Chikankari - ''The traditional embroidery style from Lucknow, India''.

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Chikankari
A timeless fashion
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Chikankari

Chikankari
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About Chikankari

• 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

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Its Past

• 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

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• Indian chikan work goes as far back as the early
• The 1986 Indian film Anjuman deals with issues of
  chikan workers

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In the Making
The Lucknow chikankari technique can be broken
down in two parts the pre- and the
post-preparation stages. Design A design is
conceptualized the designers for the complete
piece viz a saree, a top . a sherwani etc. At the
time of deciding the design various motifs and
their placements are finalized, to get that
complete effect on the final apparel EngravingThe
se design patterns is then engraved on a wooden
block or at times sketching it manually. There
are thousands of pre made blocks / motifs already
available and the new ones are designed from time
to time to meet the new fashion demands. Block
PrintingOnce the block is ready then the
printing is done on the fabric. Printing is
carried out by the use of wooden blocks dipped in
dyes like neel and safeda to make a
pattern. EmbroideryThe printed fabric then
reaches the craftsmen who get to work with the
cloth stretched by a wooden frame or Karchop.
They do the enriching embroidery using a variety
of stitches. These stitches are done on the same
pattern which are engraved on the fabric by block
printing. Washing finishingAfter the
embroidery, the fabric reaches the laundry and is
thoroughly washed and given the finishing
touches. This includes bleaching, acid treatment,
stiffening or starching and ironing.  Bead and
Sequin workIn recent times a lot of bead and
sequin work has also been added as an additional
process in making the final apparel The art of
chikankari, today is flourishing and enriches
both the domestic and export market. It is used
in casual as well as elite formal
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In the Making
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Basic Chikankari motifs
Colours
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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

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Did you know
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
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 dont have the precision
and neatness of hand embroidery
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Did you know

• 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

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Claim to Fame

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

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Reality Check

• 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.

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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

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Current scenario

• The Chikankari industry boasts of 2.5 lakh
  karigars, one of the biggest artisan clusters in
  India
• Chikans fame and various governmental
  initiatives have kept the demand of Chikankari
  growing

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Chikankari
not just an embroidery!
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Chikankari
A timeless fashion