EN ROUTEEN ROUTE
An artistic collaboration
between Maria Grazia Chiuri,
Karishma Swali & Chanakya
Foundation
Don Giacomo Cardinali,
Simona De Crescenzo,
Francesca Giannetto and
Delio V. Proverbio.
Open for viewing till 20.12.2025
The Vatican Apostolic Library,
Vatican city
“Each piece embodies the extraordinary skill and dedication of our artisans, whose work brings these narratives to life, forging connections that unite us across time and culture. ”
KARISHMA SWALI
En route is an interdisciplinary artistic exploration that emerges from a profound collaborative dialogue between Maria Grazia Chiuri, Creative Director of Dior’s Women’s Lines, and Karishma Swali, Creative Director of the Chanakya School of Craft. This project is conceived for the Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, reflecting the confluence of culture and craftsmanship.
At its core, en route honours the legacies of five pioneering women — Elizabeth Bisland Wetmore, Annie Cohen Kopchovsky, Elizabeth Cochrane, Gertrude Bell, and Agnes Smith Lewis — whose defiance of societal constraints redefined the boundaries of travel, identity, and belonging. Through the lens of these women, it becomes evident that craft is not an isolated practice, but part of a broader global dialogue, where techniques, materials, and ideas are exchanged and reimagined across cultures.
This evolving exchange takes tangible form, culminating in an installation featuring a series of crafted abstractions that honour the spirit of exchange. Four maps, rendered in translucent layers of dried linen and hemp and enriched by the delicate kantha stitch, evoke the tactile fragility of ancient parchment. Central to the installation are two globes, handcrafted from layered textiles, kantha embroidery, and couching needlepoint techniques. The first globe explores various textile traditions from around the world, honouring the coming together of cultures. The second globe is more intimate, capturing the inner worlds of artisans from the Chanakya School of Craft, many of whom have never travelled beyond their local communities.
In an exploration of craft's evolving boundaries, the Chanakya School of Craft also partnered with Italian musician Lorenzo Cherubini, known as Jovanotti, to create three torans — traditional Indian door hangings. Installed at the entrance of the Library, these torans serve as a symbolic gesture of welcome, inviting visitors into a space where the transformative power of archives converges with the universality of music and craft.
Among the stories we discovered, Agnes Smith Lewis left an indelible mark. Above the door of her Cambridge home, she inscribed the words lampada tradam — “I will pass on the torch.” This simple, yet profound phrase encapsulates the very essence of En route — a reflection on the transmission of knowledge, creativity, and cultural memory across generations and geographies. In this project, we celebrate those who have carried the torch — and those who continue to illuminate the path forward.
TOWARDS LIGHT
“By creating an ecosystem that fosters both technical excellence and conceptual exploration, we hope to amplify craft as a transformative force in today’s creative landscape.”
Derived from the transformative power of nature, Towards Light is a spontaneous immersion into the coexistence between man and the natural world. From it emerges a fantastical universe, where the interconnectedness between all beings, their innate nature, and the ecosystems they inhabit come into sharp focus. Through an interdisciplinary approach, the interconnectedness unfolds in dialogue, uniting the real and the metaphysical worlds.
The works explore the intersection of handwoven textiles, hand embroidery, and stone carving as tactile forms of expression. By blurring the boundaries between internal and external spaces, they evoke enigmatic realms awash with vivid colour and untethered by definition. Through their juxtaposition, they engage an introspective, collective consciousness, inviting personal reflection on our relationship with the natural world and our sense of self.
Indigenous craft traditions amplify this conceptual framework, celebrating artisanal legacies through the meticulous arrangement of materials, needlepoint and knotting techniques such as couching, bullion knots, crochet, stem stitch, feather stitch and fine stitch. In addition to the crafted works, textile abstractions handwoven on a custom-built Saori loom in vibrant colours, mirror the raw forms in the crafted works. A village of sculptures further explores the space between anthropomorphic forms and abstract vessels of knowledge. Primitive in shape yet complex in concept and technique, these sculptures balance the playful spirit of experimentation with a brute, spare physicality.
Together, these works examine the full spectrum of fibre-based materials — from processes such as loom weaving, hand weaving, hand embroidery, and dyeing, and experiments with diverse mediums, fabrication, and thread. By delving into the historical context, symbolism, and regional variations of craft, the collectives practice not only underscores the infinite potential of craft but also narrates powerful stories of cultural heritage and shared identities.
