Every Proudly piece is made by hand, by people who have given their lives to the craft. Here is a minute inside our world.
Proudly, in a minute.
Proudly is a movement claiming loudly that an expert made the craft. It began with two passionate lovers of the art, Mir Momin and Yessh Ravin, who recognise it as one true bridal couture. Our fabrics reflect the real Indian art forms in the most authentic ways. Our vision is to take silk handloom weaving and hand embroideries like zardozi, dabka, kantha and chikan to a wider audience, and to kindle a desire to own a piece of art.
Proudly began as a pledge when we travelled the villages of India seeking knowledge about our textile heritage. Talking to the artisans, and seeing how the world has neglected their skill, made us empathise with them, and an idea was born. We researched for two years before launching: hundreds of yards of fabric, trials and weaving patterns, until we got it right and made it an enterprise.
We take great pride in saying a big no to replicating Indian artisanal crafts with machines. We believe it is cruel to sabotage a skill that has been inherited through generations, the talent and passion behind it, and above all the livelihood of the experts who make the crafts.
A girl dreams of her wedding look from the day she learns of love. At Proudly we do not compromise your dreams for our convenience. We work for you, and our artisans feel utter joy weaving your dreams into one reality. A bridal couture creates every inch of the fabric as per your imagination. One piece in the world is something only Proudly can do.
Everything that goes into a Proudly piece, from the first thread of silk to the last stitch, in the words our karigars use.
Every piece begins with the cloth. Handloom silks come from weaving clusters across India, such as Banaras, Kanchipuram and Chanderi, and the cloth chosen decides how a piece drapes and how the handwork sits on it. We research and trial cloth before we commit to it.
On a handloom the warp threads are set on the loom and the weft is passed through by hand, pass after pass. Borders, motifs and texture can be woven into the cloth itself. It is the skill that Proudly exists to protect.
Raw silk has a textured, matte body that holds heavy embroidery. Silk velvet has a soft pile and a deep colour. Satin silk is smooth and liquid, with a quiet shine. Each one asks for different handwork.
Silk takes dye deeply, which gives it its richness, and every silk takes a shade a little differently. So the colour is matched on a swatch and approved by you before the full piece goes forward.
A small sample of the colour and the handwork, made before the full piece begins. You see it, you approve it, and only then does the piece go forward.
The pictures you have carried for years: a mood board, a lehenga you tried on somewhere, a motif from your grandmother's saree. We begin by understanding what you see.
Your design drawn by hand: the silhouette, the neckline, the sleeves, the place where each motif will sit. The sketch is adjusted with you until it feels like yours.
A motif drawn for your story: florals, peacocks, initials, dates, the outline of a place that matters to you. It is drawn to the size it will be worked, so the karigar can follow it exactly.
The approved design is transferred onto the cloth, so the karigar has exact lines to follow when the thread and metal begin.
The wooden frame on which the fabric is stretched taut, so the karigar can work fine thread with both hands. Hours at the adda become a piece.
Metal-thread embroidery. In Persian, zar is gold and dozi is sewing. Metallic wire, pearls and beads are worked by hand on fabric stretched taut on a wooden frame, building a raised, sculptural surface. It was once the embroidery of royal courts, and it is the heart of every heirloom we make.
A fine coil of metallic wire, cut into short springs and stitched down by hand. Dabka draws the outline of a motif and gives it a raised, textured line that catches the light.
Motifs are cut by hand into the fabric and finished at the edge, so the pattern opens like lace. On a veil or dupatta border it frames the bride in light.
Stones, pearls, sequins and beads stitched on one by one to add depth and light. Set between the zardosi, they turn a flat surface into a jewelled one.
Names, initials, dates and small symbols embroidered by hand into a veil, a pallu or a latkan. It is how a couple's story ends up inside the piece.
A running stitch from Bengal, worked in close rows so the cloth ripples softly. Its quiet, textured lines sit well beside heavier zardosi.
A fine whitework embroidery from Lucknow, traditionally stitched in white thread on light cloth. Shadow work and delicate stitches give it a hand-drawn softness.
The cloth is cut to your measurements, with each panel placed so the design falls exactly where it was planned.
A kali is one wedge-shaped panel of a lehenga. Stitched side by side, the panels give the skirt its flare: the more kalis, the fuller the fall. Each kali can be embroidered on its own before it is joined.
The embroidered panels are joined, lined and shaped into the finished piece, with the seams placed to protect the handwork. A blouse, a lehenga skirt and a sherwani are each stitched very differently.
The piece is checked against your measurements and adjusted until the fit is right. Alterations as per your measurements are unlimited.
A latkan is a hanging ornament: the tassel or charm that finishes a dupatta, a blouse tie or a veil. We make them to carry a story. Simran's latkans hold the years of her story with Chirag.
Loose threads are trimmed, the piece is pressed and checked, and the finishing details are set. Then it is ready to go to you, made to be worn once and kept for a lifetime.
Every technique above, on a real piece for a real wedding. Follow a bride or a groom from the first reference to the wedding day.
Meet our couturier at our Chandni Chowk boutique, or tell us what you are dreaming of and we will come back to you on WhatsApp.
