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The recent appearances of cultural icons and celebrities like Oprah Winfrey, Waheeda Rehman, Nita Ambani, and Natasha Poonawalla— gracing red carpets and global events in outfits featuring Parsi Gara have given birth to a renewed interest in this traditionally niche embroidery.
Profound storytelling, unswerving traditions, and constant reinvention are the very essence of the Parsi Gara. Ashdeen Lilaowala, whose name is synonymous with, lends a unique perspective to this ageless embroidery, silken threads, and couture design. While navigating the dialogue between heirloom collections and the expectations of a fashion-forward consumer, he channels his energy into crafting innovative and inspiring expressions. Committed to honouring the legacy, he has been at the forefront of this evolution and has pushed the possibilities of the Parsi Gara in new directions.
RR India spoke to Ashdeen Lilaowala about the cultural heritage of the embroidery, his inspirations, the design process, and the new creative world of Parsi Garas.
Parsis, descendants of the Zoroastrian community that migrated from Persia to India, gradually settled along the country’s west coast—and prospered in Gujarat and later Bombay. Soon, they were voyaging to China and Japan, carrying opium and cotton from India and returning with tea and exquisite Chinese artefacts. Among these, they also brought the most exquisite embroidered textiles, which became a distinctive vocabulary in Indian fashion sensibilities. Embraced and adapted by Parsi women, this unique fusion of Persian, Chinese, European, and Indian influences prospered and became a prized possession.
Ashdeen did a wholesome research on the embroidery, and while exploring its cultural roots, he stumbled upon many surprising and interesting discoveries. “One of them is the etymology of the word Gara, which remains a kind of mystery. Even though the term later came to be associated exclusively with the saree, the same tradition was also used to decorate clothing items such as ijars (trousers), jhablas (kids’ tunics), sapats (flat footwear), purses and potlis (drawstring pouches), and home furnishings," shares the progressive designer.
The motifs of this heritage embroidery are rich and timeless. Repeatedly occurring floral motifs in the Parsi Gara repertoire include peonies, roses, chrysanthemums, and lotuses, rendered as vines, trellises, and abundant gardens. Some of them like birds, landscapes, ‘Cheena Cheeni’, and other mythical Chinese elements, symbolise the earliest trades, joy, harmony, beauty, and cross-cultural exchange.
Ashdeen says, "Some of my favourite motifs include the chrysanthemum, or Kiku, which is a particularly important motif in the Parsi Gara vocabulary. It is the flower of autumn associated with the ninth month in the Chinese calendar. It symbolises long life. The ‘simurgh’ or phoenix symbolises health and loyalty. The rooster is another auspicious motif. The rooster crows every morning and is believed to slay the demon of darkness. The karolia or spider design is a popular motif resembling the modern pinwheel. According to legend, the spider is considered auspicious as it is believed to have protected the Zoroastrians as they fled Persia."
"The recurring visual vocabulary of Parsi Gara embroidery shows a deep reverence for nature, which is also one of the main tenets of Zoroastrianism. Flowers, birds and animals are celebrated as emblems of power and protection. The artisans who hand embroider the Gara are required to understand the nuances of the Parsi Gara craft deeply. For instance, when birds are embroidered, the rendering needs to be realistic, including details like the movement of the feathers, the shape of the beak, and the patina of the eye. Having worked with many of our master craftspeople over the years, our process has turned into an exchange of ideas and inputs, rather than mere instruction," he adds.
Parsi Gara is not just an embroidery style but a hand-intensive cultural memory. Ashdeen Lilaowala elaborates on what makes an original Gara truly exceptional and the design challenges it entails.
“The most challenging part of the design process is the vision itself that inspires us to explore the possibilities of the Parsi Gara and our atelier to create heirloom-quality pieces. At Ashdeen, there are a few non-negotiables when it comes to our practice. For instance, anything we do in the name of Parsi Gara has to be handcrafted, and the motifs have to find their inspiration in nature. While keeping some of these core elements intact, we’ve innovated by mindfully combining the craft with other textile traditions of the subcontinent, such as kanjeevaram, banarasi silk, leheriya, and bandhani. We’ve worked with silhouettes such as lehengas, blouses, jackets, dupattas, trousers, dresses, and more,” says Ashdeen.
Ashdeen shares, “It is certainly challenging and a tight rope that we walk every day. I’ve always believed that to break the rules you first need to deeply understand the rules. This allows me to confidently contemporarise this textile tradition. When change is rooted in knowledge, it’s richer and more beautiful. Our sarees and garments are known for their wearability factor despite the heavy embroidery.”
“India is blessed with world class embroidery masters who have not only imbibed this global art form but infused it with their own creativity, finesse and skill. Once they start working with Parsi Gara embroidery we’ve seen them adapt their skills to this embroidery tradition beautifully. One of our brand’s missions has been to create sustained livelihoods for the artisans we work with. 300+ karigars across clusters in Bengal, UP and Delhi form the backbone of our brand. Some of our artisans have become entrepreneurs running their own studios”, proudly puts Ashdeen.