Chanakya International is a global textile house established in 1984 committed to the preservation, conservation, and revival of India's cultural heritage. Helmed by Artistic Director Karishma Swali, Chanakya International explores enduring creative partnerships with over 40 global fashion houses across the world including Dior, Gucci, Prada and Valentino, and collaborates with generations of art aficionados, preservers, and advocates towards a singular aim: to ensure that the magic of artisans lives forever.

Recognizing a compelling need to institutionalize craft and implement holistic solutions for socio-economic and environmental issues, Chanakya International established the Chanakya School of Craft in 2016 — a non-profit school and foundation dedicated to craft, culture and creating new autonomy for women.

The goal for the school is to create a platform of multi-dimensional learning, focused on the arts and crafts while providing equal opportunity to an often ignored backbone of our communities: women. The curriculum teaches over 300 hand embroidery techniques through a holistic curriculum anchored through the voices and lives of historical female figures. The school has taught over 1000 women to-date, across all ages and socio-economic backgrounds forming a strong community of skilled, autonomous women. They pursue projects across wide disciplines, collaborating with artists such as Judy Chicago, Manu Parekh and Madhvi Parekh, fashion houses such as Dior and non-profit organizations such as the Jai Vakeel Foundation, to spread the message of inclusivity and excellence in craft.

In the future, they hope to create a global network where design students from across the world can learn ways in which craft can be seamlessly integrated into art and design.