India has dozens of embroidery traditions. Four of them, Kantha, Zari, Chikankari and Kasuti, inspire the work behind NAAW sneakers. This guide gives you a quick way to tell them apart, with links to a longer story on each craft.
The four crafts at a glance
| Craft | Region | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Kantha | Bengal | A running-stitch embroidery, born from layering worn saris into quilts |
| Zari | Surat and other textile centres | Metallic thread wound onto a silk core, once made with real gold and silver |
| Chikankari | Lucknow | White thread on white cloth, where the pattern shows through shadow |
| Kasuti | Karnataka | A counted-thread embroidery with four named stitches and no knots |
Kantha: the running stitch
Kantha comes from Bengal. Layers of worn saris were stitched together with simple running stitches to make quilts, and the uneven line of the stitch became the point of the craft. Read the full story in Kantha: The Running Stitch That Turned Worn Cloth Into Art.
Zari: the metal thread
Zari is metallic thread wound onto a silk core. It was once made with real gold and silver, and Surat became one of its centres. It adds a shine to cloth that dye alone cannot give. Read more in Zari: The Metal Thread India Has Been Weaving for Centuries.
Chikankari: white on white
Chikankari is worked in white thread on white cloth, so the pattern appears through shadow rather than colour. It is closely associated with Lucknow. Read more in Chikankari: Lucknow’s White-on-White Embroidery.
Kasuti: counted threads, no knots
Kasuti is a counted-thread embroidery from Karnataka with four named stitches and no knots on either side of the cloth, which is why it is unusually hard to do. Read more in Kasuti: Karnataka’s Counted-Thread Embroidery.
How these crafts show up in NAAW sneakers
- Kantha range (₹3,900): a woven textile panel with hand-inspired Kantha stitching, in Blue, Tan and Olive Green.
- Zari range (₹3,960): a textile panel with zari-inspired metallic accents, in Denim, Mocha Brown and Red.
- Chikankari-inspired: NAAW Chikenkadi Purple is inspired by Chikankari, the embroidery of Lucknow, and is coming soon.
Not sure which range to start with? Read our Kantha vs Zari comparison.
Indian embroidery FAQs
What is the difference between Kantha and Chikankari?
Kantha is a running-stitch embroidery from Bengal, often seen in colour. Chikankari is a white-on-white embroidery from Lucknow, where the pattern appears through shadow.
Is Zari made of real gold?
Traditionally it was made with real gold and silver. Today zari is more often a metallic thread wound onto a silk or other core.
Are NAAW sneakers made by hand?
Every NAAW pair is made by hand in India. The Kantha and Zari panels are hand-inspired and zari-inspired designs, described on each product page.