House Of Kotwara

Family-owned House of Kotwara was founded in 1990 by fashion designers Meera and Muzaffar Ali. The luxury fashion brand is acclaimed for transforming the traditional hand embroidery techniques of chikankari, aari and zardosi by using them in classic and contemporary Indian silhouettes. Overall, native eclecticism distilled into a sustainable globally relevant aesthetic.

Family-owned House of Kotwara was founded in 1990 by filmmaker painter Muzaffar Ali – the Raja of Kotwara - and his architect wife Meera Ali to revive the traditional textile craft of Awadh by understanding its ethos, upgrading its design aesthetic and creating modern day universal relevance.

Per Vogue: "The evolution of Meera and Muzaffar Ali's couture label House of Kotwara is also the story of the region of Awadh (an area in the centre of modern-day Uttar Pradesh) and the preservation of its people and its designs, while spanning a continuity of traditions in craft techniques from other regions with royal legacies, such as Kashmir, Hyderabad, Kerala and Bengal."

For over three decades, House of Kotwara has pioneered the Indian fashion industry, creating stylish, timeless couture collections. The luxury brand is acclaimed for transforming the traditional hand embroidery techniques of chikankari, aari and zardosi by using them in classic and contemporary Indian silhouettes. These techniques are the forte of Kotwara, which has employed some of the finest craftspeople in the region for generations at Anhalwara Palace, Kotwara in Lakhimpur Kheri and Kotwara House, Qaiserbagh Palace Complex in Lucknow.

“The design process starts when I start collecting and reflecting on things that inspire me. It could be pictures, costumes, history, architecture, art or anything that invokes a creative response,” Muzaffar Ali tells Brides Today. "It’s the process of reflection upon those things that helps one get an idea behind a collection. That idea, for me, is usually an amalgamation of several random elements that have been pulled together, which flow out when I put my pencil to paper. Just sifting through things on paper really helps gain clarity."

At House of Kotwara the design duo celebrate luxury, fashion, art, culture and films. From couture collections to film projects and collaborations with renowned artists, they have been pushing the boundaries of fashion, art, and culture for decades. The company is entrenched in the philosophy of Dwar pe Rozi. The mission is to humanise societies, integrate the arts, connect cultures and blend crafts. Empowering a village creatively and economically has been the driving force. To achieve this Meera and Muzaffar Ali launched the Dwar pe Rozi, Employment at Doorstep, initiative in Kotwara, Lakhimpur Kheri, Uttar Pradesh.

"The idea was to employ the women gainfully so that it changes the whole socio-economic structure of the house. A woman uses her hard-earned money in a more sensible manner in a UP village than a man does and it was a great success. So, starting with twenty women, we now have more than 2,000 people. For me, the journey hasn’t just been about the brand getting known, it has been with the people" Meera Ali tells The Telegraph. 

Dwar pe Rozi endeavours holistic development of rural areas and maximising job opportunities through textile crafts. To augment returns and employment opportunities on limited lands, the core team has also experimented with sericulture- a prerequisite to weaving. Weaving of textiles and dhurries, exquisite embroideries in chikankari, aari, zardozi, kaamdaani and appliqué continue to be imbued into the craftspeople and culture of the village. This has given fillip to handwoven textiles, handmade products and has helped promote rural cultural tourism. The Dwar pe Rozi initiative has also led to a 170-km Chikan embroidery corridor between Lucknow and Kotwara.. additionally enabling empowerment of thousands of women in rural India.

Rural education, skill development and enhancement are vital components of Dwar pe Rozi. Since 1990- House of Kotwara has developed the skills of tens of thousands of people between Lucknow and Kotwara. Open to all, their skill development drives have trained craftspeople in the arts of chikankari, aari, zardozi, kamdani, dhurrie weaving and much more. In 1995, House of Kotwara founded Dwar pe Rozi Charitable School based on development of skills to help instil confidence into rural children that every dream is achievable.

Over the last three decades Kotwara has been a symbol of style and elegance. Each collection has a timeless quality, blending cultures and taking inspiration from fashion designer and co-founder Muzaffar Ali’s films like Umrao Jaan, Anjuman, Zooni and Jaanisaar. In fact design duo Meera and Muzaffar Ali have made their home, Kotwara House in Qaiserbagh, Lucknow a living museum of craft and design with an archive of Muzaffar Ali’s films and costumes.

Today London College of Fashion alumna Sama Ali is Creative Director of the luxury fashion brand. Sama officially joined House of Kotwara in 2014. Having grown up alongside the design house, the young lady is reflects the luxury fashion brand's values and design aesthetics. She aspires to grow House of Kotwara's ethical standards of operation and rural outreach and her vision and creativity breathes new energy into the couture house. Sama’s exquisite artistry is an amalgamation of her life experiences, heritage, and affection for beauty.

The company is entrenched in the philosophy of Dwar Pe Rozi. The mission is to humanise societies, integrate the arts, connect cultures and blend crafts. Empowering a village creatively and economically has been the driving force. To achieve this Meera and Muzaffar Ali launched the Dwar pe Rozi, Employment at Doorstep, initiative in Kotwara, Lakhimpur Kheri, Uttar Pradesh.

House of Kotwara endeavours holistic development of rural areas and maximising job opportunities through textile crafts. To augment returns and employment opportunities on limited lands- Meera and Muzaffar Ali experiment with sericulture- a prerequisite to weaving. Weaving of textiles and dhurries, exquisite embroideries in chikankari, aari, zardozi, kaamdaani and appliqué continue to be imbued into the craftspeople and culture of the village. This has given fillip to handwoven textiles, handmade products and has helped promote rural cultural tourism. 

For over three decades, House of Kotwara has pioneered the Indian fashion industry with its stylish albeit  timeless couture. it's not just about fashion. The design duo celebrate luxury, fashion, art, culture and films. 

The brand's Spring Summer 2020 showing was in the news for its ‘gota patti dupatta.’ Per Explosive Fashion: 'The defining silhouette for pants was cropped, flared or palazzos, some with scalloped hemlines. Detailing of course, was in the form of chikankari lifted with intricate kamdani… Personally, I loved the midis with drawstring waist and shirt-tail hem and the skinny pants with a bralette and soft coat. There was lightness and fluidity in the fabrics and the subtle luxury that has always been a part of Kotwara turned overt this season with the heritage glamour of gotta patti replacing dupattas in some looks.'