Would you wear 'Chikankari' embroidery on your shorts?

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Would you wear Chikankari embroidery on your shorts?

Published: Tue 11 Oct 2016, 4:50 PM

Last updated: Tue 11 Oct 2016, 7:06 PM

 
If you haven't heard of Chikan but you know your celebrity gear, look up the outfit Judi Dench wore to the Oscars in 2004, an exquisite white Abu Jani-Sandeep Khosla design, with Chikan embroidery. If you want to grab something similar (but aren't heading to Lucknow anytime soon; the epicentre of this ancient handicraft) there's a Chikan exhibition - Alankrit - in Dubai this weekend (Oct 14-15) at Hotel Pullman City Centre. The woman behind the exhibition, designer Manju Jalota, who has been creating Chikankari pieces for 24 years, is exhibiting here once again. One of the things she told us was that they were doing Chikan embroidery on scarves, stoles, cropped tops, skirts, trousers, palazzos, and even on shorts - a sure sign of catering to millenials.
Jalota, a former teacher, says: "I always loved wearing Chikankari. But I felt there was a scope to play around with and modify it." Whenever she went to pick up Chikan for relatives, Jalota felt the need to have more of a choice - of colours and fabrics. This led her to women artisans who lived in the village just behind her house.
Lucknow-based Jalota has been exhibiting in Dubai since 1994. She told us she doesn't believe Chikan is going out of fashion.
If anything, the export figures of the embroidered garments are just one indicator. International fashion houses have a great demand for this embroidery. The younger generation understands intricacies of Chikankari, and the effort that goes into making a Chikankari garment. In villages, girls and women from the ages of 8-80 are involved with embroidery.
As for designs, patterns, motifs, Chikankari has evolved to keep pace with requirements of buyers and changes in global fashion. "The design blocks that we used in the Mughal era were very intricate and tedious, and a very few artisans of today know all of those stitches. This has created a need for simpler and less time-consuming designs, and has in the bargain, made chikan affordable to all classes," she said.
Dubai folks can check out her line this weekend; prices start at Dhs200 and go up to Dhs3,000.
Does anyone in Dubai dig chikan?
According to designer Manju Jalota, "We have a good fan following in Dubai. Most of the Indians who stay in Dubai have heard of my exhibition Alankrit from their friends or relatives, so whenever we have come to Dubai we have received great response and appreciation. There are few group exhibitions that come to Dubai but I believe that to display the beauty of Chikankari with all its different stitches one can't pay justice when it is displayed in just 3/2 sq. meter stalls. When we do our solo exhibition in Dubai it's more about displaying our love for Chikankari, as we want people to visit us and appreciate the hard work of the artisans."
Chikan evolves in a big way
"Traditionally, chikankari used to be done on cotton. In the last 10 years, delicate fabrics such as organza, chanderi, maheshwari, silk and muls are all the rage. Straight-cut traditional kurtas have evolved into cuts like anarkalis, angrakhas, lehangas and Indo-western gowns. Even the salwars have transformed into skirts, palazzos, pants and shararas. Today, you find bridal wear with Chikankari. The international fashion show ramps are testament to the craft's enduring appeal," said Jalota, adding that the most popular stitches went by the names of "tepchi, bakhiya, ghaspatti, phanda, murry, balda, kangan, beejli. Combinations of 3-4 stitches add to the grace and delicacy of a garment."
 nivriti@khaleejtimes.com
 
 

By Nivriti Butalia

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