The Art of Zardozi: A Living Heritage

Zardozi embroidery arrived in the subcontinent centuries ago, carried by artisans working in gold and silver wire for royal courts. In Lahore, the craft survives in small ateliers where master embroiderers, or karigars, train apprentices for years before they touch a bridal commission.

Every Mehar Boutique piece that carries zardozi, tilla or dabka work is embroidered entirely by hand, stretched across a wooden frame called an adda. A single bridal lehenga can take upward of 200 hours from first stitch to final thread — a timeline we build into every made-to-order piece.

We work directly with a small number of ateliers in Lahore, Multan and Lucknow, each specializing in a distinct regional technique. This is why our product pages name the craft and the region: it's not a flourish, it's provenance.