Frequently asked questions

It is a t-shirt with the rakhi built into the garment rather than tied around a wrist. Each Pahar piece is hand-painted, and real rakhi threads, cords and tassels are attached to the cloth after the paint has cured. Your brother wears the piece complete through Raksha Bandhan. Afterwards the threads are cut away and the painting stays in the fabric, so the garment carries on being worn.

The garment changes state, and you are the one who changes it. The rakhi is designed into the artwork rather than tied around a wrist, so the piece is worn complete through the festival and then, when you cut the threads away, becomes the painting underneath.

That is the design language across everything we make: hand-painted artwork, and work that asks something of the person wearing it rather than arriving finished.

You cut them off. They are attached so that they can be removed cleanly without disturbing the artwork underneath, because the painting is fully cured before anything is stitched on.

What you then do with the cut thread is a family matter rather than a rule. Some keep it, some immerse it in water, some bury it at the root of a plant. There is a longer piece on that.

Yes, and that is the whole point of it. With the threads removed the piece is an ordinary hand-painted t-shirt, wearable in October or in March. It was designed so the festival leaves something behind that gets used, instead of something that goes into a drawer.

Yes. Every piece is painted by hand onto the cloth, not printed. The artwork is laid down in layers with drying time between them, then heat-cured so it bonds to the fibre and survives washing.

Three of the four designs in the current collection are mandala work. The fourth, Forever Thread, is a celestial sun and moon motif and is not a mandala. The full process is written up here.

Very close, but not identical. A person paints each one, and brush pressure, stroke angle and the humidity on the day all vary slightly. Nobody would confuse one design for another, but the piece you receive is specifically the one somebody painted rather than a copy of a pattern. Anyone promising exact uniformity in hand-painted work is either printing it or overpromising.

S, M, L and XL, in unisex fits. The pieces are cut loose rather than tailored, which makes them a more forgiving thing to buy for somebody else. If you are between sizes or unsure, email hello@pahar.fashion before ordering and we will tell you which one to take.

Turn it inside out, wash it cold by hand or on a gentle machine cycle with a mild detergent, and dry it in the shade rather than direct sun. No bleach, no wringing, and if you iron it, iron the reverse side and keep the plate off the painted area.

The paint is cured to survive washing, but heat and friction are what wear it down over years, so this is about how long the artwork keeps its depth rather than whether it survives the first wash.

Not yet. We ship anywhere within India. If you are abroad and want a piece, write to hello@pahar.fashion and we will tell you honestly whether we can work something out.

Nothing. Shipping is free on every order across India, with no minimum cart value and no surcharge for remote pin codes. All prices include GST, so the amount you see is the amount you pay.

Orders are dispatched within one to two business days. After dispatch, expect one to three business days within Gujarat, two to four to the metro cities, and four to seven for the rest of India.

Those are the courier's working estimates rather than guarantees. The shipping policy has the detail.

Order with a clear week to spare and do not count on the fastest end of the delivery estimates. The days just before Raksha Bandhan are the busiest of the year for every courier in the country, and estimates stretch accordingly. If your order is time-critical, email us before placing it and we will tell you plainly whether it can make it.

Yes, within 7 days of delivery, and we pay for the return pickup. The piece needs to be unworn, unwashed, with tags attached, and with the rakhi threads still intact. Refunds go back to your original payment method within 5 to 7 business days of the piece reaching us.

Full terms are in the refund policy.

No. Cutting the threads permanently changes the garment, so that is the point of no return. Decide before you cut.

If a piece arrives damaged, faulty or simply is not what you ordered, none of this applies. Email us within 48 hours with a photograph and we will replace it or refund you in full.

In India, by hand, one piece at a time. A detailed hand-painted mandala runs to hours per piece, spread over days because of the drying and curing between stages, and none of that is a step you can compress. It is the reason the work looks the way it does.