Amit Aggarwal’s couture ’26 campaign, Emeris, reimagines the traditional craft of chikankari through a contemporary lens. Inspired by the geometric patterns, the collection explores new materials, textures and forms while retaining its essence. Originating in Lucknow, chikankari is famed for the intricate jaals, delicate geometry and open spaces. we wanted to take this inherited language and allow it to evolve,” mentions Amit. The craft’s softness and openness became a starting point, reinterpreted through rubber cord, recycled glass, hand-formed beads and intricate lacework. The geometry of the traditional jaal finds a new expression through biomimicry and parametric thinking, transforming embroidery into a passage of light, texture and form. We spoke with Amit to learn more about the collection.
What made you completely reimagine such a delicate, traditional craft as chikankari?
What interested me was the idea of taking something so intrinsically delicate and allowing it to exist in a completely different vocabulary. The sari carried years of craft, memory and human touch, but I didn’t want to treat chikankari as something static or purely archival. I wanted to understand its essence, the rhythm of the jaal, the lightness of the embroidery, the spaces between the threads-and see how far that language could travel when placed within my own material and structural practice.
How do you translate those organic, gentle qualities into your signature structured, futuristic aesthetic without losing the soul of the craft?
For me, it is less about juxtaposing tradition with futurism and more about finding the point where the two naturally meet. Chikankari already has a very sophisticated relationship with space, repetition and geometry. I retain that inherent delicacy and translate it through structure, volume and unconventional materials. The craft remains the emotional core; the construction gives it a new physical language.
What were the biggest technical challenges in turning unconventional materials into fluid jaal patterns?
The challenge was essentially to make materials behave in ways they naturally resist. A jaal is inherently fluid and continuous, while some of the materials we work with have rigidity, memory or very little tolerance for manipulation. Most of the process involved engineering the material almost like an architectural surface; understanding where it could bend, break, hold or release, while still retaining the rhythm of hand-crafted threadwork. The technical exploration was as important as the visual one.
How do mathematical structures and natural forms help turn traditional threadwork into dynamic passages of light and texture?
Mathematics and nature are actually much closer than we imagine. both are built around systems like repetition, symmetry, growth, rhythm and controlled irregularity. A jaal has its own mathematical intelligence and when you begin to deconstruct those patterns, they can become almost architectural. I’m interested in taking that underlying system and letting it create shadows, transparency, movement and texture; hence, the embroidery becomes something you experience through light as much as you see through form.
How do you balance honouring the craft legacy of Lucknow with pushing it bold into the future?
Respecting a craft does not necessarily mean preserving it exactly as it has always existed. I think the most meaningful way of honouring a craft is to keep it alive and relevant. As a couture practice, we have spent years experimenting with traditional Indian textiles, including Banarasi textiles and vintage saris, exploring how their inherent techniques and histories translate into a contemporary design language. The skill and knowledge of the artisans is the foundation; my role as a designer is to create new questions for that knowledge to answer. with chikankari, it becomes a similar dialogue between inherited intelligence and contemporary experimentation, allowing the craft to evolve without losing the soul and human touch that made it valuable in the first place.
What are the biggest emerging trends you are seeing in the occasion couture space in the near future?
I think occasion couture is moving away from dressing purely for an event and toward dressing as an expression of identity. There is a growing appetite for pieces with a strong point of view that are also emotionally and physically engaging. I see material innovation, lighter constructions, modularity and a more fluid relationship between couture and ready-to-wear becoming increasingly important. There is also a renewed interest in craft, but approached through a contemporary lens rather than nostalgia.
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