From Armani to Dior, global fashion houses turn to Mumbai’s karigars for handcrafted luxury. Leon Vaz of Karleo tells us why
Karan Berry and Leon Vaz of Karleo
As Western luxury houses scramble to reassert exclusivity post China’s tariff ripples, an older, quieter tradition of haute couture continues to shape the global red carpet from right here in Mumbai. There are over 200 ateliers and craft clusters in the city that hum with the intricate rhythm of hand embroidery, beadwork, and bespoke textile manipulation, producing some of fashion’s most expensive pieces. One such atelier, which also has its own label, is Karleo by Karan Berry and Leon Vaz. The duo, who are real life partners as well, have been running their export house in 2011, and work with over 300 craftsmen to create different crafts, in addition to providing end-to-end production solutions such as fabric sourcing, colour testing, pattern making and sewing, and even alterations for international fashion houses.
Karleo works with many names including Armani, Elie Saab and Ralph Lauren — names which the world media covers at red carpet events, without realising that several pieces are crafted in Mumbai. This year, Karleo finally had its moment when actor Simi Garewal wore their piece to celebrate the 4K restoration of Satyajit Ray’s Aranyer Din Ratri, which she starred in. Her appearance was an elegant full-circle for craftsmanship born in Mumbai’s overlooked couture ecosystem.
Adele wears a gown by Jenny Packham at Oscars in 2013, which was produced at Chhitra Gidwani’s Mumbai workshop. Pic/Getty Images; (right) Rachel McAdams’s Marchesa dress was embroidered and stitched in Mumbai by Karleo. Pic/Getty Images
It’s been happening for a while. Take Dior’s Pre-Fall 2023 show at Mumbai’s Gateway of India for example. Dior’s then-artistic director, Maria Grazia Chiuri made a statement in the couture industry by being transparent about their collaboration with Mumbai’s Chanakya textile and embroidery house (Chiuri had been working with the company since her Fendi days in the ’90s). Or when Sunday mid-day reported in 2013 how the Jenny Packham gown worn by singer Adele at the Oscars was produced at Chhitra Gidwani’s Mumbai workshop, which had produced other Oscar dresses as well.
Anyone who is on Instagram would have seen the viral reveal videos of Chinese manufacturers who work with luxury brands post Trump’s China pushback. China continues to be a hub for machine crafted goods, while India remains the source for luxurious handcrafts for the world. Vaz says that a lot goes into working with revered couture houses, and for Chinese manufacturers to call their designs their own, is rather silly. “Brands commission different processes to different countries based on what they are skilled at and their geographic origin. Manufacturers and export houses are just following instructions to produce pieces designed by couture houses. The materials, quality control, even audits are supplied by them. Take a luxury bag for example — a part of it is made by machine, and rest by hand, the leather and some of the hardware is not even from China. Brands are specific when they make pieces of high value, every bead is marked by hand and drawn by them. They will provide the feathers and tell you where to place each one, and monitor every step,” says Vaz. In India, the most skilled craftsmen, that produce the priciest embroidery and beadwork have migrated to Mumbai as they get paid the most here.
Karigars at work at the Karleo atelier
India also excels due to our wide vocabulary of handcrafts. “India’s artisanal strength allows every dress to be uniquely handcrafted, even under the same bulk production order which makes it couture. This is impossible to do in China or Turkey which rely on machine-made garments and fabrics that look identical. That benefit is what couture houses define as luxury, and you become their design hand in India,” says Vaz.
Though we may have the strength of skill, marketing is where India lacks, feels Vaz. “We need to embrace collaborations too,” says Vaz, who is busy working on a bridal piece for a royal wedding in Abu Dhabi. To avoid being stuck in a design rut is also what pushed Vaz to start their export house in 2012. For India to produce couture for a global audience, we need to be more open. “It is common for international bridal couture pieces to cost as much as Rs 45 lakh. But for Indian houses to do so, we can’t expect the buyer to buy a piece just because it’s from India. The lace can be from France, hardware from China, pattern-making from Italy, and silk from India which is embellished with our great crafts. Only then can Mumbai or India be revered among the big names of the fashion world.”
Simi Garewal, who wore a Karleo piece to Cannes this year, at Karleo’s Mahim atelier to celebrate the 4K restoration of Satyajit Ray’s Aranyer Din Ratri. Pics/Karleo
Laveena Nambiar, a marketing and communications specialist who wore a Karleo piece on her big day, says she discovered the brand on Instagram and couldn’t believe the couture artistry Mumbai has to offer for a white wedding, not just lehengas. “I was impressed by their structured approach to working with brides. They guide you through everything—from design options and patterns to what suits your body type best. What truly stood out to me was their attention to detail and transparency.”
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