All pieces are made by hand in Lucknow. Every one is unique. Nothing we make can ever be identical to anything else we have made, because nothing made by hand ever is.

Within each collection, pieces will carry their own iterations. A motif placed slightly differently. A drape that falls its own way. Stitches that record the particular hours of the woman who made them. These are not inconsistencies. They are the work.

We make in a range of sizes and are happy to discuss fit before you order. Write to us for embroidery requests, fabric preferences, and sizing. We will figure it out together.

FIRST COLLECTION. IN PRODUCTION.

Four original blocks we have created from scratch unique to Sorrow - embroiderers now are trained to produce them.

Coming soon. Each one unique. Each one made by hand.

Camellia flat sketch
Game motif
Lollipop motif
Plant and bird pattern

THE CRAFT

The Hand Behind Every Piece

Chikankari is a 400 year old tradition born in Mughal era Lucknow. It uses up to 36 distinct hand stitches. It is one of the most complex embroidery traditions in the world. The women who practice it are 95 percent of its 250,000 artisans in Uttar Pradesh, working from their homes, their skill passed down through generations of women before them.

The embroidery on a single Sorrow piece takes two to four weeks. Every stitch is placed by hand. Every motif is a decision. The slight irregularities you will find in the finished garment are not imperfections. They are proof.

Artisan hand embroidering chikankari

THE PROCESS

Five Hands. One Garment.

From sketch to stitch, every step is done by hand. Each artisan carries their own craft.

STEP 01

Skilled parchewala hand drawing each Sorrow motif for custom blocks.

STEP 02

Block prints are carved in by hand.

Hand-carved wooden blocks

STEP 03

Print is done on the fabric.

STEP 04

Embroidery happens by a separate embroidery artisan.

The garment is washed to get the blue ink of the print off. Voila — you now have your very own Sorrow piece ready.

STEP 05

The garment is washed to get the blue ink of the print off. Voila — you now have your very own Sorrow piece ready.

SLOW

Each piece takes two to four weeks of hand embroidery. Small batches only. Zero overproduction.

HAND

Thirty six stitches. Four hundred years. One tradition practiced by women working from their homes in Uttar Pradesh.

FAIR

Direct from artisan. No middlemen. Every piece carries documented provenance. The craft survives because it finally pays fairly.

Be the first to know

The first collection is in production. Leave your email and we will write to you when it arrives.

No newsletters. One email. When the collection is ready.