Towards Light was unveiled at the India Art Fair, 2025 in New Delhi.
ARAVALLI
Aravalli hills – the quiet guardians of Jodhpur have shaped its story through stone and wind. Their red earth keeps this city from becoming a desert. It is from these hills that the Mehrangarh Fort stands tall, drawing its strength from their primal energy. As the oldest mountain range on Earth, the Aravallis — from the Sanskrit "ara" and "vali," meaning "line of peaks" — carry a profound legacy.
The works represent the unspoken connection between the land and the communities it sustains. Woven on customised loom, the textiles capture the shifting, raw forms of the Aravalli Hills. The two panels are crafted using traditional loom-weaving techniques – basket weave, and chevron weave with organic, hand- dyed cotton. The techniques extend beyond weaving; deliberate, fine hand-embroidery traces the contours of the textile panels, inviting the viewer to experience the tactile connection between the hills' ancient energy and the form it takes in textile. The sculpture serves as a visual metaphor for the women who weave with in the domestic realm, honouring their spirit of self-reliance and ability to create beyond the loom. Its core is formed from bamboo, interlaced with organic cotton threads through basket and mat hand-weaving techniques, bridging heritage and innovation.
Together, these works engage with the full spectrum of fibre-based materials — from processes such as loom weaving, hand weaving, hand embroidery and dyeing, fabrication and thread. Each work provides both content and meaning, raising questions about process and purpose, and ultimately blurring the distinctions between art and craft.
The Aravalli was showcased at Surface from 14 January to 23 February in Jodhpur.
The Sun Within
In celebration of the 210th anniversary of the Indian Museum, Kolkata, The Sun Within transforms the museum’s historic courtyard into a space of contemplation. This installation features three monumental black stone sculptures, each standing 6 feet tall. The sculptures embody the primal energy of the sun, symbolizing life, renewal, and light. They remind us that the sun’s essence—its light, strength, and energy—resides within all of us and that we are all, in our own way, children of the sun.
Intricate etchings on the stone depict radiating patterns that evoke the brilliance of the sun, while thread weaving encircles each piece, forming an aura that symbolises unseen forces of connection and vitality. The combination of the enduring strength of stone with the delicate intricacy of threadwork reflects the interplay between permanence and transience, reminding us of our inner resilience and light.
The Sun Within explores the cyclical nature of existence and humanity’s timeless
bond with the natural world. Positioned in the museum’s courtyard, the three
sculptures create a meaningful dialogue between heritage and modernity,
celebrating the eternal light that connects and empowers us all.
Children of the Sun is open for public viewing from 11 January to 31 March 2025, at the Indian Museum, Kolkata.
Citius — Altius — Fortius
100 years of India at the Olympics
CSC x JSW
In 1920, aboard the SS Mantua, India made history by sending its inaugural Olympic team of three athletes to the Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium, marking a pivotal moment in the history of Indian sportsmanship. With Citius - Altius – Fortius, we honour this 100-year milestone by celebrating the grit and enduring legacy of the Olympic Games and its athletes.
Art and sports, though seemingly distinct, share a profound connection as powerful means of creative expression. By drawing parallels between these two disciplines and exploring their rich cultural contexts, Citius - Altius – Fortius, celebrates the indomitable human spirit.
Citius — Altius — Fortius was unveiled on August 9th at the 7th Arrondissement Town Hall, 116 Rue De Grenelle, Paris.
Commissioned by JSW Foundation and Sangita Jindal, Chairperson, these works collectively embody Olympism’s fundamental principles of excellence and community, while highlighting our shared commitment to preserving traditional culture through contemporary art.
Two of the three crafted works commemorate pivotal moments in Indian sports history: Sakshi Malik’s break through bronze in wrestling at the 2016 Rio Olympics and Neeraj Chopra’s gold in javelin at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. The central piece, featuring a torch and a wreath, serves as an ode to human resilience and symbolises the continuity of the games from past to present. The works are meticulously handcrafted using a variety of materials and needlepoint techniques, such as couching, bullion knots, running stitch, crochet, and stem stitch, complemented by carpet-weaving methods like hand-knotting and hand-tufting.
