Anjul Bhandari | |
|---|---|
| Born | Anjul Khurana 1969 (age 56–57) Rampur Maniharan, UP |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Occupation | Fashion designer, artist, businesswomen |
| Children | 2 |
Anjul Bhandari (born 1969) is an Indian fashion designer, artist and businesswomen known for restoring & contemporizing the heritage "Lucknowi" hand embroideries of Chikankari and Mukaish.
Early Life
Anjul was born and brought up in Rampur Maniharan, UP into a business family. Her father had rice mills and an ice factory, as well as running cinema halls and her mother worked alongside her father in his businesses. She went to Welham Girls' School, Dehradun at the age of 13 and after completing her studies, she married Ashish Bhandari a businessman from Lucknow with whom she has two children. Her mother-in-law was a social worker and chairperson of Lion’s Club who often organized free camps for the upliftment of women from the area who were engaged in the craft of Chikankari and Mukaish.
Career
In 2012, she launched her fashion label under her name "Anjul Bhandari" which is known for its pastel colour palette that enhances the beauty of the white thread embroidery. Through the pret collection, the label presented traditional hand embroidery in contemporary Indian silhouettes on semi-formal occasions as well. The label has been responsible for reviving Ek Taar Chikankari, which is the finest of the Chikankari i.e done with a single thread, making it a collector’s item.
In 2016 the label introduced Chikankari on Pashmina for the first time, combining an age-old weaving technique from Kashmir with an age-old craft. In 2018 they introduced accessories in the form of traditional potlis and home accessories like table cloths, napkins and tea cosies. In 2019 the label introduced the use of Zardozi as a way to highlight the Chikankari to create a more traditional bridal collection. It was also the year in which the Anjul Bhandari menswear collection was introduced.
She is the only female entrepreneur to have single-handedly taken up the responsibility of supporting the highest number of Chikankari and Kamdani artisans in Awadh who work across various villages around Lucknow. 90% of those employed are women who play a huge role in keeping the dying art of handcrafted Chikankari & Mukaish alive.
Design Philosophy
Anjul Bhandari’s design philosophy is ‘to promote the handwork rich in the cultural heritage of India’. She has applied the dexterity of the master craftsmen of Chikankari and Mukaish with other artforms from India such as the hand block printing technique Ajrak, the hand-painting technique of Kalamkari, hand weaving of pashmina, hand dying technique of bandhani, Parsi Gara hand embroidery and used handwoven khadi to promote its use.