is right for you, the answer is almost certainly yes — but for different reasons depending on who you are.
If you care about ethics and sustainability: Eri silk offers a complete package — cruelty-free production, chemical-free cultivation, biodegradable fibre, women-led economy, and international certification. No other silk in the market comes close on all five criteria simultaneously.
If you are a fashion buyer looking for something distinctive: Eri silk's matte finish, all-season comfort, and the story it carries are genuinely differentiated. In a market where every other premium fabric has been seen before, Eri silk is genuinely new to most buyers — and the story of a NYC mayor's tie and a Meghalayan village and a silkworm that is allowed to live is a story worth wearing.
If you are buying a gift: An Eri silk shawl is one of the most universally appropriate and genuinely meaningful gifts available in Indian craft — usable across all genders and ages, warm enough to be practical, beautiful enough to be treasured, and carrying a story substantial enough to tell at the moment of giving.
If you are a designer or brand: The combination of GI tag, OEKO-TEX certification, and verifiable artisan provenance gives Eri silk the documentation that responsible sourcing frameworks now require. It is not just the right thing to use — it is increasingly the defensible thing to use.
The future Eri silk is pointing toward
Zohran Mamdani did not wear that tie to make a point about sericulture. He wore it because it was the best tie in the room — and it happened to be made in Assam.
That is exactly where Eri silk needs to arrive: not as an ethical compromise or a compromise between values and aesthetics, but as the straightforwardly superior choice. The fabric that is better for the animal, better for the land, better for the weaver, better for the buyer, and — when it sits at the collar of the mayor of New York City on the first day of a new year — better for anyone who sees it.
India produces 95% of the world's hand-woven fabric. It is the only country in the world that produces all four major commercial silks. It has the artisans, the knowledge, the GI protections, and the international certifications needed to lead the global sustainable silk market. What it needs now is buyers who understand what they are buying — and platforms that can connect those buyers to the communities whose hands make it possible.
Shop Eri silk at Heritagene
Every Eri silk piece in our collection is:
- Sourced from named artisan communities in Assam, Meghalaya, and Nagaland
- Authenticated as genuine Eri (Ahimsa) silk
- Produced through ethical sericulture practices
- Traceable to the weaving community that made it
→ Shop Eri silk shawls — warm, matte, and versatile → Shop Eri silk sarees and Mekhela Chadors → Explore the full Eri silk collection
Have a question about Eri silk — which piece to choose, how it compares to other silks, or what makes a particular piece authentic? Write to us. We know every piece in our collection and who made it.