A first look inside Chorus: the new chapter from the founders of Moonray

Each chorus begins as a single melody. Then comes the layering of other voices, other instruments, a broadening of the sound. This is what transformation in craft looks like: not a break with the past, but an expansion of it. When Karishma and Avantika Swali founded Moonray in 2021, they set out to create a brand based on responsibility and craftsmanship. Now we have Chorus: a natural next chapter that conveys the spirit of the brand while opening space for more shared voices, mediums and possibilities.

“When Avantika and I started Moonray, we envisioned it as a joyful, welcoming space where craftsmanship and consciousness could meet naturally,” says Karishma Swali. Fashion India. “As we grew and delved into our work on Chanakya, and its four decades of education and cultural preservation, we began to ask broader questions. What began as Moonray was ready to evolve into something more expansive.”

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A first look inside Chorus, the new chapter from the founders of Moonray

That breadth takes tangible form at Chorus, the duo’s new flagship in Mumbai’s arts district, Kala Ghoda. Distributed over three levels, the space blurs the boundaries between art, design and daily ritual. The ground floor houses Chorus Edition, its couture arm; Chorus Concept, a platform for artisanal textiles, ceramics and glassware; and Chorus Wellness, a line of soaps, candles and oils. Upstairs, Chorus Café extends the same craftsmanship to food, offering moments of reflection like the Chorus High Tea, where sharing becomes part of the brand’s ethos.

Corseted dresses softened with diaphanous overlays; surfaces that shine with handwork that bridges centuries; cotton cords wound with mathematical precision; metallic threads that capture and refract light; and natural raffia woven into lace-like lattices. The brand’s signature denim remains central, made from organic raw cotton and dyed using traditional indigo processes that produce a color that only time can impart. From the dryland kala cotton weavers of Kutch to the traditional looms of Tamil Nadu, these partnerships root Chorus in a shared lineage of creation.

That continuum can be traced back to the Chanakya School of Crafts, the Mumbai-based institution that Karishma Swali has led since 1988. As part of the broader Chanakya ecosystem, Chorus emerges as its creative extension by translating the school’s four-decade legacy of preservation, education and innovation into contemporary design. Established to safeguard traditional techniques while encouraging experimentation with modern forms and aesthetics, Chanakya’s philosophy of uniting heritage with invention continues to guide Chorus at all levels.

Inside the store, embroidered artwork like “La Ofrenda” honors the artisans behind each piece, while ceramic installations and hand-woven panels turn process into design. “For us, [Chorus] It is a reminder that creativity is never a solitary act. Each person brings their own rhythm, and when those voices meet, something fuller and more alive takes shape,” says Karishma. In the end, Chorus feels less like a rebrand and more like a continuation.