Commissioned by JSW Foundation and Sangita Jindal, Chairperson, these works collectively embody Olympism’s fundamental principles of excellence and community, while highlighting our shared commitment to preserving traditional culture through contemporary art.
Two of the three crafted works commemorate pivotal moments in Indian sports history: Sakshi Malik’s break through bronze in wrestling at the 2016 Rio Olympics and Neeraj Chopra’s gold in javelin at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. The central piece, featuring a torch and a wreath, serves as an ode to human resilience and symbolises the continuity of the games from past to present. The works are meticulously handcrafted using a variety of materials and needlepoint techniques, such as couching, bullion knots, running stitch, crochet, and stem stitch, complemented by carpet-weaving methods like hand-knotting and hand-tufting.
Art and sports, though seemingly distinct, share a profound connection as powerful means of creative expression. By drawing parallels between these two disciplines and exploring their rich cultural contexts, Citius - Altius – Fortius, celebrates the indomitable human spirit.
Citius — Altius — Fortius was unveiled on August 9th at the 7th Arrondissement Town Hall, 116 Rue De Grenelle, Paris.
Cosmic Garden
An artistic collaboration
between Madhvi Parekh,
Manu
Parekh, Karishma Swali
& Chanakya Foundation
Maria Alicata & Paola Ugolini
Supported by
DIOR
Open for viewing till 24.11.2024
Salone Verde - Art & Social
Club in Venice, Italy
“I recognized that if craft is an expression of the human spirit in material form, the craftspeople are artists who use the medium of craft to express their collective identity.”
KARISHMA
SWALI
A collateral Event of the 60th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, Cosmic Garden, honors the pluralistic beauty of India’s cultural heritage, featuring paintings and sculptures by Madhvi Parekh and Manu Parekh, and the evolution of their practice into a third interdisciplinary medium — hand-embroidery — presented through crafted works and sculptures created by the Chanakya School of Craft and its Creative Director Karishma Swali.
Curated by Paola Ugolini and Maria Alicata, the series of works embraces a multidisciplinary approach, dismantling hierarchies between the arts, roles, and genres. The project seeks to re-evaluate the mutual relationship between women and embroidery, transcending the confines of domesticity by bringing hand embroidery into the public sphere.
Madhvi Parekh's paintings depict formidable female deities surrounded by celestial beings and symbolic representations, inspired by Indian mythology. Unfolding like a narrative, she tailors each work to its required scale, expanding from a singular image into expansive, existential narratives. By blending childhood memories, folk motifs, legends, and figures with abstract subjects, Madhvi celebrates the profound connection between humans and the divine.
Manu Parekh’s work, which is also influenced by Indian cultural traditions, in contrast, incorporates aspects of Western modernism and abstract expressionism.
Manu Parekh’s vibrant compositions, characterized by broken lines, stripes, crosses, and floral motifs, embody the cosmic harmony of masculine and feminine energies.
Through his intuitive use of colour and bold lines, he engages in experiments with vibrant abstractions, sexual imagery, and figuration. His artistic responses extend not only to the influences of nature but also to the nuances of daily life and social issues.
Just as both artists celebrate Indian ancestral traditions and myths, where the spiritual dimension serves as a potent imaginative and creative device, the interdisciplinary works created by Karishma Swali and the artisans of the Chanakya School of Craft transcend conventional boundaries to carve out an artistic language firmly rooted in collective cultural histories.
BELONG
“Belong is a tribute to the spirit - common to us all, the wonder of nature and the interconnectedness of all life forms. Through this presentation, our endeavour is to honour the profound role craft plays in preserving our collective heritage and nurturing communities.”
Karishma Swali,
Chairperson & Creative Director,
Chanakya School of Craft
Derived from the transformative power of nature, Belong is a spontaneous immersion into the coexistence between man and the natural world. From it emerges a fantastical universe, where the interconnectedness between all beings, their inherent nature, and the ecosystems they inhabit come into sharp focus.
Through an interdisciplinary approach, the interconnectedness unfolds: the central figures seamlessly integrate into the landscape, embodying a sense of profound belonging. The use of indigenous craft traditions further amplifies the narrative, underscoring the importance of preserving and celebrating artisanal legacies. The concept is brought to life by the meticulous arrangement of materials and techniques with threads secured using variations of needlepoint techniques such as couching, bullion knots, running stitch, crochet and stem stitch to create a Sfumato effect, a technique of allowing tones and colours to shade gradually into one another, producing softened outlines or hazy forms.
