Text by Shirin Mehta. Photographs by Naomi Shah.
Chanakya Atelier — The Dior Retrospective
A visual and sensual treat was in store for us at the Chanakya Ateliers, which opened doors for the very first time to visitors from India and across the world, a day before Dior’s Pre-Fall 2023 show at the Gateway of India. Earlier, a press conference at the Taj Mahal Palace hotel had introduced Maria Grazia Chiuri, Dior’s creative director of women’s collections, and Karishma Swali, who directs the Chanakya Ateliers and the Chanakya School of Craft, to local and international press. The synergy between the two women as well as their commitment to endorsing India’s artisanal heritage became apparent as Swali reiterated, “What she (Chiuri) is talking about is creating a new language for craft together…. One that people are…