Traditional Embroidery Goes Haute

Traditional embroidery from Western India has been an inspiration for countless designers who use it in their work. Chitra Balasubramaniam explores the preservation of traditional embroidery and also its incorporation in contemporary design

- Chitra Balasubramaniam

Traditional embroidery from Rajasthan, Gujarat and Kutch is vibrant, colourful, eye-catching and extremely intricate. With such a huge plethora of stitches, it is next to impossible to document the kind of embroidery from this region. The vividness of the embroidery has been inspirational for both Indian and International designers. Nearly every Indian designer has paid homage to these embroideries. Internationally, Moschino, The Row by the Olsen sisters, Dries Van Noten, Hermes and Givenchy have all used this influence in their designs. Embroidery or embellishment was essentially done on garments and fabric to enhance its appeal. Desert embroidery in India from Gujarat and Rajasthan is classified by its colourful vividness. There is an interesting use of stitches, combining it with mirrors, cowrie shells and pom poms. The starkness of the desert is amply made up for with the extensive use of colours in the attire and embroidery.

THE NEEDLEWORK TRADITION