Kashmiri Crewel Poncho - Teal

This newest capsule collection of Kashmiri Crewel Coats are heirloom pieces: rooted in a long history of crewel stitch & inspired by the sculptured, symbolic & organic motifs of Matisse's last decade of work creating papier découpé. These coats are a fresh interpretation of a traditional & famed Kashmiri embroidery technique.

• Wide-cut body with relaxed silhouette
  
• Closes in front with a single button
  
• Dropped shoulders with full length sleeves
  
• Patch pockets, featuring the initials of the artisan in Urdu or English
  
• Falls to just below the knee with curved hem
  
• Outer in mid weight linen & fully lined in a super soft silk-cotton blend; the coat has a perfect weight for transitional weather, or layering over a sweater in cooler weather
  
• The pattern is created in beautifully hand embroidered crewel stitch in wool
  

Story Behind the Textile

Master craftsmen in Srinagar, the capital of Kashmir, take 150 hours to embroider by hand the roughly 250,000 stitches on each of these coats. Known as crewel work, this technique is a type of free-running embroidery crafted from tight, continuous lines of chain stitch made with a crewel needle.

Although crewel work has been historically crafted around the world - from Mongolia to Britain - it is now most commonly associated with Kashmir. Known locally as jalakdozi, Kashmir has been famous for its exquisite crewel work since the 17th century, when it was a major cottage industry creating cloth for interiors for the European market.

Traditionally, Kashmiri crewel work comprises floral motifs and patterns and is used for furnishings and interiors. We've reimagined the traditional motifs and patterns in a contemporary design, which has been exquisitely executed by our Kashmiri artisans. Any variations or irregularities are part of the design and inherent to the production process.