Apparel August 2019 Apparel August 2019 issue | Page 71

FEATURE
AN ADAPTABLE CRAFT
Malavika Chatterjee, a designer based in
New Delhi, says, “The technique of chikankari
embroidery is quite adaptable. As the artisans are
skilled at embroidering with needle and thread, it
does not matter to them if the colour of the thread
or fabric is changed.” For the past 20 years or so,
Malavika has been working closely with women
embroiderers who live around Lucknow to design
and create a range of chikankari garments. In
doing so, she has initiated several changes in the
craft that have been positively adapted by
these women.
She says that embroidering with coloured
thread is particularly easy to perform. Artisans
have also started to embroider on fabrics other
than cotton, such as tussar silk, blends of
cotton and silk, linen, Maheshwari, and chanderi
weaves, khadi, and wool. Embroidering on denser
fabrics is relatively easier for artisans to perform.
In the case of fabrics with more density, spillage is
CHANGING WITH TIME
During the late second half of the 20th century,
even as the demand for traditional white-on-
white chikankari worked on fine cloth remained,
the craft started gaining newer dimensions. On
their own and with the guidance of mentors and
designers, artisans started using coloured thread
for embroidery that adorned fabrics and a range
of garments (traditional and contemporary) for
women and men.
Further, by incorporating zardozi and kamdani
in chikankari, artisans have lent a richer look to
garments and the embroidery itself. This has led
to the crafting of festive and formal chikankari
apparel. In terms of zardozi embroidery, motifs are
embroidered with different stitches using metal
threads. Kamdani embroidery, on the other hand,
is worked with badla or flat metal strips to create
dressy yet sophisticated designs. While zardozi is
a heavy embroidery comprising the use of metal
elements, kamdani is a relatively lighter one as it is
worked with only one element that is badla, which
is also used for making fardis, or small dots on
the surface of a fabric.
BY INCORPORATING ZARDOZI AND
KAMDANI IN CHIKANKARI, ARTISANS
HAVE LENT A RICHER LOOK
TO GARMENTS AND THE
EMBROIDERY ITSELF.
fabric and its reverse side, by manipulating the
very yarns of the weave to create a net effect.
It is said that at one time, chikankari spanned a
repertoire of over 40 stitches.