Gulnora Chorieva

Artisan Organization: Gulnora Chorieva

Country: Silk Road

"I'm Gulnora Chorieva, and I grew up surrounded by skilled embroiderers. My grandma used to make embroidered dresses for women in our neighborhood, so our house always had the hum of an embroidery machine. I remember when my brother was born, my grandma started sewing a traditional patterned skullcap for him and she let me try stitching, sparking my interest in this craft. Surprisingly, some of my grandma's creations still exist today.

"As I got older, I became fascinated by the various embroidery styles in my country, like the traditional iroki embroidery. Over time, my interest grew, and by the time I was in 9th grade, I was stitching ball gowns and fancy dresses. After studying fashion design and graduating, I landed a job at a local factory. When the factory shut down, I ventured out on my own. It was tough initially, but things picked up, and now I've designed over 100 different pieces.""