A timeless fashion Chikankari

Chikankari

Chikankari

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• The word 'chikan’ is probably a derivative from the Persian word ‘chikin’ or 'chikeen' which means a kind of embroidered fabric

• The craft of Chikan work, often referred to as Lucknow Chikan, is an ancient art form which involves white floral embroidery, intricately worked with needle and raw thread

• It is done on viol, silk, cambric, georgette, terry cotton etc

• This is an art, which results in the transformation of the plainest cotton and organdie into flowing yards of magic

• This is a home based industrial activity which is mainly performed by women artisans and workers

About Chikankari

• 3rd century BC by Megasthenes, who mentioned the use of flowered muslins by Indians

• The story of a traveller who taught chikan to a peasant in return for drinking water

• However, the most popular, and factually checkable story is that Noor Jahan, the wife of Mughal emperor Jehangir, introduced the Persian art in India, specially in Oudh in the 17th century

• Started as a white-on-white embroidery form, back in the day, the favoured fabric was muslin or mulmul as it was best suited to the warm, slightly humid climate. After the downfall of the Mughal Empire, chikankari artisans spread all over India, but Lucknow remained the main center, with Awadh a close second

• It has survived the loss of royal patronage, suffered deeply at the hands of commercialization, lost its way sometimes in mediocrity and yet stayed alive, is a tribute to the skill and will of the crafts persons who have handed down this technique from one generation to another.

• Today, the 400-plus-year-old art form has a firm presence in the Indian and global fashion arena

Its’ Past

Design

Engraving

Block Printing

Embroidery

Washing & finishing

Bead and Sequin work

In the Making…

Basic Chikankari motifs Colours

USP• Due to the variety of stitching-styles involved in Chikankari, it is claimed to be one of its kind

hand embroidery that is impossible to imitate in any other part of the world

• Chikan embroiders claim of about thirty-two stitches, to which they give delightfully fanciful names

• Some named commonly, such as the ulti bakhia for shadow-work, the tepchi for running

stitch, the jaali for the net that reminds us of filigree windows in Mughal architecture

• Some of the names in their local language are; Sidhual, Makra, Mandarzi, Bulbulchashm, Tajmahal, Phooljali, Phanda, Dhoom, Gol murri, Janjeera, Keel, Kangan, Bakhia, Dhania Patti, lambi Murri, Kapkapi, Karan Phool, Bijli, Ghaspatti, Rozan, Meharki, Kaj, Chameli, Chane ki Patti, Balda, Jora, Pachni, Tapchim Kauri, Hathkati & Daraj of various types

• Closer analysis reveals that many of these are different combinations of the same few basic stitches

Varieties

Swapping Muslin for lighter fabrics like cotton, silk, chiffon, organza and net with a view to have lightweight fabric

This makes the embroidery process easier

The needle can pass through without much resistance but also ensures that the work stands out on its own

Care

Lucknow Chikan embroidery should ideally be dry cleaned, although this also depends on the fabric.

A silk garment needs to be dry cleaned while cotton can be handwashed at home

Did you know

Price

A regular chikankari kurtis is priced between Rs. 800 – Rs. 2000

A pair of palazzo pants can cost you anything between Rs. 1000 and Rs. 5000.

Beware of cheaper versions ranging between Rs.200 and Rs.500, as they are mostly made using machines, and don’t have the precision and neatness of hand embroidery

Dedicated almost 20 years in uplifting the status of traditional crafts in India and chikankari has remained their specialty

Actress Judi Dench, of the James Bond series, wearing one of their majestic creations while receiving an Oscar in 2004

Did you know

Another Hollywood exposure includes pop sensation Madonna wearing a Chikankari-embroidered garment in her film, The Next Big Thing

Claim to Fame

Tips to spot fake Indian weaves from the original ones:

• See the kind of embroidery the piece of art boasts of. • If it is handcrafted, the cloth will have French knots, shadow stitch, criss cross embroidery,

while in the machine made ones, you do not find these embroideries.• One of the main things to identify is the neatness of the work. An original handmade garment is

checked for precision and neatness, before it is ready to be sold. So, a garment with uneven stitching, loose threads and a thicker fabric only indicates that a machine has been used in the production.

• There is a limited number of stitches which is possible to do with a machine and is mostly around BAKHIYA and shadow. but there are 32 most used stitches in Chikanakri which is not possible to do via machine. Machine Chikan embroidery is not able to replace the intricate stitch pattern even in the 2-3 stitch variants it is able to make.

• Chikan embroidery without the local Pasley Lucknowi MEHRABS, tree BAILS, JAALI, PHANDA, DARAJ, work cannot be imagined.

Reality Check

Our Ranking

ChikankariChikankari Sarees

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15

11

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Search Volumes

FB Interest

• 9,80,000 people are interested in India Chikan

• 92% o the people who like Chikan are Women

• 2,40,000 women who like Chikan are in the age group of 25 – 29 years

• The Chikankari industry boasts of 2.5 lakh karigars, one of the biggest artisan clusters in India

• Chikan’s fame and various governmental initiatives have kept the demand of Chikankari growing

Current scenario

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not just an embroidery!

Chikankari

A timeless fashion

Chikankari