The House
Pioneers of a living craft
Ata-e-Zahra was founded by Shazia Haider to give the hand embroidery of women artisans from South Punjab a wider stage — no machine shortcuts, and no printed imitations of handwork.
The house began with Shazia Haider and a small circle of women artisans from the suburbs of South Punjab, where embroidery is learned at home, carried through generations, and shaped by the patience of daily work.
Hand embroidery of this weight has been slipping out of reach, undercut by machine work and printed imitations of it. Our role is to help this work reach beyond local markets: photographed properly, presented with dignity, and sold to women who understand the hours inside every stitch.
A single shirt can take weeks. A heavily worked neckline can take longer than the rest of the piece put together. That is the pace the work asks for, and we have never tried to hurry it.
We keep the making small on purpose. It means the artisans are visible in the process, the work is never rushed, and each piece can travel from Punjab to a wardrobe anywhere in the world without losing the human hand behind it.
Where we are
South Punjab, and the world
The handwork begins with women artisans in Punjab and reaches the world through careful presentation, direct conversation, and worldwide shipping — from Karachi to London to Toronto.
A note on handwork
Every piece is embroidered by hand, so slight variations in the threadwork are natural — they are the mark of genuine handwork. Colours may vary slightly from screen images.
See the pieces