Muqayyash

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Muqayyash (Muqqaish, Mukkaiish, Mukaish, Mukesh, मुक़य्यश, "مقیش" ) is an ancient craft of brocade embroidery work with silver yarn on silk cloth from Gujarat, India. The silk is ornamented with a silver stripe pattern. Muqayyash is one of the Mughal period silk cloth, and it is recorded in Ain-i-Akbari.[1][2][3][4][5] The muqayyash was one of the fine brocades of Gujrat among a tus, daraibaf, kurtahwar. It was one of the expensive cloths of that time, priced at 2-50 gold Muhr.[6][7]

Name

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Muqayyash is an Arabicized word driven from the Hindi word Kesh, which means hairs.[8] Muqayyash is also known as badla and fardi work.[9] The Mukaish work with smaller stitch was called Murri ka kaam, taka, dana.[10]

Use

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Muqayyash has been in use since at least the Mughal empire, and Nur Jahan wore such silver embellished clothes.[11] However, it may be older. Originally, it was used to make small embellishments to clothes in conjunction with chikankari embroidery, but recent designs have started to use it more extensively by itself. It may be done on a variety of base fabrics, from chiffon to sturdier silks.[12]

Present fashion

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Silk clothes with Muqayyash work are famous for bridal and festival wear and ladies sari. Muqayyash work is still fashionable with celebrities in Bollywood. It is one of the techniques favored by Indian fashion designers like Manish Malhotra, Anjul Bhandari, and more.[13] [12][14] Priyanka Chopra wore a mukaish work ivory sari while receiving the Danny Kaye Humanitarian Award at the 2019 UNICEF Snowflake Ball on December 3. The sari was designed by Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla.[15]

In early July of 2025, Luxury fashion brand Dior faced backlash for appropriating mukaish work, in a $200,000 coat from Jonathan Anderson's debut collection. Critics, including fashion commentator Hanan Besnovic, highlight that while the coat took 34 days and 12 embroiderers to create, Dior has failed to credit the Indian artisans and the origin of the craftsmanship. This incident follows closely on the heels of a similar controversy involving Prada and its uncredited use of Indian Kolhapuri chappals, reigniting the debate about cultural appropriation and the lack of recognition for traditional artisans in the high-fashion industry.[16][17][18][19]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Mubārak, Abū al-Faz̤l ibn (1873). The Ain I Akbari. Asiatic Society of Bengal. p. 92.
  2. ^ Wagenaar, Henk W.; Parikh, S. S. (1993). Allied Chambers transliterated Hindi-Hindi-English dictionary. Allied Publishers. p. 1142. ISBN 978-81-86062-10-4.
  3. ^ Agrawal, Yashodhara (2003). Silk Brocades. Roli Books. p. 26. ISBN 978-81-7436-258-2.
  4. ^ Bhandari, Vandana (2015). Jewelled Textiles: Gold and Silver Embellished Cloth of India. Om Books International. ISBN 978-93-83202-00-3.
  5. ^ Gandhi, Menka (2004-10-16). THE COMPLETE BOOK OF MUSLIM & PARSI NAMES. Penguin UK. ISBN 978-81-8475-054-6.
  6. ^ Abu L-fazl Allami (1927). Ain-i-akbari Vol.1.
  7. ^ "The costume of Mughal women - [DOCX Document]". vdocuments.site. Retrieved 2020-12-30.
  8. ^ Muqayyash is silk with stripes of silver— the Ghiyds says that Muqayyash comes from the Hind, kesh, hair to which the silver-stripes are compared, and that it is an Arabicized form of the Hindi word as qaranful, a clove, for the Hind, karnphul ; itrifal, a kind.[1]
  9. ^ Wilkinson-Weber, Clare M. (1999-01-01). Embroidering Lives: Women's Work and Skill in the Lucknow Embroidery Industry. SUNY Press. ISBN 978-0-7914-4087-2.
  10. ^ Bhandari, Vandana (2015). Jewelled Textiles: Gold and Silver Embellished Cloth of India. Om Books International. ISBN 978-93-83202-00-3.
  11. ^ Mukherjee, Soma (2001). Royal Mughal Ladies and Their Contributions. Gyan Books. pp. 223, 224. ISBN 978-81-212-0760-7.
  12. ^ a b "Designer Anjul Bhandari traces the evolution of the craft of mukaish". Vogue India. Retrieved 2020-12-30.
  13. ^ "Kriti Sanon's ivory mukaish Manish Malhotra sari came with a unique backless blouse". Vogue India. 2020-06-21. Retrieved 2020-12-30.
  14. ^ "5 designer saris in Kriti Sanon's collection that prove she isn't afraid to experiment with drapes". Vogue India. 2020-07-15. Retrieved 2020-12-30.
  15. ^ "Priyanka Chopra's ivory mukaish sari will become your favourite wedding look". Vogue India. 2019-12-06. Retrieved 2020-12-30.
  16. ^ "After Prada Kolhapuri drama, Dior faces backlash over ₹1.67 crore mukaish coat with zero credit to India". The Times of India. 2025-07-04. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2025-07-04.
  17. ^ "Days After Prada Kolhapuri Row, Dior Under Fire For No Credit To India In USD 200,000 Mukaish Overcoat". www.ndtv.com. Retrieved 2025-07-04.
  18. ^ "Dior Caught in cultural crossfire after not crediting Indian artisans on $200K Mukaish overcoat". Wion. Retrieved 2025-07-04.
  19. ^ "Luxury Has a Memory Problem: Dior's $200K Coat Uses India's Mukaish Work but Forgets to Credit Indian Artisans". Times Now. 2025-07-03. Retrieved 2025-07-04.