Belong was showcased at the India Art Fair, 2024 from February 1 – 4, 2024.
Belong was showcased at the India Art Fair,
2024 from February 1 – 4, 2024.
The Atelier: The Living Museum
April 1 2023 – April 22 2023
Chanakya International, Mumbai, India
Physical, spiritual and ecological themes from our natural world, and their implicit interconnectedness have been rooted in ancient and indigenous traditions for centuries. Our affinity for nature — its majestic wonders as well as its boundless mysteries — manifest in organic shapes and forms. Underscoring these thematic notions are a series of crafted artworks imagined by Artistic Director, Karishma Swali, and brought to life by the master artisans of the Chanakya Ateliers. Collectively, they create visual landscapes showcasing the mastery of hand-craftsmanship, reflecting the colours, energy, and harmony of earth, sea, sky and the cosmos.
Block Printing
Kantha hand embroidery on four layered muslin
This inherent talent is present even today, kept alive and vibrant through the
guru-shishya tradition of mentoring, the knowledge passed on personally and honed
through apprenticeship. Expanding on our rich cultural heritage and a three-decade long
creative partnership with Maria Grazia Chiuri, Artistic Director of Dior Women’s
Collections, we bring forth a presentation dedicated to the creative spirit of our
master artisans.
Through their collective stories, we thread the past, present and the incredible
savoir-faire of India’s artisanal legacies. We welcome you to discover eleven schools
of hand-craftsmanship brought to life through this artistic collaboration.
Mention the form of craft here
Micro-beads,
Needlepoint
Techniques
Nabh Raat, Zardozi Technique
Toy Making, Needlepoint Techniques
Mūḷ Māthī / from the roots
April 1 2023 – April 22 2023
Snowball Studios, Mumbai, India
Mūḷ Māthī; From The Roots is a showcase of 22 large-scale textile artworks by award-winning Indian Artists Madhvi and Manu Parekh in collaboration with Dior and Maria Grazia Chiuri, Artistic Director of Dior’s Women’s Collections, and Chanakya Craft Collective and Karishma Swali, Artistic Director of Chanakya Craft Collective. Curated by Asia Society India Centre, as a postscript to an original commission by Maria Grazia Chiuri for the scenography of her Dior Couture spring-summer 2022 runway show, the exhibition presents 22 textile artworks, along with archival material, in an Indian context and for Indian audiences for the first time
The exhibition is an homage to the Parekhs, whose practices have a long-standing relationship with vernacular artistic traditions, an ode to the legacies of embroidery-work and textiles, and a critical reflection on the possibilities of collaborations and patronage in the preservation and sustainability of craft-based artistic work.
320
artisans
3
months
340
square meters
(3,600 square feet)
This exceptional series of artworks was created by 320 artisans from the Chanakya Ateliers, as well as female artisans from the Chanakya School of Craft, a non-profit school dedicated to craft, culture, and women's expression, who partnered together for more than three months to embroider 340 square meters (3,600 square feet) of work entirely by hand.
The resulting interpretations become new works in their own right, poised between quotation, stylistic exercise, and interpretation, reactivated by the gesture of craft using the language of embroidery.
The Chanakya x Dior Retrospective
April 1 2023 – April 22 2023
Snowball Studios, Mumbai, India
The exclusive Chanakya x Dior retrospective featured 50 hand-embroidered archival pieces made with Chanakya across 16 couture and prêt-à-porter collections. Each season, Chanakya works collaboratively with the historic maison to innovate across various genres of craft and design to handcraft couture, ready-to-wear, accessories and fine art. To give insight into this process, each dress featured was told through a craft perspective, supported by its miniature design reference, raw materials and contemporary variations of traditional craft techniques.
ARTISTIC
COLLABORATIONS
SWIPE RIGHT TO EXPLORE
ALL THE COLLABORATIONS
ARTISTIC
COLLABORATIONS
Our artistic collaborations pave the way for the master-artisans of the Chanakya ateliers and the graduated women of the Chanakya School of Craft to work collaboratively with celebrated contemporary artists and blur the assumed heirarchies between art and craft.
