Parsi gara: Embroidered elegance rooted in nature

Time of India

11-07-2025

Natasha Poonawalla's MET Gala look featured two vintage gara saris with a sculpted pearl corset-cummerband by Manish Malhotra. An interpretation of the Black Dandyism. The motifs originating in China comprised stories and scenes of nature and everyday life
What is Parsi gara?
The gara is a single-thread silk hand embroidery, a byproduct of the Parsi community's trade and travels. Traditionally done on silk with a small sewing needle, the embroidery is an amalgamation of various textile traditions, including those from China, Persia, Europe and India.
Parsi-fication of the Chinese embroidery
'The Parsi gara is a treasured part of a Parsi woman's life. Its status as a family heirloom continues,' says Prof Shernaz Cama, director of a UNESCO project aimed at preserving Parsi-Zoroastrian culture. 'The embroidered gara as seen today is about 350 years old. In the 1730s, Parsis saw Chinese workers create embroidery on silk. A Parsi trader once requested Chinese artisans to add a border, and later a pallav, to their embroidery, marking the origin of what would become the Parsi gara.
The fabric eventually travelled to Surat, where Parsi men and women skilled in Iranian and Indian embroidery techniques began adapting the Chinese style.'
Factsheet
Historically, twisted silk yarn and silk floss were used for the Parsi gara. Today, mechanically spun yarn is used
The gara includes Chinese satin stitch, French knots, stem stitch, cording, kha-kha (forbidden stitch)
Depending on the complexity of the design, a gara sari can take anywhere from three weeks to two months to craft, with six to eight artisans working on one gara together
Traditionally, high-quality silk fabrics woven in China were used. Eventually, this gave way to the salli gaj, the ghat fabric and jacquards. Today, crepes, satins and organzas are used, too
- Inputs from Ashdeen Z Lilaowala and Prof Shernaz Cama
Reimagining the gara
A refreshing spin with new fabrics and fits is appealing to the current generation. Designer Ashdeen Z Lilaowala, a revivalist of the gara, says, 'While innovating the gara, it's important to keep the essence of the tradition alive.
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It is about enhancing the wearability factor of the gara – stylised application of motifs, the use of lighter, more wearable fabrics, and a colour palette fine-tuned to suit modern tastes.
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'Stylised application of motifs, a colour palette fine-tuned to suit modern tastes and the use of lighter, more wearable fabric adapted to suit contemporary tastes - it is about enhancing the wearability factor of the gara' (Pics: @ashdeenl)
Zenobia Davar, a designer reviving the Parsi gara, adds, 'The idea is to innovate the gara for the newer generation. Crop tops, lehengas, gowns and fishtail skirts with blouses are making the gara more accessible and making the heritage a part of our everyday life.
Artisans are giving gara a fresh take by creating accessories, embroidered ties, homeware, frames, room partitions, and more. Many women get their family heirloom garas restored – like a bride recently wore her nani's wedding gara.
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'The idea is to innovate the gara for the newer generation' (Pics: @zenobia_davar)
Efforts have been made to infuse traditional weaves like Kanjeevaram and Banarasi with Parsi gara embroidery and also combine the aesthetic of the gara with traditional crafts like bandhani, leheriya
Ashdeen Z Lilaowala, designer
Motifs tell stories of culture
trade ties & more
The motifs originating in China comprised stories and scenes of nature and everyday life. Designer Firoza Shroff says, 'Peacocks, deer, cockerels, ducks, fish were often seen. The Parsis, who were the first to set eyes upon these designs, could relate to many motifs which were considered auspicious in their culture. With time, Indian motifs such as the paisley or kairi were incorporated too.' Zenobia adds, 'Every motif is deeply symbolic – carrying emotional, cultural and even spiritual weight sometimes.
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The gara includes Chinese satin stitch, French knots, stem stitch, cording, kha-kha (Pics: @jophiel.fashion)