Karishma Swali Introduces Chorus, A New Atelier Celebrating Indian Craft

Here, whimsy meets structure, and crafts meet form. As India’s design language gains international traction and we seek what a conscious, culturally rooted global brand should look like, Karishma Swali, one of the country’s leading voices in craft innovation, steps forward with a quiet but decisive answer: Chorus. The new flagship in Kala Ghoda occupies the same space that housed Moonray, the label she built with her daughter, Avantika, but its ambition is significantly broader. Spread across three gallery-like floors, the space unfolds as a multidisciplinary atelier that moves fluidly between fashion, art, objects, rituals and food. Chorus Ready-to-Wear, Chorus Concept (artistic studio of objects d’art), Chorus Wellness, Chorus Edition—a couture sanctum—and the Chorus Café on the top floor, Swali has created a truly India-proud brand.

As the Creative Director of Chanakya International and the mind behind the Chanakya School of Craft, which works with international fashion houses such as Dior and Fendi, she describes Chorus as “a living atelier that effortlessly jumps between practices and disciplines.” She reflects on the evolution from Moonray to Chorus as a natural one—shaped by craft, consciousness, and a deepening sense of responsibility. “When Avantika and I started Moonray in 2021, our idea was really to be able to celebrate craft and modernity in a way that was accessible and available, but rooted in consciousness.”

But as she delved deeper—this is her 30th year at Chanakya—she sensed a turning point. A larger responsibility emerged, prompting her to reconsider what creativity truly means. For her, the answer lay in collectivism. The name Chorus itself stems from this ethos. “The name needed to reflect that core value of the collective act and how important it is to honour the many voices that go into creative expression. I think we’re ready for a dialogue that can represent the subcontinent’s practices and savoir-faire globally.” Chorus embraces the pluralistic beauty of collaboration—an approach she believes is both innately Indian and essential to shaping a contemporary design identity.

That collective ethos defines the brand itself. Chorus spans textiles, décor objects, glassware and a newly introduced wellness line, designed not as separate categories but as interconnected expressions of making. “The future is really about creative expression without condition—without being compelled to stay within a medium.

We wanted Chorus to be an interdisciplinary atelier that is led by a spirit of submission and led by an exploration of the crafts,” Swali says. “Sometimes that leads to a tapestry, sometimes to a piece of glassware. At the very root of it, you’re honouring the art of making and the makers.”

The sourcing behind Chorus draws from Swali’s early years, when she spent more than a year living with 29 craft communities across India. Those relationships now underpin the brand’s categories—Firozabad artisans guide its hand-formed glassware, while its wellness formulations are produced in collaboration with a Kerala-based group of nuns. The wellness line, she notes, was developed with the realities of modern life in mind: “Today, oils can’t be sticky; you can’t sit for two hours—but the formulations can be deep-absorption formulations. We wanted to do something for the woman of today and wanted to revive ancient wisdom in a relevant way.” Alongside the couture creations handmade by Chanakya atelier, the brand’s signature organic denim remains central at the store.

As for what comes next, Swali wants to take Chorus global—but thoughtfully. Paris will be the first stop, not as a retail launch, but as an intimate introduction to international communities—“an evening of understanding,” as she puts it. It’s a strategic choice, reflective of her belief that community comes before commercial footprint. “I’m questioning how community can be created beyond the four physical walls of a store. I want to look at more modern formats.”

The launch arrives at a moment when Swali’s own work is gaining heightened international visibility. Through Chanakya, she has taken Indian craft narratives to the Venice Biennale and the Vatican Library. This December, a new Indo-French craft collaboration will open at Paris’ historic Mobilier National—further embedding Indian craft within global institutions. What remains constant is her conviction that India’s future in global luxury lies in its collective strength.

“The beauty of our culture,” Swali says, “is that creativity has always been a shared act.” With Chorus, she hopes to present that idea to the world—not as nostalgia, but as India’s most forward-looking design proposition.