Lucknow's signature export is chikankari — the elegant, almost always white-on-white shadow embroidery on cotton or muslin that has been produced here continuously since at least the Mughal period. The trade is centred on Aminabad and the surrounding lanes, with hundreds of small workshops and shops at every price point. Sewa Chikan in Aminabad is a fair-trade cooperative selling work done by women artisans; Lucknow Chikan Bhandar is the long-established traditional name; the lanes of Chowk carry cheaper machine-made versions you should learn to spot.
Beyond chikankari, Lucknow is known for zardozi (gold-thread embroidery used on wedding clothes and shoes), attar and ittar (alcohol-free traditional perfumes, with shops clustered in Akbari Gate near the Imambara), and Awadhi sweets, especially malai paan and chandrakala. For everyday browsing Hazratganj carries the chain stores and bookshops; the old bazaars carry everything else.