The studio · T. Nagar, Chennai
Four generations, one frame, and the truth told early.
Sridevi Embroidery Works is a hand aari and maggam studio in its fourth generation — nothing outsourced, nothing glued. This is where the craft came from, and where it is now.
How it started
The craft reached this family in 1949, on a frame that travelled to the work — zari for temple umbrellas, deity garments and the costume trunks of the Madras drama companies. There was no shop, no sign and no price list. There was a needle, a stretched cloth, and whoever needed gold put on cloth that week.
Three generations later the work moved to weddings, then to a room in T. Nagar, then to artisans trained outside the family. What did not move is how the stitch is made: every stone, bead and sequin on a Sridevi piece is locked into the chain stitch by hand, the way aari work has always been done. We do not outsource, we do not sub-contract to a workshop we have never visited, and we do not glue.
What this generation changed is the paperwork. Prices are published on the page, dates are given in writing before you pay, and if your reference photo cannot be done at your budget we say so in the first message. That is the part people come back for — and the part the trade had always kept vague.
4
generations on the frame
70+
years of the craft
1,900+
pieces delivered
The line
Four generations on the frame
The craft came down a family, not a business plan. Each generation moved it somewhere the one before had not taken it — and none of them changed how the stitch is made.
First generation
The first frame
Natessn P
Began with zari work for temple umbrellas, deity garments and the costume trunks of the Madras drama companies. No shop — the frame travelled to the work.
Second generation
Weddings
Balakrishnan N
Turned the family's hand from temple work to weddings, taking the adda frame to Kanchipuram silk and the bridal blouse. The first orders came by word of mouth from one street.
Third generation
A workshop
Loganathan B
Took a room in T. Nagar, trained the first artisans outside the family, and added kundan, jarkan and stone setting to what had been thread-and-zari work.
Fourth generation
Prices in public
Geetha Vigneswaran
Put the prices on the page and the delivery date in writing — the two things the trade had always kept vague. Added the machine line for volume work and uniform logos, without letting it touch the hand line.
What has not changed in seventy years: the needle is still pushed by hand, the stone is still locked into the chain stitch rather than glued on top of it, and the reverse of every piece still gets checked before it leaves the room.
Visit the studio
Come and watch the frame work
Bring your saree, sit with the designer for twenty minutes, and leave with a written quote and a date. For heavy bridal orders we recommend a studio fitting.
- T. Nagar, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600017
- Monday – Saturday · 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM
- Sunday · 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM (by appointment)
In their words
What customers say about the studio
“I sent a Pinterest photo and expected the usual “yes madam, possible”. Instead they told me two things in the reference could not be done at my budget and suggested changes. The blouse came out better than the photo. The date they gave me in the first message is the date I got it.”
Divya R. · T. Nagar, Chennai
Bridal · 18 May 2026 · Verified order
“Second blouse from them. The fit is the reason I came back — I couriered an old blouse instead of sending measurements and it fits exactly the same. The back neck depth is what most tailors get wrong.”
Anitha K. · Adyar, Chennai
Medium · 2 Apr 2026 · Verified order
“Ordered from Hyderabad, never met them. They sent daylight photos of the fabric and the thread before starting, and progress photos twice. Courier took three days. One stone came loose after the wedding and they fixed it free.”
Shruthi M. · Hyderabad
Bridal · 11 Mar 2026 · Verified order
“₹3,200 for a thread-work blouse that has survived eight washes at the dry cleaner. I've bought four now for daily wear. They do not upsell you to something heavier.”
Preethi S. · Velachery, Chennai
Normal · 24 Feb 2026 · Verified order
“I walked into the studio with my saree, sat with them for twenty minutes, and left with a written quote and a date. No payment was asked for until I confirmed. That is rare.”
Lakshmi N. · Anna Nagar, Chennai
Medium · 30 Jan 2026 · Verified order
“The work is genuinely hand done — you can see the chain stitch on the reverse. It took the full 42 days and they did warn me it would. If you need something in two weeks, this is not the studio for a heavy piece.”
Harini V. · Chennai
Bridal · 15 Dec 2025 · Verified order
Start the conversation
Bring us a photo. We’ll bring the truth.
Send a reference through the customization brief, or visit the studio with your saree. Either way, you get a written quote and an honest date before any money moves.