Taropa
Made by hand, in India.
The women
Led by women
Every piece is made in Lucknow, across small home workshops — each led by a woman who has opened her home to relatives, friends and neighbours. For many, whose families do not permit them to work outside the home, it is the only way to earn an independent livelihood.
Depending on the work, between 60 and 100 women work with Taropa at any time. In some workshops, three or four generations of the same family work with us.
The gesture
Stitch by stitch
It begins with an outline on fabric. Then the needle — thirty-two stitches passed down through generations.
What still moves me is watching that bare outline become something lasting. That is what chikankari means to me.
The blueprint
Handmade embroidery
Wooden blocks imprint a blue outline — the map of the piece. Then embroidery, washing, dyeing, tailoring.
The blue disappears. Only the handwork remains. From the start: silk thread, never cotton. Never machine-made.
Time
A forever heirloom
A single piece can take months. A hand-embroidered saree: six months minimum — kept and passed on.
Fabric washes in the sun. The hours stay in the cloth.
For those who recognise the hand in the cloth — and never need it explained.
Read the full storyThe collection
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