The Art of Appliqué

In the sun-drenched villages of rural Rajasthan, hundreds of women artisans create exceptional pieces of clothing every day. Even in a modern world of mass production, these expert artisans work by hand, crafting clothes that let us glimpse the traditional Indian arts of bygone years.

Through our brand, these women who otherwise would not be able to earn money can work from home, sharing their talents in fabric and stitch work with the world. Their talented hands create stunning pieces of clothing using ancient needlework techniques, bringing back the crafts of a pre-industrial world.

Although French in name, the needlework technique of appliqué is thousands of years old, being discovered first in ancient Egypt. From northern Africa, the craft of appliqué migrated across the ancient world, eventually coming to western India from Arabia 2,000 years ago. Since then, in Rajasthan, this traditional Indian craft has been used to create intricate designs for canopies, quilts, clothing, and even umbrellas!

The Revival of a Lost Art: While largely lost to industrialization, the appliqué technique has been adopted by hundreds of Sadhna's Rajasthani women artisans to create handcrafted and unique pieces of wearable art. Appliqué involves intricate cutwork and embroidery to apply fabrics, embroideries, and beads to one another and create vibrant pieces of clothing. Sadhna's women artisans use this technique to create beautiful designs by hand for everything from traditional Indian clothing to home décor.

The Handcrafted Process: The process begins with foundation fabric: plain kurtas and sheets of ethically sourced fabric produced by other Sadhna women. The foundation fabric is supplied to our appliqué artisans, who intricately cut and apply additional layers of fabric, embroidery, and beads to form captivating designs and patterns. Each appliqué is hand-cut and hand-sewn by artisans, meaning each Sadhna piece is a one-of-a-kind creation and the product of many talented hands.

The Difference is in the Details: While the appliqué process can be done by a machine, all our artisans do appliqué by hand. This requires great patience, dexterous hands, and a keen eye for detail; individual pieces can take hours to complete. The profound connection that the artisans who created them have to their work shines in every Sadhna clothing and handmade product.

A Fusion of Ancient Techniques: Moreover, Sadhna’s artisans go on to marry the appliqué process with other ancient techniques like Tanka and patchwork. The result is clothes that are truly one of a kind. They are living pieces of artisanal innovation that showcase the craftsmanship of the ancient world. Sadhna is one of the few ethical brands that use all three of these techniques—and Sadhna’s artisans do them all by hand.

Above: Cutwork, a style of applique, uses two pieces of fabric sewn on top of eachother. By cutting holes in one, the bottom fabric is exposed, allowing artisans to use vibrant colors and create unique patterns. 

All of Sadhna’s clothing is hand-made by hundreds of women artisans, with materials sustainably sourced from our earth. The artisan's work connects us to our human roots in artisanship and handcraft, and the profits are given back to the women artisans, ensuring this traditional craft that ties us to our roots continues. By supporting Sadhna, you empower hundreds of women artisans to keep sharing their talent with the world.