Jootis with Aari-Embroidery in Multi-Color Thread
Gentle hand-wash separately in cold water with a mild detergent. Avoid soaking. Iron on medium heat while slightly damp.
Description
Every step carries a story when the shoes themselves are made by hand. These jootis are fashioned from pure leather and brought alive through aari embroidery, a needle craft with deep roots in Kashmir and the artisan quarters of Lucknow, where curved hooks coax silk and cotton threads into dense, jewel-like patterns. The multi-colour threadwork blooms across the vamp in designs that feel simultaneously intricate and unhurried, each motif a small act of patience. Available in white and black, both colourways allow the embroidery to read clearly, the contrast between ground and thread doing quiet, eloquent work. The pure leather construction ensures the jooti softens and moulds with wear, gaining character over seasons rather than losing it. These are shoes for occasions that reward dressing with intention: a festive afternoon, a wedding gathering, or any moment where craft deserves to be noticed at ground level. Pair the white with ivory or pastel chanderi separates for a cohesive, tonal effect. The black ground works handsomely against deeper silks, raw tussar, or even a well-cut cotton kurta in indigo.
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Behind this piece
Aari embroidery takes its name from the aari, a hooked needle that Kashmiri artisans have wielded for centuries to coax silk and wool threads into flowering gardens on fabric. Here, that same disciplined hand turns to pure leather, tracing multi-coloured blooms across the vamp of a jooti. The jooti itself is a courtly form, long associated with the workshops of Rajasthan and Punjab, where cobbler communities refined its silhouette over generations. This pairing of two distinct craft lineages, one northern, one northwestern, produces something quietly extraordinary: embroidery that was always destined for textiles, now made permanent in leather.
How to style
Wear these jootis with a white chanderi kurta and straight palazzo trousers for a summer luncheon where restraint reads as confidence. For an evening occasion, pair them beneath a black Banarasi silk saree, allowing the multi-colour threadwork to carry the festivity your palette withholds. A third reading: style them with an ivory anarkali and a single strand of polki, letting the embroidery serve as your statement piece rather than the jewellery. Because the base comes in both white and black, each colourway opens its own conversation with the garments above it.
Fabric & care
Pure leather requires patience rather than product. Wipe the surface gently with a barely damp cotton cloth after each wearing, never submerging or machine-washing. Allow the jootis to dry away from direct sunlight and heat sources, both of which cause leather to crack and colours to fade. Stuff them lightly with acid-free tissue when storing, so the toe retains its shape. The aari embroidery threads are delicate; avoid snagging them against rough surfaces. A light application of colourless leather conditioner once a season will keep the leather supple and extend the life of these jootis considerably.
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