In the Bombay of the 1970s, when his daughters were young, Anwar Ansari started a hand-printed chikankari textile business called First Lucknowi, because he believed he was the first to start such a venture. Chikankari is a traditional embroidery style that originated in Lucknow. Anwar and his partners hired local artisans in Bombay and Lucknow to handcraft these designs on cotton, silk, chiffon and other fabric.

Almost half a century later, First Lucknowi is different yet, essentially, the same. Today, it goes by the name Ahilaya, named after the queen of the 18th Century Malwa kingdom, Rajmata Ahilyadevi Holkar.

Managed by Anwar’s daughters, Farha, Nagma and Sana, the number of employees has grown from 40 to 200 and its customer base has also increased. Many celebrities — Hillary Clinton, Ivanka Trump, Drew Barrymore, Anushka Sharma, Alia Bhatt among others — are among Ahilaya’s customers.

According to Farha, the chief reason for the brand’s longevity and success is, “We do everything and do not outsource anything.” “The materials have to be pure; there should not be any synthetic. We are stringent about that.”

The designs and raw material are couriered to the artisans in Lucknow and Mumbai, who in turn handcraft the clothes, she adds.

Farha, now lives in New York and oversees ‘Leaves of Grass’, an international offshoot of the family-run business. Though her sisters, Nagma and Sana, take care of the Indian affairs, Farha visits the Bengaluru store at least once a year. This visit is ritually followed by a meeting with craftsmen too.

“They feel happy when they learn that the clothes they make are worn by models and celebrities. We sometimes call them for photo shoots, order biryani and have a good time.”

The price range starts at Rs. 4,000. Farha says, exclusively handcrafted wear often costs more. Comparing synthetic and machine-made wear to handmade garments, according to her, “is like differentiating microwaved dinner from gourmet food. We also pay fair wages to our workers. If we reduce the price, we might not be able to do that.”

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by Praveen Sudevan / April 16th, 2019