Description

Chikankari is an art passed down since hundreds of years and yet today it continues flourishing. There are two beliefs as to the popularisation of this exquisite art.
Some believe that queen noor jahan patronised the art in the late 600ad leading to its development while others believe its an art taught by prophet mohammed. The story goes that prophet taught the art of chikankari to a thirsty traveller so that the traveller would never die of hunger.
Whatever the truth, today chikankari is one the most treasured arts in the heart of the people of lucknow and abroad. We as citizens of lucknow are extremely proud of this sphere of our heritage. We continue delving deeper into it ,everytime emerging with better results!
Chikan embroidery is an art that continues growing gaining more admirers all over the world. Recently designers and bollywood movies have become enthralled with this age old art and are using it for their latest fashion weeks or blockbusters.
However as the trade is triving not all of its tradesmen are…. recently there has been a sharp decline in the numbers of skilled tradesmen or what we fondly call “karigar” literally meaning –‘ the maker of embroidery’. In an industry booming with creativity this sort of decrease of talent could be a big boulder to move but efforts are in full swing to revive what is lost of the art and preven this magnificent skill from vanishing in freont of our eyes.
Chikan garments can take approximately 60 to 90 days to be made since they are done entirely by hand . The chikan industry has five main processes namely cutting, stitching, printing, embroidery, washing, and finishing