As an embroidery type, Zardozi has been around for a very long time. However, its popularity was limited to women, of a certain age group, in North India. Now, Zardozi is becoming popular all across the country among girls and women of all age groups courtesy of Zardouzee, a brand from the house of the renowned Ganeshi Lall Emporium in Agra in Uttar Pradesh. Though Zardouzee was launched just six months back, the umbrella brand is more than 175 years old.
While Zardouzee manufactures a wide range of products, they plan to build its identity as a luxury and designer handbag brand. The brand specializes in hand-crafted Zardozi embroidery and employs artisans who have studied this branch of embroidery for years. While most of the products that come from the house of Zardouzee are affordable, there are some premium-priced products as well. The brand’s target consumer base comprises those who prefer buying medium-range or high-value products.
Talking about the vision behind the brand, Alark M. Lall, founder of Zardouzee, says, “The brand aims to make the magnificent artistry of Zardozi more accessible to the younger generation. Handmade bags have been one of our highest selling product categories. We ensure that our designs reflect Zardozi in its most authentic form and are contemporary at the same time. We have provided artisans with a well-designed platform to showcase their skills in Zari work in various forms. Zardouzee comprises a team of skilled artisans who handicraft hand-embroidered clutches and bags, among other products, for women.”
‘Zardouzee’, the brand name has been derived from Zardozi art. Zardozi itself is a mixture of two Persian words. While zar refers to gold, dozi roughly translates to sewing. Professional artisans used metallic fleeces to design three-dimensional artworks using Zardozi techniques. In these designs, artisans use metallic threads incorporated with precious and semi-precious gemstones. In ancient times, silver thread and real gold leaves were two of the primary components that were used to craft Zardozi artwork. Now, most artisans use copper wire with threads made of gold, silver, and other material.
Since Rigveda. Embroidery with gold and silver threads has been prevalent in India. It gained further popularity during the Mughal era owing to its semblance in the form of Zardozi art, the intricate metal embroidery work done on fabrics such as silk, velvet, and satin. While Zardozi has been a prominent handicraft item in the Persian culture for ages, it has been adapted quite well by Indian artisans. The kind of intricate Zardozi work you see artisans doing in India is truly unique and one-of-its-kind.
“An artisan, with fine art skills, needs to put in hours to put together a simple Zardozi item. These are highly trained artisans for whom Zardozi is not a means of livelihood but their passion. They live to pursue this craft and take it further in different directions. I strongly feel that the amount of effort they put in cannot be measured in terms of money. However, the products offered by Zardouzee are reasonably priced. We are taking several steps to ensure the popularity of Zardozi embroidery reaches far and wide. While we are already offering a wide range of products to our customers, we will be launching more soon. We are committed to making Zardouzee a global brand”, says Lall.
Zardouzee has been built on the promise of preserving the nation’s heritage and representing it on a global platform. With the finest quality material and the creativity of the most qualified artisans, Zardouzee has the vision to create a global market of ancient handmade and sustainable accessories for women. The brand’s handmade products are skilfully embroidered and inlaid with different types of gemstones.
Zardouzee manufactures handbags, hand bracelets, jewellery boxes and several other items that represent Zardozi embroidery in its purest form. The entire catalog of the brand can be viewed at its official website www.zardouzee.com