About us
From the founder's desk
Hi, I'm Sargam.
People often ask me how I came up with the idea of Pehnari. The truth is, there wasn't one magical moment. It wasn't one morning when I woke up and decided to build a fashion brand. It was months of random notes on my laptop, thought dumps on paper, and questions I kept asking myself.
I wasn't trying to build a clothing brand. I was trying to understand today's Indian woman.
The more I thought about her, the more one thing became impossible to ignore. She walks with the world, speaks their language, wears their clothes, builds businesses, travels across countries and embraces global ideas. At the same time, she carries generations of heritage with quiet pride. She isn't confused about who she is.
Her wardrobe is.
Somewhere in the middle of all those conversations with myself, one question refused to leave me:
Why do Indian crafts still have to wait for an occasion?
Why do they come out only for weddings, festivals and family functions? Why can't they simply belong on an ordinary Tuesday?
That's when everything started coming together.
I realized we already have beautiful Indian clothing. We already have modern clothing. But I couldn't find something that truly respected Indian craftsmanship while fitting naturally into the life most of us actually live today.
Not Indian.
Not Western.
Just… us.
That's how Pehnari came into existence.
The name Pehnari comes from two words — Pehnawa (clothing) and Nari (woman). To me, Pehnari is an expression of a woman wearing what truly defines her — not a version of herself saved for special occasions, but her complete self.
Growing up, I was fortunate to have a mother whose love for Indian clothing quietly became mine. Long before I understood fashion, she taught me to appreciate fabrics, silhouettes, embroidery and the stories our crafts carry.
Pehnari is simply my way of carrying that love forward.
WHAT WE BELIEVE
At Pehnari, we don't believe Indian craftsmanship needs to evolve. We believe the way we wear it can.
The embroidery stays. The techniques stay. The heritage stays.
Only the silhouette evolves.
Because evolution shouldn't replace tradition. It should carry it forward.
Our dream isn't for women to choose between Indian and Western. It's for them to never feel they have to.
Some days she may choose Indian.
Some days Western.
Some days both.
She decides. Always.
We are not building a brand. We are trying to reignite an identity the Indian woman was missing — and she did not even know.
OUR CRAFT
Our journey begins with Chikankari, one of India's most celebrated embroidery traditions from the Nawabi city of Lucknow. Believed to have flourished under the patronage of Empress Noor Jahan around 1600 AD — over four centuries ago — it continues to survive because of the hands that patiently preserve it, one stitch at a time.
Today, we work with 15 artisans to ensure that authenticity remains exactly where it belongs — with them.
Every Pehnari garment is crafted entirely by human hands.
Our responsibility is not to reinvent the craft.
It is to make sure it continues to be worn.
The art remains exactly as it has been for centuries. Only the silhouette changes. That's what makes Pehnari different.
Because we believe art survives best when it becomes part of everyday life — not when it slowly becomes something we only admire from a distance.
LOOKING AHEAD
Our mission is simple — to preserve India's rich craftsmanship by making it relevant for everyday wardrobes, while creating meaningful recognition and opportunities for the artisans who keep these traditions alive.
Our vision is even bigger.
We dream of a future where Indian craftsmanship is celebrated across the world not only as heritage, but as contemporary design. A future where our artisans receive the recognition they have always deserved — under their own name, not borrowed by brands that source the work but keep the credit. A future where Indian artistry inspires the world as itself.
Above all, we hope every woman feels free to wear every side of who she is.
Because at the end of the day, we aren't trying to build just another fashion brand.
We're trying to make sure India's artistry continues to live — on ordinary Tuesdays, in everyday wardrobes, and across the world, one silhouette at a time.