CHIKANKARI
Chikankari begins with a needle so fine it barely leaves a mark on the fabric until the thread is pulled taut. Lucknow's embroiderers work almost entirely by feel, building up shadow-work and knot-stitches on the underside of the cloth so the front reads as barely-there texture rather than heavy decoration.
It's often mistaken for a delicate, occasion-only craft — something too fine for daily wear. We think that's backwards. The whole appeal of chikankari is how quietly it fits into ordinary cotton and georgette, which is exactly what made it a working craft for over two centuries, not a museum piece.
Our pieces keep the traditional white-on-white and pastel palettes alongside deeper, more wearable tones, so the embroidery reads as detail rather than costume.
“Every stitch is pulled by hand, then washed until the thread nearly disappears into the cloth — that's the point.”