Le Wraps by
Nidhi Sachdev

I opened Le Wraps in 1995 with a small team of karigars, a single Singer machine, and the conviction that bridal couture in Delhi had grown louder than it needed to be. Thirty years later, the address is the same. So are most of the karigars.

We work the long way round. A bridal lehenga begins with a conversation — sometimes two, often three — before a single sketch is drawn. We meet the bride; occasionally the mother; rarely the wedding planner. We ask about the venue, the light, the music, the women who came before. The garment follows.

The studio specialises in pure gold karam, real silver tilla and badla, and suchak work set with semi-precious rubies and emeralds — techniques most Delhi houses no longer keep in-house. A signature wedding piece carries between 1,500 and 4,000 hours of hand work. We do not estimate this. We count it.

We weave with families in Varanasi and Surat we have known for twenty years. We finish every seam by hand. Nothing leaves the studio without my eye on it. Nothing is rushed.

If you are looking for a label, this is probably not the right house. If you are looking for a garment that will outlive the wedding album — for your daughter, for the next generation — please come in. We will put on tea.

— Nidhi Sachdev