The nawabs of Lucknow loved this art of hand embroidery and perhaps for that reason, Chikankari has with time become synonymous with Lucknow. It’s also believed that Noor Jahan, the wife of the Mughal emperor, Jahangir patronized this art. The famed ‘Awadhi Empire’ exemplified this form of embroidery as an icon of cultural refinement.
Traditionally, the work was done on a white cotton fabric called muslin or malmal. Today, colored threads have been
incorporated into the craft ana applied on different kinds of fabrics like chiffon,georgette,silk,chandari cotton,crepe.
Elegant Art This elegant form of embroidery is traditionally practised in and around the city of Lucknow
Team Work The production of Chikan embroidery of Lucknow brings about an integrated effort of the artisans of embroidery as well as from its subsidiary activities
Manufacturers
Manufacturers are the main force of the chikan industry. estimates shows that about 5,000 manufacturers involved in the Lucknow city itself Embroiders
These hands are the heart and soul of the art. Once the printing of designs is over, the fabrics or dress materials are shifted to the chikan artisans. They are as many as 50,000 families involved in the craftwork. Majority of these families are involved
in the craftwork since generations and inherit the
skill ancestrally.
Wood block carvers
The designs of chikan are transferred to
the fabric by means of carved woodblock
Printers
The printers job is to transfer the designs carved in the woodblocks onto the cloth
Tailors
Some specialised tailors are also used in the process. Once the stitching work is over, traders give it to the printers for printing different designs of the Lucknow chikan craft
Washermen
They carry out the responsibility of refining the product and restoring the glaze of chikancraft
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