Paisleys blossom in Kashmiri embroidery

Designer
Joy Mitra

Kashimiri embroidery has been a favourite for ages. Royalty around the world has been fascinated by the sheer elegance of Kashida or Kashmiri embroidery. It is a very time consuming process but the results are magical.
The famous paisley design is symbolic of Kashmiri embroidery. It gives us a glimpse and taste of the scenic Kashmir.
The base cloth is mostly wool or cotton. The colours used are whites and pastels. The threads used for this kind of embroidery are mostly silks, wool and metallic (zari). At times they cover up the whole fabric with embroidery.
Generally unique and expensive, a true Kashmiri embroidery contains floral motifs inspired by the natural beauty of Kashmir, which is timeless and graceful for every season.
Sozni embroidery, papier-mache embroidery, and aari or hook embroidery are individual styles of Kashmiri embroidery. One can also see Persian influence in it.
Like any other states of India, Bengal is always in awe of Kashmir and its beautiful embroidered shawls. Being a Bengali, I have grown up seeing Kashmiri shawls and jackets beautifully preserved for generations. In an upper middle-class and middle-class Bengali household, a Kashmiri shawl is a prized possession.
At the India Fashion Week my concept was “Vintage.” One of the interesting features I used was Kashmiri embroidery with its paisley motif. Like others I am also inspired, rather hypnotised, when it comes to Kashmiri embroidery. It’s beauty is unmatched.