LONDON – Chanakya, the Mumbai, India-based embroidery and textile house with clients including Dior, Prada and Gucci, is ready to roll out its first ready-to-wear offering under the Chorus label.
Chorus was first launched in India last November with a flagship in Kala Ghoda, Mumbai, and is also available in Galeries Lafayette Mumbai.
The brand this week will embark on the first stage of expansion by opening a private showroom in Paris for buyers ahead of its global retail launch in May.
Billed as a celebration of Indian craftsmanship and accessibility, the brand’s main rtw range – with standouts including asymmetrical white shirts, pleated skirts, checkered bomber jackets, and a long coat with thin, feather-like embroideries at the bottom- retails from $300 to $5,000.
The red carpet and gala dinner-ready bespoke line Chorus Editon start at $5,000 and goes up to $35,000, depending on the workmanship.
Karishma Swali, creative director of Chanakya International, founder and creative director of Chanakya School of Craft, and cofounder of Chorus, said the brand was born out of a desire to “share with the world the beauty of a collective act, and how the medium somehow is the message.”
Swali added: “Chorus was born as a multidisciplinary atelier by looking into contemporary culture. We operate across several verticals, and the ready-to-wear will be a pivotal area of focus for us. For us in India, craft is really not about a special occasion. It’s part of everyday life, and I really love this idea of perpetuation happening because craft is becoming everyday.”
In addition to Swali, Chorus is backed by a creative collective that includes her daughter Avantika Swali; LVMH Prize-winning designers Tina and Nikita Sutradhar of Miuniku; artist and designer Joohi Mehta; embroidery specialist Renu Sahu; and a group of master artisans with generations of expertise.
A look by Chorus
Courtesy
Swali said Chorus will follow a broad wholesale strategy with global expansion in mind.
“The idea really is to meaningfully expand globally. The offering will be at the pace of the atelier, and I certainly don’t want this to become a rushed strategy, but I do imagine that we will enjoy becoming a global community. We want to look at the U.K. and Europe first, and within Europe, we are most comfortable with France and Italy. We imagine that’s where our first stores will be,” she said, adding Asia is a big focus, too, especially the Gulf region, where craft is enjoyed and understood.
“We want to be able to grow our networks and hopefully have stores that can have the whole Chorus experience, including Chorus wellness and the cafe. So it’s really about taking that time to slow down, experience, and celebrate craft,” Swali continued.
A look by Chorus
Courtesy
Founded by Swali’s father in 1984, Chanakya has since become the go-to textile collaborator for luxury fashion houses, including Dior, Prada, Gucci, Saint Laurent, Fendi, Valentino, Schiaparelli, Jil Sander, and Erdem.
Swali is known for her decades-long friendship with Maria Grazia Chiuri, who was appointed chief creative officer of Fendi last fall. The two met more than 25 years ago and have collaborated on multiple high-profile projects, namely the Dior pre-fall 2023 collection, presented in front of the Gateway of India in Mumbai.
“I’ve been very lucky to work with masters who intrinsically are led by their values, and learn how craft can be a container, but how we can also ensure that it’s something where the world at large can understand and enjoy. I think Chorus, in some way, comes from that same inquiry and that same offering,” Swali said.