Explore further on www.chanakya.school
Chanakya School of Craft X Rithika Merchent for Christian Dior
2025
“I have my own lexicon of symbols and creatures that I use in my work and so I use these as tools to help me as I visualise certain ideas. I tend to be drawn to symbols that are universally recognisable and not culturally specific”
- Rithika Merchant
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CHANAKYA SCHOOL OF
CRAFT X RITHIKA
MERCHANT FOR
CHRISTIAN DIOR
Envisioned for the Dior Haute Couture Spring-Summer 2025–26 show, ‘The Flowers We Grew’ is an immersive installation of interdisciplinary works conceived by Indian visual artist Rithika Merchant, presented at the Musée Rodin in Paris.
Commissioned by Maria Grazia Chiuri, Creative Director of Dior’s Women’s Lines, this body of work honours the wild, fierce, and powerful matriarchs of Rithika Merchant’s maternal lineage from Kerala. Realised by the highly skilled artisans of Chanakya School of Craft and Chanakya International, under the creative direction of Karishma Swali, these works embody a poetic intersection of ancestral tradition, storytelling, and contemporary craftsmanship.
The themes draw from the artist’s personal experiences, rooted in the past, present, and future, and inspired by the formidable matriarchs of her family. Through a distinct lexicon of symbols, she examines how ancestral feminine power and wisdom can be reclaimed and transformed — becoming a catalyst for awakening, enlightenment, and education. Her signature fluid watercolour brushstrokes were meticulously reinterpreted in thread, resulting in 37 monumental panels and 16 circular compositions. Spanning over 144,000 hours of dedication by 306 artisans, these interdisciplinary works create a dynamic dialogue between contemporary art and traditional craftsmanship. Rooted in deeply personal memory, the works challenge traditional conceptions of women’s creative agency, resonating with the core principles of Chanakya School of Craft.
CSC x Judy
Chicago for Christian Dior 
Chanakya School of Craft X Faith Ringgold for Christian Dior
2024
"I had something I was trying to say and sometimes the message is an easy
transmission and sometimes it's a difficult one but I love the power of saying
it so I'm gonna do it whether it's hard or easy."
- Faith Ringgold
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Chanakya School of Craft x Faith Ringgold for Christian Dior
Chanakya School of Craft, the Chanakya ateliers and Creative Director Karishma Swali unveil large-scale artworks created in collaboration with the late Faith Ringgold and Maria Grazia Chiuri for the Dior Couture Autumn-Winter 2024-2025 show at the Musée Rodin in Paris. This interdisciplinary installation weaves unique connections and affinities, merging couture with culture at the intersection of art and craftsmanship.
For over half a century, Faith Ringgold has been celebrated as a groundbreaking and intersectional artist, addressing issues of gender, race, class, family, and community through a diverse range of media, including painting, sculpture, mask and doll-making, textiles, and performance art. Her themes resonate deeply with the artisans, inspiring them to weave these powerful narratives into their work under the guidance of Creative Director, Karishma Swali.
The interdisciplinary works were brought to life using contemporary variations of needlepoint techniques such as appliqué and patchwork, as well as intricate beadwork using custom glass mosaics crafted from repurposed glass and acrylic.
For over half a century, Faith Ringgold has been celebrated as a groundbreaking and intersectional artist, addressing issues of gender, race, class, family, and community through a diverse range of media, including painting, sculpture, mask and doll-making, textiles, and performance art. Her themes resonate deeply with the artisans, inspiring them to weave these powerful narratives into their work under the guidance of Creative Director, Karishma Swali.
The interdisciplinary works were brought to life using contemporary variations of needlepoint techniques such as appliqué and patchwork, as well as intricate beadwork using custom glass mosaics crafted from repurposed glass and acrylic.
Chanakya School of Craft x Isabella Ducrot for Christian Dior
2024
Chanakya International and its Creative Director, Karishma Swali unveil exceptional large-scale artworks with widely-celebrated visual artist Isabella Ducrot, on the occasion of the Dior Couture Spring-Summer 2024 show at Musée Rodin in Paris.
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Commissioned by Maria Grazia Chiuri, Creative
Director of Dior Women’s Lines, the monumental installation ‘Big Aura’ has
been meticulously handcrafted by the female artisans at the Chanakya School of
Craft and master artisans at the Chanakya ateliers using block-printing,
hand-painting, hand-weaving, and basket-weaving techniques. Through her
extensive travels, Isabella Ducrot cultivated a profound fascination with
fabrics, gathering rare textiles of historical significance and incorporating
them as foundational elements in her work. Intrigued by the inherent rhythm
and rhyme found in these materials, the Neapolitan artist has dedicated
herself to transforming these textiles into objects that symbolize the
rhythmic essence of life.
