FASHION ORIENTATION

Jury Assignment

SUBMITTED TO: SUBMITTED BY:

Mr. Niraj Harshil Chopra
Jyoti Rawal
Nakul Juneja
 H A N D E M B R OI D E R Y OF P U N J A B

ORIGIN:
 Although, there is reference of Phulkari in the Vedas, Mahabharat, Guru
Grant Sahib and folk songs of Punjab, in its present form, Phulkari has been
popular since the 15th century.
 It was originally practiced as an indoor activity and wasn’t sold
commercially but women traditionally used self-made Phulkari during
weddings and other important ceremonies.
 The Phulkari embroidery only came out commercially by the 18th century
due to British intervention, when they started procuring orders from
Europe and America to supply embroidery on a commercial scale. With
international markets dictating designs and colour schemes, garish
iterations were produced.
 Phulkari encompassed the life in villages rather than religious subjects or
darbar scenes. It depended more on the creativity of the Punjabi women
who successfully produced innumerable intricate geometrical patterns.
TECHNIQUE:
 Darning stitch was the most commonly used technique to make Phulkari
and the quality of a piece could be measured according to the size of the
stitch; the smaller the stitch, the finer the piece.
 Originally, only a single strand was used at a time, where each part was
worked in just one colour. Instead of using different colours for shading and
variation, the one colour thread was used in a horizontal, vertical or
diagonal stitch which resulted in giving an illusion of more than one shade
when light fell on it or when viewed from different angles.
 Except in ‘Chope’, the patterns are not drawn before hand on the fabric;
rather, the embroider counts each thread of the Khaddar, this is because
even a shift of one thread in the counting would have visible impact on the
final result.
 As it was easier to count the threads of a light coloured khaddar than of a
dark one, sometimes the fabric was dyed only after the embroidery was
done.
 In order to create an unusual design or to border the khaddar, some other
stitches like the herringbone stitch, running stitch, Holbein stitch or button
hole stitch are occasionally used. Nowadays, even French knot work, stem
stitch, mirror work and as many as 12+ other embroideries are passed off
as Phulkari.
 In Western Punjab (Pakistan), khaddar is stitched after completing the
embroidery, so one can notice a slightly distorted design whereas in East
Punjab (India), khaddar is stitched before the embroidery. Embroidery is
done on the wrong side of khaddar with silk threads known as pat.
TYPES OF PHULKARI:
 Bagh (Garden):- The Phulkari that is covered all over with embroidery is
known as Bagh. It came into being in the second half of the 19 th century
when people became more passionate about Phulkari work. Traditionally,
the Bagh was kept only for special occasions.
  Thirma:- The distinguishing feature of Thirma is its white khaddar that is a
symbol of purity. The colour of threads used for embroidery range from red
to pink.
 Darshan Dwar:- Darshandwar was a typical and special Phulkari created to
be offered at the gurudwaras. This type of Phulkari was made in East
Punjab. Along with floral patterns, figures of humans and animals were also
made on this.
 Sainchi Phulkari:- This type of Phulkari was used to depict the cillage life of
Punjab and this style was restricted to very few areas of Punjab such as
Firozpur and Bhatinda districts. The pattern used to range from local
animals, farmers, wrestlers, weavers to trains and other means of
transport.
 Vari-da-bagh:- Vari-da-bagh was given to the bride by her in-laws upon
entering her ‘new home’. It was always made on orange-reddish khaddar
and, for embroidery, only a single golden or orange coloured pat was used
all over the khaddar except for borders.
 Bawan Bagh:- In Punjabi, Bawan means 52. This means that 52 different
patterns were made to complete this Phulkari. It was actually a display of
samples used by professional embroiderers, thus these can rarely be found.

DIFFERENTIATION IN CLASSES:
Some of the floral patterns used to define the class of the wearer as well. For
instance, Phulkari having flowers made from cluster stitch was worn by low class
females whereas Phulkari having flowers made with darning stitch was worn by
the females belonging to high class.
DESIGNERS USING PHULKARI IN MODERNISED FORMS:
 MANISH MALHOTRA:
 A collection of the designer from 2013 was emphasized by him to be
based on Phulkari embroidery.
 The designer insists that the accessibility of the work is the key to
retaining relevance. “Saying that a craft must be consumed in the
manner it was centuries ago is impractical. Presenting it in varied forms
and silhouettes through a modern design lens is imperative to retaining
its magic,” he insists.
 “As with anything crafted in such detail, Phulkari outfits require great
care. Resham threads tend to break with exposure to strong elements:
so, pack your garments in thin tissue to keep them safe.”- Manish
Malhotra
 KANIKA GOYAL:
 Famous for her sporty, clean silhouettes, she is responsible for
reinterpreting Punjab’s traditional Phulkari form of embroidery,
and using it in her western outfits.
 This unique combination, according to her, was deliberate, and
helped define her brand’s sartorial image.
 She was inspired to use Phulkari being inspired by her roots and
by her wish to give back to the community. This is why she, like
many other designers who are shifting to handloom, decided to go
with handmade products.
 Apart from the creative aspect of things, this decision was also
immensely beneficial for the artisans and crafts people she chose
to work with.

 "The threads were replaced and the colours were traded for a toned-
down palette. It was a conscious decision to show restraint in our
application of the craft. So while, the motifs appeared sporadically on
outerwear lapels and shirt sleeves, they still, remained one of the
winning highlights of the garments."
 Created using a variety of other materials, the resultant product was
an eclectic mix including 100% wool, acrylic wool, leather, cotton
satin, and linen.