The Craft of Embroidery in the Payal Jain Atelier

Introduction

Embroidery at the Payal Jain atelier is not applied after the garment is made. It begins before the fabric is cut drawn by hand on paper, traced through Indigo dye onto silk georgette, and built stitch by stitch across surfaces that will eventually move with a woman's body. The embroidery and the garment are designed together, as a single form.

This is what separates handcrafted couture from decorated clothing.

Chikankari: The Craft That Shaped the Atelier

Of all the embroidery traditions that have shaped my design language, Chikankari is the one I return to most consistently. A hand embroidery technique rooted in Lucknow's craft history, Chikankari works through restraint shadow stitches, delicate pulled threadwork, and surface embroidery that reveals itself gradually rather than announcing itself immediately.

The Awadh couture collection was built entirely around this discipline. Each piece required between 1500 and 3000 hours of hand embroidery by skilled women artisans. The motifs florals, tendrils, vines were first drawn as artworks, then transferred to wood blocks, then traced onto the fabric before a single needle was threaded.

The Danielle Chikankari Mulmul Shirt, the Brigitte Chikankari Mulmul Shirt, and the Gisele Chikankari Mulmul Shirt each carry this process in their construction hand-stitched stacked lace, pintuck detailing, and Chikankari embroidery worked across mulmul that is light enough to carry the threadwork without resistance.

Surface Embellishment: When Embroidery Builds Dimension

Beyond Chikankari, the couture line works with surface embellishment techniques that add physical depth to the fabric. Bugle beads are applied by hand, each one placed to catch light at a specific angle. Zardozi accents are positioned where shadows naturally fall in the drape of the garment. Crystals are used sparingly dew rather than rain.

The Hazel A-Line Skirt in silk georgette carries 50 to 60 hours of hand-embroidered bugle beads and sequins, forming floral motifs that shift as the fabric moves. The Bryce Embroidered Dress required 80 to 100 hours of hand embroidery and appliqué tone-on-tone beads, sequins, and velvet appliqué worked across ebony silk georgette.

These hours are not incidental to the garment. They are the garment.

Embroidery in Prêt: The Same Discipline, Different Scale

The prêt line applies the same commitment to surface craft at a different scale. The Arlet Cotton Embroidered Skirt, the Tiffany Cotton Long Skirt with 3D floral embroidery, and the Wrenlee Cotton Peasant Skirt each carry hand embroidery and lace detailing worked into cotton that is worn daily rather than reserved for occasions.

This is a deliberate position. Embroidery does not belong only to couture occasions. The discipline of handwork the choice of technique, the placement of a motif, the weight of a thread against a fabric applies equally to a cotton skirt worn on an ordinary afternoon.

At the Payal Jain atelier, embroidery is the record of a process. Every stitch placed by an artisan's hand carries the hours, skill, and judgment that went into it. When the garment is finished and worn, that record does not disappear it transfers.

Explore the Awadh couture collection and the Chikankari prêt line at payaljain.com

About us

Payal Jain is an Indian luxury couture and prêt fashion designer with over three decades of experience in handcrafted Indian fashion. She founded her atelier in the early 1990s, working in partnership with artisans across India to apply heritage textile traditions Chikankari embroidery, hand block printing, cutwork appliqué, zardozi, and proprietary print collections to contemporary couture and prêt construction. 

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