I had known gota work since childhood. It belonged to celebrations, family gatherings, and the ritual of dressing for special occasions. Even the smallest folded ribbon could catch the light and transform simple fabric into something festive and ceremonial.

Travelling through Bahawalpur changed the way I understood the craft. Surrounded by desert landscape, the city carried a brightness shaped through colour and textile tradition. Strong pinks, oranges, yellows, and reds stood against the muted tones of the desert like signs of celebration and life. Cotton was equally important—light, breathable, and practical in extreme heat, yet capable of carrying rich handcrafted surface decoration.

As I walked through the historic bazaar beneath the mosque built by the Nawab of Bahawalpur, the narrow streets were filled with fabrics, chunri, embroidery, dyeing, block printing, and folded metallic ribbons ready to be stitched by hand into decorative forms.

That atmosphere stayed with me long after I left. I became inspired to reinterpret traditional gota appliqué for a Lyallpore summer Eid collection, adapting the craft into a lighter contemporary form. The embellishment for Nazo was intentionally limited to the sleeves and front yoke, allowing the folded metallic shapes and multicolour ribbons to remain the focus.

The handcrafted appliqué work was later produced through House of Subhani, continuing the connection between traditional artisan techniques and contemporary textile design.