The making of a Karbel chikankari piece
Chikankari is a centuries-old hand embroidery tradition closely associated with the city of Lucknow in Northern India. It is distinguished by its vocabulary of stitches and the different textures they create - from fine, flat threadwork to raised and dimensional details. Traditionally worked as white thread on white fabric, chikankari's effect emerges through stitch, texture and shadow rather than color alone. Florals, leaves and small repeating motifs are characteristic of the craft.
Creating that handwork is a multi-step process.
01 The silhouette
Raw natural white fabric is first cut and stitched by our team of tailors. The silhouette is created before the embroidery or color is added. This allows us to adapt embroidery to the silhouettes, and minimize wastage.
01 The pattern
Hand carved wooden blocks are used to print a washable outline directly onto the garment, showing the artisan where the embroidery will be placed.
Motif, scale and placement are considered for each design, including how much embroidery to leave out.
03 The embroidery
The marked garments are collected by a lead artisan and taken to his or her village, where they are distributed among a group of chikankari artisans, many of whom work from their homes.
Following the printed guide, the embroidery is worked by hand, stitch by stitch. Once complete, the pieces are collected and returned to our studio in Lucknow.
04 The color
After the embroidery is complete, each piece is hand dyed and washed. The printed guide disappears, revealing the embroidery against the finished color. Our white pieces are left in their natural state.
05 The finishing
Back at the stdio, buttons, labels, lace and other final details are added by our team of tailors.
Our name joins two words: kara, Sanskrit for creation, and bellus, Latin for beauty. Together, it reflects the care given to each piece by every hand it passes through. What comes out at the end is beauty that can’t be replicated.