Textual content by Shirin Mehta. Pictures by Naomi Shah.
Chanakya Atelier — The Dior Retrospective
A visible and sensual deal with was in retailer for us on the Chanakya Ateliers, which opened doorways for the very first time to guests from India and the world over, a day earlier than Dior’s Fall 2023 present on the Gateway of India. Earlier, a press convention on the Taj Mahal Palace lodge had launched Maria Grazia Chiuri, Dior’s artistic director of girls’s collections, and Karishma Swali, who directs the Chanakya Ateliers and the Chanakya Faculty of Craft, to native and worldwide press. The synergy between the 2 ladies in addition to their dedication to endorsing India’s artisanal heritage turned obvious as Swali reiterated, “What she (Chiuri) is speaking about is creating a brand new language for craft collectively…. One which persons are capable of have fun since it’s extra modern….” Earlier, in an Instagram publish, Chiuri had referred to Chanakya as “the treasure chest of Indian craftsmanship”. Each the ladies displayed a powerful will to protect the craft of embroidery whereas imbibing it with trendy savoir faire.
Chanakya Atelier — The Dwelling Museum
The Chanakya Faculty of Craft, co-founded by Swali in 2017 and supported by Chiuri, is a non-profit institute that goals to create a platform of multidimensional studying. It notably makes an attempt to empower and supply autonomy to ladies artisans by offering them with an schooling in hand embroidery and craftsmanship. A 25-year-old friendship, a shared “sisterhood”, and the need to empower different ladies, whereas projecting artisanal strategies into the trendy world, are the foundations on which the Chanakya Faculty of Craft was constructed.
Chanakya Atelier — The Dior Retrospective
Distinctive collaborations between Dior and Chanakya, have prolonged the boundaries of embroidery and blurred the strains between craft, artwork and couture. The wonderful virtuosity of conventional Indian practices have been underlined whereas making certain that these have been expressed in modern methods. A monumental feat of textile artwork, for example, was witnessed at the Dior Spring/Summer season 2022 Haute Couture Assortment, the place the set design created by Chanakya reinterpreted the artworks of famend Indian artists Manu and Madhvi Parekh.
Apparently, Dior has had a decades-long relationship with Chanakya. For guests to the Chanakya Faculty, subsequently, the presentation that welcomed them, was certainly an eye-opener. An unique Dior retrospective that includes items from 50 high fashion and prêt-à-porter collections made in collaboration with Chanakya, a curation of Chanakya’s non-public archives (with a give attention to uncommon international artwork, antiquities and craft objects some spanning over 1,000 years), a residing museum of Thirteenth-generation ustads (grasp artisans) demonstrating reside the savoir-faire from the Dior Fall 2023 present and a preview of the soon-to-be-opened Chanakya Cultural Centre had been the showstoppers.
Chanakya Atelier — The Dior Retrospective
Chanakya Atelier — The Dwelling Museum
Excerpts from a dialog with Karishma Swali….
What does the affiliation between Dior and Chanakya imply to you? It has led to Indian embroideries and artisans lastly getting the acknowledgement that they deserve for his or her work for varied European style homes, one thing that luxurious manufacturers have averted speaking about till now.
We’re so deeply honoured to have been capable of share this collective celebration for craft excellence with Dior and Maria Grazia Chiuri, and to have the ability to have this aligned imaginative and prescient coming to life. And in addition for this deep reverence that we collectively have had for craft by the a long time. For all of us at Chanakya, it’s a momentous coming collectively that we are going to cherish eternally. For the artisans who watched the present with us, it is going to be etched of their reminiscences and hearts eternally.
How do your artisans and our age-old crafts profit from Chanakya Faculty of Craft’s affiliation with Dior?
My father [Vinod Maganlal Shah started the business in 1984 creating fine hand embroidery for international fashion houses] wished to share India’s impeccable craftsmanship with the world. And so, over the a long time, our vocabulary (at Chanakya) has at all times been one in every of contemporising it to maintain it alive for future generations. When one thing just like the Dior present occurs in India, the place our artisans are acknowledged for his or her abilities — and lauded for being the best at what they do — it clearly performs an enormous half in having the ability to maintain the crafts alive for our future generations. It’s because it turns into aspirational. It’s a tradition that we’re standing for, it’s a tradition that we’re taking ahead…and so, in fact, you’re speaking a couple of bigger profit.
For years we have now had international compliances in place. However that is about a lot extra, isn’t it? It’s about having the ability to stand collectively for a worldwide imaginative and prescient for craft and specific a deep reverence for our artisanal legacies. We work very carefully with the artisans. Most of my time is spent within the atelier and most of my inspiration comes from there.
Chanakya Atelier — The Dior Retrospective
How has Chanakya been contemporising conventional embroideries?
Let’s say that I have a look at a Lucknowi ceremonial jacket from our archives — we’re very lucky as a result of my father began accumulating antiquities and textiles and my husband’s (Shyamal Swali) household has been doing in order properly. Earlier, the zardozi work on it could be heavier. If we need to make it related for the generations of immediately, we think about making it extra fragile, extra poetic…. It’s actually about taking a way and a talent and making it adapt to a brand new language in order that it has a brisker perspective. It’s also an train in revival….
What does embroidery imply to you personally? Have you ever tried your hand at it?
Whereas my abilities are very poor in comparison with that of our artisans, I’m conscious of how one can do it. For me, embroidery is a really private reflection, one thing that I learnt from them. I see their method to it and for them the riyaaz (follow) of embroidery can be a strategy to align with your self — there’s a sure self-discipline and excellence that comes together with it…. So, for me, craft and diving deep right into a craft, is basically related to not solely the cultural points that inform me massively however it’s additionally about your individual private journey.
Chanakya Atelier — The Dwelling Museum
And the way has that been for you?
I really feel very lucky to have the ability to do one thing I like every single day. And it’s one thing that I can study from every single day. It’s thrilling as a result of each season you’ll be able to discover a new language and also you uncover how to have a look at it by a distinct lens. So, craft is infinite.
What are the principal strategies utilized in Dior’s Fall 2023 assortment?
For this season, we have now created geometric grids with the micro bullion approach, which is a part of the zardozi faculty. We additionally used appliqué the place we created the toile de Jouy. We ended up celebrating Indian symbolism so we had the elephant or the banyan tree labored with the appliqué approach. We additionally used mirror work; we handled mirrors like little jewels, and the colorful mirrors had been positioned throughout jackets and clothes. We additionally had zari embroidery….
What has it been like working with a model like Dior and with Maria Grazia Chiuri particularly?
Maria Grazia Chiuri and I’ve recognized one another for over 25 years so it’s been a protracted relationship. She started working with my brother Nehal [Vinod Shah] in 1992 and I began working together with her a couple of years later. We’ve continuously tried to have fun craftsmanship collectively. She has additionally been a mentor and somebody that we based the Chanakya Faculty of Craft with. She actually is a champion of crafts all through the world and evokes us tremendously.