The Parsi Gara sari carries histories of trade, tradition, and careful artistry. Its story begins in the nineteenth century, when Parsi merchants sailed between India and China. They brought back fine silks and embroidered with motifs of peonies, cranes, dragons, and rolling landscapes. These flourishes of color and thread were soon adapted into saris. Artisans stitched them in silk floss, their embroidery so intricate that it was often described as painting with a needle. The Gara was worn for weddings and rituals, treasured as part of family dowries, and passed down as heirlooms across generations.
The drape of the Gara is as meaningful as its embroidery. Unlike the popular Nivi style, the Parsi drape draws the pallu from back to front across the torso. This allows the heavy handwork to be seen in its fullness, every bloom and bird on proud display. The style itself became a marker of identity, prosperity, and refinement. The drape was not only practical but symbolic, a way of carrying Parsi heritage in daily movements.
Today, the craft continues through the hands of designers like Ashdeen Z. Lilaowala. Ashdeen studied textile design at India’s National Institute of Design, and has extensively researched Parsi embroidery through travels across the silk road. His work preserves the labor and elegance of the past while presenting it to a new generation. These saris are worn at weddings, on stages, and in contemporary settings. They retain the weight of history but also live as part of the present. In this way, the Gara sari is not frozen in time. It is a textile of continuity, weaving together memory, artistry, and pride.
Did you know that the word gara means sari in Gujarati. Many Garas feature kor nu details, embroidered borders that frame the fabric. Popular motifs include the peony for prosperity and the crane for long life. A single sari could take months to complete. Within Parsi families, they were most often gifted as part of a bride’s trousseau, making them treasures of both art and affection.
We have paired the Gara with a custom bag from Chamar studios. Chamar is a design house that employs craft techniques and stitching labor from historically marginalized Dalit communities. Their products are also made from waste material. Embroidered on the bag in Hindi and in English is “Jai Bhim” an expression that shows solidarity with the teachings of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.
Sari: Ashdeen
Bag: Custom Chamar Studio
Maker: The Factory 8