Nothing exists when you place an AYRA order. The pattern is drafted or adjusted, the fabric is cut, and the embroidery is worked by hand — all after your order confirms, over roughly 10 to 15 days for standard sizing. This is what actually happens during that window, stage by stage.
What happens in the first two days after ordering?
Confirmation and pattern preparation. Your order is checked for internal consistency — sizing, any customization notes — and the pattern is drafted or pulled and adjusted for the specific piece. On made-to-measure orders, this is the stage where we come back to you if a measurement looks inconsistent, which is a sign the process is working correctly, not a delay.
When does the actual fabric get cut?
Days two to three, typically. Fabric is pulled from stock and cut to the pattern — by hand for silk, organic cotton and other natural fibres, since these are cut single-layer rather than machine-stacked the way synthetic blends often are in mass production. This is slower than industrial cutting, and it's also why the fabric holds its shape more precisely once constructed.
Why does embroidery take so much longer than the rest of the process combined?
Because it's done entirely by hand, and the techniques themselves are inherently slow. Zardozi, aari, gota and tilla embroidery are worked stitch by stitch in our Karachi atelier. A lightly embellished neckline might take a single day. A heavily worked bodice or sleeve panel can take the better part of a week, because a person is doing it with a needle, not a machine running a pre-programmed pattern.
What happens after the embroidery is finished?
Construction and finishing — assembly, lining, hems, closures, and pressing, typically over two to three days. This is also where seam allowance is set with enough margin for future alteration, which is a deliberate choice rather than a byproduct: a garment built to be resized later is a garment that gets kept longer.
Is there quality control before a garment ships?
Yes — inspection, a final press, and packing, usually the last one to two days of the production window. This is a genuine check, not a formality: fit consistency, embroidery security, and finishing are reviewed before anything leaves the atelier.
Why can't this process be sped up the way fast fashion delivery is?
Because the two slowest stages — hand embroidery and single-layer cutting — are also the two things actually being paid for. Mass-market delivery speed comes from producing in advance, at volume, and holding finished stock in a warehouse ready to ship immediately. That model trades speed for overproduction risk. Made-to-order trades the opposite way: no overproduction, at the cost of a wait.
What should you do if you're ordering against a specific date?
Work backwards with real margin, not the minimum. Standard sizing with light embellishment needs about four weeks before an event. Heavy embroidery or made-to-measure needs five to six weeks, and bridal needs three to four months. The extra margin beyond production time isn't padding — it's space for a local alteration if anything needs fine-tuning on arrival, which is normal even with accurate measurements.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a standard AYRA order take to produce? 10 to 15 days for standard sizing, before shipping time.
Why does made-to-measure take longer than standard sizing? The pattern has to be drafted or adjusted specifically to your measurements before cutting can begin, adding time at the front of the process.
Can I get updates while my order is in production? Yes — contact us and we can share a progress photo at the embroidery or pre-dispatch stage, particularly useful for bridal and high-value orders.
What happens if my measurements turn out to be wrong? Contact us as soon as you notice, ideally before cutting begins. Once fabric is cut, options narrow to local alteration after the garment arrives.
Is hand embroidery really slower than machine embroidery? Considerably — a heavily worked panel done by hand can take several days to a week, compared to hours for the equivalent machine-embroidered design.
Every AYRA garment moves through this exact process — nothing produced until it's ordered, nothing rushed past the stages that matter. Explore the collections.
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