Mahpara Chikankari, incepted in 2016, was started by the founder, Summana Khalid, as a tribute to her mother, Mahpara Bano. Bearing her legacy and her name, the brand has found lot of love and appreciation from our clientele. The centuries old needle craft of the artisans of Lucknow was always a matter of fascination and intrigue to her. Sowing, stitching and embroidery were so much a part of existence that a transition to make it a profession happened with ease albeit with a lot of passion and dedication. Ably assisted by a wonderful team and lot of hardwork we have moved on to two highly rated retail stores in Mumbai as well as manufacturing units in both Mumbai and Lucknow.
Today as we go online, its another small step towards keeping this heritage art of India alive.  

Chikankari is an intricate embroidery technique brought to India by Noor Jehan. It consists of mostly floral motifs and intricate designs embedded into shapes like the paisley for instance. There are 65 different stitches but the most commonly used are Phanda or Knot, Keel Kangan, Pechni, Hool, Bakhiya, Ghaspatti, Murri, Kaante and Chanapatti. A sari with embroidery using two threads or do taar may take upto two years to complete. Its a very time taking process that involves printing on the fabric, embroidery, washing, dyeing and quality checking.
Mahpara Chikankari is an ode and tribute to all the artisans who painstaking carve out every single piece with patience and dedication. It is they who have kept this great Indian traditional art the most cherished and sought after product even in the midst of machine made substitutes.