Thursday, 11th September 2025, JD Institute of Fashion Technology, filled not with the characteristic silence of academia but with the soft whirr of a new beat—the clickety-clack of threads, needles, and machines weaving fantasy with fabric. The workshop was on Machine Embroidery, conducted specifically for the Diploma Fashion Students, a class of 20 eager learners willing to learn one of fashion’s most intricate forms of art in a modern, machine-based format.
The guest of the day was Mr Narsimha from Sainath Commercial Enterprises, a veteran practitioner with skills in textile craft and embroidery. With experience behind him, he not only took technical skills to the workshop but also anecdotes, observations, and love for the craft, which resonated with the students immediately.
Embroidery has been a universal art form for centuries, passing skills from one generation to the next across countries. But in the modern fashion world, where size, accuracy, and ingenuity are just as vital, machine embroidery is something one can not do without. It enables designers to resolve the past with speed—to preserve the richness of precise work while being up to the challenges of contemporary production.
The workshop was created to demonstrate to students precisely that: how much machines can stretch their creativity. Not to replace human creativity, the machines demonstrated how technology can complement design sensibilities to create pieces that are detailed, elegant, and marketable.
The session started off with a warm introduction to embroidery machines—components, operations, and uses in business. Mr Narsimha guided the students step by step through the process, de-mystifying the way these machines produce designs. From feeding the machine thread to a complete setting of parameters regarding types of fabric and patterns, every step was broken down into simple explanations.
But it came alive when students finally had their turn at operating the machines. The room was charged with excitement and wonder as they gazed on their first test stitches, turning blank pieces of cloth into works of art full of pattern and texture. It was a first experience for most to witness the raw enchantment of how technology can sweep an idea from a sketchbook and knit it into embroidery in real time.
What made the workshop more delightful was its focus on creativity. Instead of sticking to templates, students were encouraged to experiment with different stitches, threads, and designs. Mistakes were also welcomed as part of the process, and everyone was reminded that experimentation in most cases leads to surprising breakthroughs.
While machine embroidery technology was the target, the workshop also became an exercise in design thinking. Students learned to understand embroidery as decorative detailing but also as a language of storytelling.
A well-chosen stitch or pattern could make a garment pop, add cultural associations, or disclose hidden textures that change the way one sees the design. Mr Narsimha emphasised the significance of embroidery in design development, finishing, and branding—making a garment unique among a sea of others.
This perspective was particularly valuable for young designers early in their careers. It forced them to move beyond garment construction and consider embroidery as a form of distinction that could add depth and market value to their upcoming collections.
By the end of the session, the students were not only promised to get hands-on experience on embroidery machines but also motivated to integrate the art into their future business ventures. Some told how the tactile nature of sewing designs in place gave them an appreciation for the craftsmanship that goes into fashion, so easily taken for granted.
For the Diploma students, it was not a technical workshop—it was an inspiring awakening of creativity. It linked historical craft technique with the needs of the contemporary fashion industry, and gave them both practical and innovative skills.
The Machine Embroidery Workshop was not work for a single day—instead, it was an evolutionary process to create industry-scale designers who recognise that tradition has to be merged with technology. With effective mentoring by instructors such as Mr Narsimha, the students not only learn but also feel they are obligated to save craft and adapt it to suit the needs of the times.
As the equipment in Draping Lab slowed down and daylight receded, the students were not just holding pieces of embroidered fabric but the promise of promise lands. For others, it was the start of embroidering no longer being an afterthought, but rather more a design aspect with limitless potential.
And that was what truly made this workshop so special—it intertwined threads of information, fantasy, and confidence, enabling students to have a world where they could craft fashion with competence and imagination.
