The Art of Ari Work: How Kashmiri Embroidery Is Actually Made

Every pheran in our designer collection carries Ari work, front and back — but most people who buy one have never actually seen how it's made. It's a slower, more deliberate process than most embroidery techniques, and understanding it changes how you look at the finished garment.

What Ari Work Is

Ari work is a hook-needle embroidery technique, worked with a small, curved awl-like needle (the "ari") instead of the straight needle used in most embroidery styles. The hook pulls thread through fabric from below in a continuous chain-stitch motion, which is what gives Ari work its dense, slightly raised texture compared to flatter embroidery styles.

How It's Actually Done

The fabric is stretched tight across a frame, and the artisan works from the reverse side, guiding the hooked needle through in a continuous motion to form a chain of interlocking loops on the front. Because the stitching is continuous rather than start-stop like straight-needle embroidery, a skilled artisan can cover ground faster than with other hand techniques — though "faster" is relative, since detailed pieces can still take days to complete.

Why It's Worked From Both Sides

On our designer pherans, the embroidery is worked to look finished on both the front and reverse of the garment — not just the outward-facing side. This is a meaningful step up in both skill and time investment, since it means the reverse can't be left as loose, messy threads the way many embroidered garments are finished.

What to Look For

On a well-made Ari-work piece, the stitches should be uniform in size and tension, with clean, consistent chain loops rather than irregular or loose stitching. The design should also sit flat against the fabric rather than puckering it, which is a sign of proper tension control during the embroidery process.

Where You'll Find It

Every colourway in our designer pheran range — from Maroon to White and beyond — carries this same front-and-back Ari work, done by the same standard of hand craftsmanship.

A Skill Passed Down, Not Mass-Produced

Ari work is learned over years, typically passed down within families or through long apprenticeships rather than taught as a quick trade skill. Every piece that reaches our collection represents that accumulated skill — which is part of why a genuine Ari-work pheran doesn't compare to a machine-embroidered imitation, no matter how similar they might look at a glance.