"Art is not what you see, but what you make others see"

EDGAR DEGAS
The best things in the world take good time and effort. Our designers and artisans spend painstaking effort and long hours to design, craft, and create the smallest detail. It is this finesse of the craftsmanship that makes Luxuries of Kashmir collections so distinctive.

THE PROCESS

A thing of beauty, for your joy forever

Purely handcrafted with love, every LOK creation is heartfelt and unique. Each piece of garment is a testament to the sheer brilliance and genius of the ethnic art and the artisans, driven by their zest to shape design dreams into iconic styles.

DISCOVER HOW IT'S MADE

THE DESIGN

With a team of around 20 artisans across Jammu, Aarti Chowdhary leads the creation process.

It starts with the design. Aarti gathers her ideas, inspiration, and imagination to come up with the design, cut, style of the garment, and the motifs that fit best. Then she chooses from rich fabrics like Chanderi silk, georgette, organza, raw silk, dupion silk, Bangalore silk, pashmina, etc. for the garment. This is then followed by finalizing the style of embroidery that will suit the fabric.

The designing process starts with tracing it out on a tracing paper and then placing it on the chosen fabric. Small holes are punched on the outline of the paper motif and then a liquid marker is used to transfer the design on the fabric. This process is called Khakha. Next, the fabric with the design outline is mounted on a wooden frame to keep it sturdy during the embroidery process.

Artisans start detailing the motif with silken threads, using needles or crewels. Various stitches and trimmings, metallic threads, beads, and sequins are used to further ornament the design on the base fabric. Because each design is one-of-a-kind, they all take different amounts of time to complete. While some designs are completed in a week, others take up to 60 days.

Finally, the arduous and complex process leads to a timeless, elegant, and stunning garment that you could wear for years to come.

VIBRANT MOTIFS

Nature-inspired, gorgeous motifs in bright color tones that spark joy and positivity, and connect with you.

PLUSH FABRICS

Responsibly and ethically sourced, plush fabrics that are visually pleasing but comfortable on your body, and sustainable enough to wear for a long time.

ORIGINAL TECHNIQUES

Simple, age-old hand embroidery techniques using needles, crewels, and thimbles, to weave lively designs.

How is Kashmiri embroidery made?

It begins with a design drawn on tracing paper, which is perforated along its outline and used to transfer the motif onto fabric with a liquid marker, a technique called Khakha. The marked fabric is mounted on a wooden frame, and artisans then work the motif by hand in silk and metallic thread using needles, crewels and thimbles.

What is Khakha?

Khakha is the traditional Kashmiri method of transferring an embroidery design onto cloth. The motif is drawn on tracing paper, fine holes are punched along the outline, and a liquid marker is passed over the paper so the design prints through onto the fabric below. It is a hand-cut stencil, made fresh for each design.

How long does one garment take to embroider?

Between one week and sixty days, depending on how dense the embroidery is and which stitches it uses. Sozni needlework is the slowest, tilla metalwork the most exacting. A lightly worked piece finishes quickly, while a fully embroidered occasion garment can occupy an artisan for two months.

Is any part of the embroidery done by machine?

No. Every stitch on a Luxuries of Kashmir garment is worked by hand by an artisan, using needles, crewels and thimbles. There is no machine stage at any point in the process.

Which fabrics do you embroider on?

Chanderi silk, georgette, organza, raw silk, dupion silk, Bangalore silk and pashmina. The fabric is chosen alongside the embroidery style, because the weight of the stitch and the weight of the cloth have to suit each other.