Artisans from Chanakya School of Craft and Chanakya International
employed a variety of handcraft techniques to amplify Ducrot's monumental
installation, ‘Big Aura,’ transforming it into large-scale panels that serve
as the backdrop for the Dior Couture Spring-Summer 2024 show.
Deliberately disproportionate to the body of an average
human, the 23 dresses featured in ‘Big Aura’ are created using traditional
hand-weaving, hand block-printing, and basket-weaving techniques. The dresses
are layered by Chanakya’s artisans using ancestral hand embroidery techniques
like badla: where a flat a flat metal thread is applied on the surface using a
small embroidery needle; and tasseling, where organic tassels made of mohair
wool are applied onto some of the dresses.
Special blocks are used in this process and subsequently refined
through intricate hand-painting techniques. The resulting organic flow of
lines, a signature element of Ducrot’s artistic style, gives rise to a
monumental grid, drawing inspiration from the interwoven nature of warp and
weft. These elements intersect, becoming a realm of boundless possibilities.
Chanakya School of Craft x Marta Roberti for Christian Dior
2023
Chanakya and its artistic director, Karishma Swali unveil exceptional large-scale artworks with the visual artist Marta Roberti on the occasion of Dior’s Fall-Winter 2024 Haute Couture show. Commissioned by Maria Grazia Chiuri, Artistic Director of Dior’s Women’s Collections, the crafted works bring out the connective potential of fibre art, invoking imagery of ancient goddesses and feminine energy to serve as the scenography of the Couture Show.
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Under the stewardship of Chanakya’s Artistic Director, Karishma Swali, 360 artisans from the Chanakya ateliers and Chanakya School of Craft used over 80 hand-embroidery techniques to highlight the textile’s unique capacity for detail, colour, texture. Highlighting the excellence of savoir faire, the works include fine examples of crochet, running stitch, back stitch, satin stitch and honeycomb techniques, leveraging materials such as cotton threads, kaccha resham (raw silk) and lurex to construct an esoteric, immersive environment.
Female goddesses such as Potnia Theròn, Isis and Shitala
Mata are accompanied by various animals and set against a vegetal background
of palm trees and other plants typical of the Mediterranean.
Marta’s delicate and powerful tribute to the goddesses of the ancient world is
further enhanced by the artisans at Chanakya and the Chanakya School, who
layer thread upon thread within the works. The harmonious interplay of
celestial, animal and human elements is brought to life by joining metal and
silk threads to create a mindscape that is both luminous and mysterious;
delicate and boundless.
Chanakya School of Craft x Maria Grazia Chiuri for Christian Dior
2023
An artistic collaboration with Maria Grazia Chiuri, the Dior Fall show on March 30, 2023 set the stage for another monumental installation by the Chanakya School of Craft — The Toran: an ephemeral, site-specific public artwork, the Chanakya Ateliers and Chanakya School of Craft, under the stewardship of Karishma Swali, imagined the 46-foot-tall installation as a poetic representation of the power of craft and community.
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DIOR x CHANAKYA
“The art of a people is a true mirror to their minds.”
JAWAHARLAL NEHRU
The inherent beauty of traditional craftsmanship is visible not only in museums and collections all over the world but also in the everyday life and practice of craftspeople. Drawing inspiration from both history and contemporary contexts, Chanakya is committed to both preserving and redefining age-old traditions, ensuring their enduring cultural, communal, and global relevance.
THE RETROSPECTIVE
Building upon the illustrious heritage of the House of Dior alongside Maria Grazia Chiuri, the exclusive Chanakya x Dior retrospective showcased 50 meticulously hand-embroidered archival pieces created in collaboration with Chanakya, spanning across 16 couture and prêt-à-porter collections. Every season, Chanakya collaborates closely with the historic maison to push boundaries in various realms of craft and design, crafting couture, ready-to-wear, accessories, and fine art.
To offer insight into this creative journey, each showcased dress was presented through a craft lens, accompanied by its miniature design reference, raw materials, and contemporary interpretations of traditional craft techniques.
