Aari embroidery, also known as Ari work, is a form of chain-stitch embroidery executed with a hooked needle called an awl. The technique is believed to have originated within the Mochi (leather worker) community of Gujarat, India—artisans historically engaged in the making and repair of footwear. Possibly emerging as early as the 12th century, Aari embroidery was initially developed to embellish leather shoes and horse trappings, including harnesses and ornamental coverings. Over time, it was adapted for use on cloth, marking a transformation from functional adornment to an expressive textile art form.

From the early 17th century onwards, the English East India Company became a conduit for Aari embroidery, acquiring pieces from regions such as Kutch for trade in London. Europe developed a fascination with these Indian textiles, whose intricate chain-stitch designs adorned furnishings and aristocratic garments. The technique’s speed and refinement soon inspired European adaptation: in France, it evolved into tambour embroidery—named after the tambour (drum) frame used to stretch the fabric taut. By the 18th century, centers such as Luneville had become renowned for this work, signalling a direct cultural exchange through which the Indian Aari tradition influenced and transformed European decorative arts.

As a self-taught embroiderer of Gujarati heritage, I draw upon this lineage both as personal inheritance and artistic inquiry. In my practice, I employ the tambour hook to create relief embroidery through successive chain stitches, producing textured, sculptural surfaces. Each work incorporates semi-precious and precious gemstones, hand-stitched onto silk to form clustered compositions that merge material opulence with meditative repetition.

This process situates my practice within both the tactile intimacy of handcraft and the broader continuum of material experimentation in contemporary textile art. Aari embroidery shares affinities with chain-stitch traditions across the East, particularly those of India and China. By engaging with these shared histories, my work reinterprets a historical technique through a contemporary lens—foregrounding gesture, materiality, and continuity. In this way, each stitch becomes both a reclamation of heritage and an act of renewal, extending the story of Aari embroidery into the present.