How scarves and stoles are made in India
Most export scarves start as woven fabric: cotton voile, viscose or modal, silk crepe, chiffon or satin, or polyester made to look like silk. The fabric is printed by hand block, screen or digital printer, or dyed by tie-dye or dip-dye. It is then cut to size and finished at the edges with a hand-rolled hem, a machine-rolled or overlocked hem, or a fringe made by pulling and knotting the warp. Some styles add tassels, pom-poms or lace.
Jaipur, a Town of Export Excellence for handicrafts, is a large source of block-printed and dyed scarves; see inspection in Jaipur. Varanasi was added as a Town of Export Excellence for handicrafts in the Foreign Trade Policy 2023 and is known for silk weaving. EPCH data reported by IBEF put exports of handprinted textiles and scarves at US$233.09 million for April–August 2026.
A scarf is simple to sew, so most problems come from the fabric and the finishing: the wrong fibre, a print that sits only on the face, hems rolled unevenly and pieces cut out of square.
What we check on scarves and stoles
| Check | How it is checked | What fails |
|---|---|---|
| Size and squareness | Length, width and both diagonals measured on a flat table | Out of tolerance, diagonals that differ, sides that bow |
| Hem | Full edge checked for roll width, stitch spacing and skipped stitches | Uneven roll, puckered or wavy hem, raw edge showing |
| Fringe and tassels | Fringe length measured; knots and tassels pulled | Uneven fringe, knots that slip, tassels pulling off |
| Face compared with the approved sample; reverse checked for penetration | Shade off, misregistration, print not showing through where specified | |
| Loose dye | Dry and wet white cloth rubbed on dark areas | Colour on the cloth |
| Fabric faults | Each piece held to daylight | Holes, pulled threads, snags, slubs on silk satin |
| Fibre | Hand feel and drape compared with the sample; burn test on a loose thread where agreed | Polyester or viscose where silk was ordered |
| Weight | Sampled pieces weighed; silk weight in momme if specified | Lighter than the approved sample |
| Labels | Sewn label or swing tag read against the artwork | "Art silk", "bamboo silk" or "pashmina" as a fibre name |
Common scarf and stole defects and how they are classed
| Defect | Typical cause | Class |
|---|---|---|
| Pin or needle in the fold | Pins used to hold folds or labels | Critical |
| Wrong fibre | Cheaper fabric substituted | Major |
| Dye rubbing off | Pigment print not cured, reactive dye not washed off | Major |
| Hole or pulled thread in the body | Weaving fault, snag during hemming | Major |
| Scarf out of square | Fabric cut off the grain | Minor, major if beyond tolerance |
| Uneven hand-rolled hem | Different hemmers, rushed work | Minor |
| Water spots on silk | Steam or wet handling during finishing | Minor or major by size |
Market rules for scarves
- US flammability. Scarves are not among the products excluded from 16 CFR 1610, which only excludes certain hats, gloves, footwear and interlinings. Plain-surface fabrics under 2.6 oz per square yard, common for chiffon and voile scarves, are not exempt from testing unless they are made entirely of polyester or another exempt fibre. See 16 CFR 1610.
- US labels. The FTC lists scarves among products covered by the Textile Act: fibre content, origin and the seller's identity. The Care Labeling Rule covers wearing apparel other than items used only on the head or hands, so a scarf needs a care label.
- EU and UK. Annex I fibre names and percentages. "Silk" may only be used for silk; viscose from bamboo pulp is "viscose". See EU textile labelling.
- Chemicals. Azo dyes in printed scarves worn against the neck. See azo dyes and restricted substances.
Packing, transit and your purchase order
Silk scarves are folded around a card or rolled and boxed so they do not set hard creases; stoles are folded into polybags with a header card or swing tag. Tassels tangle if they are packed loose. The inspector checks fold size, that tags are attached with a plastic fastener and not a pin, polybag warning text and dry cartons.
- Finished size with tolerance, and squareness for square scarves.
- Hem type, roll width and fringe length.
- Fibre and fabric weight, with a cut of approved fabric as reference.
- Print method and whether the print must show through on the reverse.
- Rub fastness grade for dark prints, if you will lab-test.
- Label type and position, or swing tag if a sewn label would show.
Wool and pashmina shawls are covered under pashmina and wool shawls. For the fabric before it becomes a scarf, see silk fabrics and hand-block-printed textiles.
Sources
- DGFT: Appendix 1B, Towns of Export Excellence (Jaipur, handicrafts)
- EPCH press release, 31 Mar 2023: Moradabad and Varanasi declared Towns of Export Excellence for handicrafts
- IBEF: Handicrafts industry and exports (updated Oct 2026)
- 16 CFR 1610.1, scope and exemptions of the clothing flammability standard
- 16 CFR 423.1, Care Labeling Rule definitions
- FTC: The cachet of cashmere (pashmina labelling)