Vintage Archives
Collection includes Victorian Dresses, Central-Asian Ikat robes and several fine examples of phulkari from Punjab.Chanakya’s private collection includes over 10,000 rare global art antiquities and craft objects spanning 1000 years, each marked by their immense diversity, regional differences based on their usage, influenced by geography, and weighted by historical and cultural narratives. Notable pieces on display included a series of Victorian dresses from the 19th century, an embroidered cape gifted to an emperor of the Ming dynasty from the 18th century, 20th century central-Asian Ikat robes, Indian nomadic wear, and several fine examples of phulkari from Punjab.
The Toran by Chanakya School
of Craft for Christian Dior
“The Gateway, revered as a symbolic ceremonial entrance to India, provided a poignant metaphor for this intimate collaboration.”
KARISHMA SWALI
The Dior Fall 2023 show set the stage for another monumental installation: The Toran, an ephemeral, site-specific public artwork meticulously handcrafted by the artisans of the Chanakya School of Craft, under the guidance of Karishma Swali. Standing at 46 feet tall, this installation served as a poetic testament to the profound impact of craft and community. Rooted in cross-cultural influences, heritage, and traditional materials, it embodied a shared reverence for Indian craftsmanship. Drawing upon their design vocabulary, the female artisans of the Chanakya School of Craft and the master artisans from the Chanakya Atelier handcrafted The Toran, infusing it with layers of social and cultural context.
The base comprised natural fibers that capture the purity of their message: a joyful coming together of craft and community. Over 300 artisans worked together over several months, requiring 35,000 hours of handwork to complete this piece, instinctively employing 25 craft techniques including phulkari, mirror work, french knotting, and kantha. Folk iconography inherently linked to artisanal traditions was captured throughout the work, including elephants, mandalas, lotus, the kamadhenu, tigers, and peacocks.
THE DIOR FALL 2023 SHOW AT
THE GATEWAY OF INDIA, MUMBAI
The Dior Fall 2023 show, set against the iconic backdrop of the Gateway of India, marked a celebration of the pluralistic beauty of Indian craftsmanship. For over 25 years, Maria Grazia Chiuri, Artistic Director of Dior Women’s Lines, and Karishma Swali, Creative Director of Chanakya International, have collaborated to explore the diverse landscape of Indian craftsmanship, blending tradition with innovation.
TThis cross-cultural exchange manifested in a collection that reinterpreted traditional techniques through a contemporary lens, incorporating indigenous crafts like aari, applique, zardozi, block printing, couching, and mirror work, capturing the vibrant essence of India while paying homage to its cultural heritage. The collection also featured Jardin Indien toile de jouy adorned with symbols like tigers, peacocks, and banyan trees, with the use of mirrors, microbeads and filigree lace.
T From bright rani pinks and deep jamuni purples to radiant yellows, each hue found its place on sumptuous silks, evening coats, embroidered jackets, and sari-inspired skirts. Across seasons, this creative partnership maintains its commitment to honoring and preserving craft traditions, showcasing the exceptional skill of Indian craftspeople.
Chanakya School of Craft x Mickalene Thomas for Christian Dior
2023
For the staging of the Dior Haute Couture spring-summer 2023 show, Maria Grazia Chiuri has woven a new creative dialogue with Mickalene Thomas, a legendary African-American artist. Envisioned specifically for this Dior show, her decor epitomizes a new pantheon of women, born out of a conversation dedicated to the importance of black and mixed-race female figures who have become exemplary by choosing to think and act differently.
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Mickalene Thomas’ work explores themes of celebrity, femininity, and power, challenging the male gaze while questioning the predominant canons of art history. She expresses herself through painting and devises collages by mixing printed images, photographs and other material elements, often using iconographies of renowned artists, in order to contest social norms and ideals of feminine beauty over the centuries.
Giant portraits of a series of exceptional public figures –
elaborated with embroidery conceived by the Chanakya Ateliers and Chanakya
School of Craft on a printed textile base take over the show’ s setting. They
are a heterogeneous, eclectic group – a source of inspiration on all
continents – who have queried the status quo and achieved incredible
feats.
For the Dior spring-summer 2023 haute couture défilé, our Chanakya ateliers
and the Chanakya School of Craft embroidered with sequins and diamante the
giant portraits of outstanding female figures that occupy the show’s decor. At
the convergence of contemporary art and couture, the scintillating
ornamentation creates an entrancing interplay of texture and light.
