Designer Anjul Bhandari on preserving the authentic craft of chikankari
- Fashion Featured
Schenelle Dsouza- 15 minutes read
Schenelle Dsouza
Like many celebrated crafts in India, chikankari is an art with an understated charm. Delicate, hand-stitched embroidery tracing patterns on soft material, chikankari often makes for an elegant ensemble that is timeless and sophisticated. The art today, is widespread and celebrated among designers. However, it has caught on with the modern trends and technology that while delivering the same results often takes away from the authenticity of the craft.
One of the renowned names in the industry, Anjul Bhandari has been named among the handful of designers who stay true to the originality of chikankari that strays far away from modern interpretations. Her eponymous label, launched in 2010, champions Chikankari in its purest, most undiluted form. “Sadly, unadulterated hand embroidery is a dying art form and has been diluted by machine and computer embroidery. This furthers our motivation to conserve Chikankari,” says Bhandari. Everything from the embroideries to the motifs, all stay true to their traditional etymology. “The vision is to preserve, not reinvent.”
Chikankari in India
A traditional form of embroidery, chikankari is an art that involves intricate hand-stitched embroidery on delicate materials like cotton and muslin. While the art belongs to Lucknow, it is believed to have been popularised in India by Mughal Emperor Jahangir’s wife Nur Jahan during the 17th century. Having developed an interest in the art, Emperor Jahangir went on to establish several workshops to perfect this craft in India.
Chikan, in the literal sense, means embroidery. Chikankari eventually developed over time, where karigars worked with new materials and techniques. Earlier, chikankari was only done on white or colourless muslin cloth. However, due to the lack of availability of muslin, chikankari was later carried out on materials like georgette, chiffon, cotton, silk, organza, etc. The colours used also changed with time, going from plain whites to pastel shades with light-coloured threads. Additionally, the use of embellishments like sequins, beads and mirrorwork was also incorporated to enhance the appearance of the craft.
While a handful of designers work with traditional craftsmen and women in Lucknow, modernization of the chikankari has brought in modern techniques like machine-operated designing and stitching, which some would say has completely taken away from the authenticity of the craft. Anjul Bhandari is one of the few Indian designers, believed to be at the forefront of chikankari in India, maintaining the traditional practice of hand-stitching chikankari from the traditional karigars of Lucknow.
A labour of love
A self-taught artist, Anjul Bhandari’s long-standing love affair with the craft of her land was the reason behind her inclination to champion it through her designs. Bhandari spoke about her mother-in-law being the inspiration for her love for chikankari. Hailing from Lucknow, Bhandari’s mother-in-law was a social worker who worked for the upliftment of women in the rural parts of Lucknow. Working with craftsmen in the area, Bhandari was exposed to the craft of chikankari and fell in love with the aesthetic – intricate white thread embroidery and delicate stitches that brought a design to life, resonated with her. “The way in which different stitches came together to make a design come alive really resonated with me; and the classic aesthetic really spoke to my personality and my style,” Bhandari said. “The versatility of the embroidery and the way it can look regal yet understated and contemporary is what makes it so special to me.”
Bhandari had been designing couture for over 10 years before launching her eponymous label in 2010. Her label, she said was an ode to her mother-in-law’s legacy. “My label is an endeavour to continue her legacy by marrying my love for fashion, art and Chikankari with designs that stands for the spirit of our time and celebrate the labour of love.”
Preservation over reinvention
The art form of chikankari, Bhandari believes, is extremely unique because it isn’t practised anywhere outside Lucknow. “As is common knowledge, the government has geotagged the Awadh Chikankari. In that sense, it is original chikankari, only if it is done within the marked 200 kilometres.” In any case, chikankari by itself is such a unique craft; the beautiful thread embroidery gives it a certain versatility making it wearable for any occasion, even without embellishments.
Talking about the process, Bhandari says that chikankari is a time-consuming art form. The designer shares that it often takes anywhere between 6 months to 2 years to complete one piece of clothing; that often depends on the intricacy of the embroidery and the karigar’s skills. “It is a lengthy process. The garments go through a lengthy process that begins with printing and continues through sampling, embroidery, jali, washing, and finally, embellishment and then stitching.”
A relevant art form even today, Bhandari claims that the use of machinery has taken away from the originality of the craft. While it is very much relevant today, the artisans are seldom given credit for their skills. “Chikankari is a very relevant art form thanks to its widespread use which gives it recognition worldwide. The only issue with it is that we desperately need to preserve the craft form and support the artisans,” says Bhandari. The designer further adds that the use of machinery has commercialised the craft of chikankari. “I personally believe that designers need to go the extra mile to create heirloom pieces in the form that they were in at one point of time. The artisans involved in the process must be recognised. We owe it to them to ensure that the craft remains relevant and gets its due recognition.”
Supporting Awadhi artisans
As of today, the Anjul Bhandari label supports the highest number of Chikankari and Kamdani craftsmen in the Awadh, with Bhandari being the only female entrepreneur to have taken on this massive responsibility single-handedly. The Geographical Indication Registry (GIR) accorded Geographical Indication (GI) status for chikankari in December 2008, recognizing Lucknow as an exclusive hub of chikankari. All of the label’s chikankari comes from these regions to ensure there is no compromise on quality. The label’s 1,500 artisans are a fourth-generation master craftsmen, belonging to families that enjoyed the patronage of the royal court of the last Nawab of Lucknow.
“We are fortunate to be able to help a large number of chikankari artisans both directly and indirectly. And of course, the journey hasn’t been easy. We helped our artisans through the pandemic because even though most people were out of work at the time, they were able to continue working and providing for themselves and their families. Supporting our artisans is our prime focus to keep the craft alive.”
As a brand policy, Anjul Bhandari never rejects garments with minor defects, instead the brand work towards beautifying the piece further to reflect the essence of the handwork and effort put in by the artisans who spent months to create that piece. “That is our way of acknowledging their effort. We always maintain that the artisans come before the designers because it is them who bring our vision to life. Our only motto is to ensure that there will always be more artisans engaging in this practice and we strive to encourage new generation artisans to continue the craft form.” Bhandari’s label aims to ensure that chikankari as an art form always remains relevant. The brand does this by adding new embellishments, silhouettes and styles to its collections. “Our artisans are eager to join us because they know their efforts will be recognised and valued and we’ve developed unwavering respect for their craft over the years,” adds Bhandari.
Regal red
Stepping into new waters, Anjul Bhandari experimented with bold hues in her latest collection titled Surkh Laal. A beautiful festive collection, Surkh Laal takes a radical departure from the signature pastels and mellow monochromes. Instead, bold shades of regal red took the centre stage as they made their bold debut into Bhandari’s realm of Chikankari.
The vibrant hues of the collection, Bhandari claims, originated from the city of Kannauj. During the Covid 19 lockdown, Bhandari was forced to travel from Delhi to Lucknow by road. During her journeys, the designer would come across the beautiful town of Kannauj, located in Awadh near Lucknow. “Kannauj always had a wonderful rosy scent, and the roses had this mesmerising aura about them,” Bhandari adds. “Sometimes, we would purposefully drive through the village to see what was going on, and there were roses drying on the road.” Having included colours like “old rose” in her pastel selections, Bhandari decided to design a collection that featured a deep red hue inspired by the roses of Kannauj.
