Niriss; A Peak Into Modern Embroidery

Words by Imthishal

Needlecraft is without question a centuries-old art form, something every Maldivian child grew up around. As we played with the neighborhood kids, the women who raised us more often found solace sitting on a patio chair with a needle and thread. Embroidery has stood strong through numerous tests of time, and so in a way evolved into an elegantly modern form of creativity expressed. Located in Male’ City, a family owned business; “Niriss Embroidery” has taken this age-old craft to new heights. Co-founders; Aishath Shamma Mohamed and Mohamed Nazlee are the perfect example of predestined balance. Being partners for over 17 years Shamma, who used to work in aviation, and Nazlee, currently employed in the field of aviation, both have no prior experience in business or embroidery., come together as entrepreneurs. One with the gift of technology and another with artistry, a match truly made in heaven. From husband and wife to business partners, they personify balanced contrast. Nevertheless, they share a simple purpose; to transform threads into intricate designs that speak stories and volumes of emotion.

During the Covid outbreak and quarantine, came the crisis of pay cuts, dissolution of businesses and therefore a jump in unemployment. This affected everyone, regardless of class, background or reputations. Consequently, like many local families the Niriss family struggled as well. Little did they know, the single needle embroidery machine they purchased for fun would change their lives unimaginably. In 2020 the couple decided to use this situation to their advantage, with the brilliant idea of producing embroidered facemasks, an item that was so high in demand it created its own market. Soon the customers requested for personalized designs on facemasks, and eventually on other types of clothing. In a way one could say the supportive fans certainly helped create and grow this local business into what it is now.

Niriss was born through word of mouth, it wasn’t till receiving an overwhelming amount of daily inquiries did the partners decide to build a social media presence. Ultimately, this also meant that better machinery and more workspace was needed to keep up with customer orders; “we bought a 15 needle commercial machine with all our savings, we went all out. We even converted our kid’s room into a studio”. From selling over 5000 embroidered masks during the pandemic, to winning the 2022 BML Startup Grant and now having a place to call their own, to defy is indisputably in their nature, come hell or high water.

Embroidery, is in simple terms a symphony of color and texture. Having said that, it is also deeply rooted in scientific principles, Nazlee emphasizes; “Digitizing is basically converting the artwork into the thread file that the machine accepts. I got really interested in it because it had a technical side to it. Digitizing isn’t like plug and play. It’s a little bit more complicated and time consuming, there isn’t much awareness on this topic”.

Moreover, for the first time in Maldives Niriss has introduced 3D Puff Embroidery; “this is our most demanding order now, these designs mostly go on caps. We use a layer of foam in between the fabric and the thread, so it pops out. It gives you this three-dimensional effect”. In contrast to the more traditional embroidery businesses Niriss is quite playful and experimental in their work. They have done embroidery on numerous mediums such as; sofa sets, tote bags, towels, mini makeup bags, school bags, wall frames and outfits for special occasions and countless more. They are soon introducing shoe embroidery, Sequins and beadings as well.

The practice of embroidery often occupies a niche within the broader spectrum of creative arts, and its scientific intricacies, but it is not always readily evident to the casual observer. The Niriss family hopes to change this; “we’d love to teach this to the local community, we’d love to teach digitizing as well.” Already having worked many local artists, Niriss hopes to “collaborate with more local talent”, to enrich culture and perspective, while having a social impact. To anyone with dreams, ideas and a fear of failure, this family owned business seems to be just the right amount of inspiration to make something out of nothing; “We fully invested in our craft. We started with embroidered facemasks, if we could do it in our home with a single needle machine, anyone can do it. ” One could say Niriss by definition is the marriage of artistic ingenuity, technical precision and innovation.