Chanakya School of Craft x Olesia Trofymenko for Christian Dior
2022
Cultural heritage and craft traditions form the main source of inspiration
for
Ukrainian artist Olesia Trofymenko, who has dreamed up the set design for
the Dior
autumn-winter 2022-2023 haute couture show.
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The floral garlands and wheat crowns were created using cross stitch color layering to capture the depth of the roses while the wheat stems were created with organic threads, couching and braiding. The tree of life is hand embroidered with fine threads in satin stitches, juxtaposed with jute threads in key areas, as well as different knotting and small needlepoint techniques.
Chanakya School of Craft x Jai Vakeel Foundation for Moonray
2022
Chanakya School of Craft, Moonray, and the Jai Vakeel Foundation came together to create an installation that celebrates the spirit of inclusion titled ‘A Seat at the Table’. Offering a proverbial seat at the table to a series of intricately handcrafted characters, the multimedia work was a sequel to the awareness and fundraising initiative for the Jai Vakeel Foundation.
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Conceptualized and designed by Avantika and Karishma Swali and handmade by the enterprising female students of the Chanakya School of Craft and the master artisans of the Chanakya ateliers, the abstract representations are made with sample fabrics and contemporary interpretations of traditional techniques, including appliqué, satin stitch, cross-stitch, micro-beading, macramé and crochet. The table is a hyper-realistic gesamtkunstwerk, with each of the six table settings made of an assemblage of unique objects, all created with ultra-detailed embroidery.
Chanakya School of Craft x Jai Vakeel Foundation
2019
The Jai Vakeel Foundation, India's oldest and largest not-for-profit, working in the space of Intellectual Disability (ID), partnered with the Chanakya School of Craft to create a powerful collaboration of thought and inclusion. The enterprising women of the school designed and handcrafted bands to amplify the message of inclusion. The Inclusion bands represented a tomorrow that is all inclusive, one where respect, dignity, diversity, inclusion and acceptance co-exist.
Chanakya School of Craft x Eva Jospin for Christian Dior
2021
On the occasion of the Dior Haute Couture Autumn-Winter 2021-2022 show, presented at the Rodin Museum on July 5th, 2021, the House of Dior unveiled an exceptional installation by artist Eva Jospin: a forty-meter-long immersive gallery, entirely hand-embroidered in India by the Chanakya atelier and Chanakya School of Craft, based on a unique drawing by the artist.
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Titled Chambre de Soie (Silk Room), the work nods both to the Indian-inspired Embroidery Room at the Palazzo Colonna in Rome and to Virginia Woolf’s feminist manifesto 'A Room of One’s Own.' 320 artisans from the Chanakya Atelier and The Chanakya School of Craft hand craft this dream landscape using 150 variations of hand embroidery techniques and over 400 colours and various 3dimensional braiding techniques to add depth, texture and dimension.
For her monumental creation – representing 350 square meters
of embroidery – the master artisans from the Chanakya Atelier, known for
preserving excellence in savoir-faire, and the Chanakya School of Craft in
Mumbai worked for several months to meticulously realize this infinite
landscape.
The immense concentration of details continues throughout the entire
exhibition, allowing viewers to venture inside the work in a literal sense.
Woods, lianas, boulders and imaginary architectures are meticulously
embroidered to compose a place conducive to reverie and wandering, like the
follies found in Baroque gardens. The lexical field remains that of illusion,
and a world – a room of one’s own.
Chanakya School of Craft x Judy Chicago for Christian Dior
2020
It was an honour to work with Maria Grazia Chiuri and Judy Chicago to promote excellence in craft, equality and community with an art installation crafted by the enterprising graduating women at the school. In her awe-inspiring work, Judy Chicago has championed ideas like community and women’s empowerment for decades.
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Dior and Judy Chicago collaborated
together with the Chanakya School
of Craft to create 22 immense hand embroidered panels for the Dior
haute couture spring summer 2020 show. The panels embodied freedom
through expression, independence and knowledge and empowerment.
WORKS
Emerging from meaningful creative dialogues, Artistic Director Karishma Swali collaborates with the highly skilled artisans of the Chanakya School of Craft and Chanakya International. Together, they make artworks that transcend the distinctions between art and craft, forging a contemporary language that unlocks the infinite potential of craft.
