a celebration of craft and modernity, moonray is inspired by timelessness and rarity, forged from global artisanal perspectives. a luxury ready-to-wear brand, moonray draws upon craft’s endless possibilities for a uniquely contemporary aesthetic balanced between minimal and maximal codes.

each moonray piece is ethically hand crafted by chanakya’s master-artisans and comprised of the finest materials, always consciously sourced— including hemp, organic cotton and jersey, raw denim, forest certified viscose, recycled threads, and vegan leather made from cacti. luxury for today— moonray is the story of young artists everywhere, advocating that the magic of artisans lives forever.

avantika & karishma swali

founders

founded by karishma and avantika swali
in 2021, moonray is an expression that
combines the mother-daughter duo’s love
for design with their passion for inclusion.

karishma is a fashion designer and the creative director at chanakya – a luxury craft house founded in 1986 and known for creating timeless handcraft for the most celebrated fashion houses worldwide. she is also the co-founder of jade – a luxury bridal line best known for its exquisite handcraft. in 2017, karishma co-founded the chanakya school of craft – india’s first not for profit centre of excellence teaching women master craft and hand embroidery.

avantika is an artist and a student with a modern eclectic aesthetic; her primary focus remains on how her generation may contribute to a better tomorrow. in 2014, avantika founded ace- a registered not for profit organisation committed to providing children with the opportunity of holistic education. ace has educated over 200 children and had founded the ace book club - a mobile library service enabling underserved children free access to cultural and educational experiences.

Together, Karishma and Avantika seek to create change – for craft to be integrated into our everyday lives and for fashion to become a celebration of freedom, culture and to make deeper connections in our inner and outer worlds.

our craft collective

our artisans are the backbone of our craft collective, which is led by artistic director karishma swali who has been at the forefront of design and preservation for decades and has trained in the ateliers of global couture houses and at the artisanal studios at chanakya. the craft collective is a dynamic team with a variety of perspectives and creatives coming together, including tina & nikita sutradhar - LVMH special prize winners, renu sahu, a craft and embroidery specialist with over two decades of experience, and avantika swali, an artist and a student with a modern eclectic aesthetic. the collective is a reflective dialogue between craft and modern artisanal perspectives; contemporising craft. an ear to the past, and an eye to the future.

artisanal
community

"the future lies in graceful, responsible
innovation: transformations that beget
lasting change, with creativity that
demands responsibility to preserve
communities and the planet"

karishma swali

blessed with a myriad of cultures, customs and religions, india is truly a land of wonders. undoubtedly, one of the country's greatest treasures is our art and craft— a diverse yet distinct testimony of our rich cultural heritage. nurtured in the hinterlands of india by humble craftspeople, indian craft today is revered all over the world.

the celebration and evolution of handcraft and traditional techniques sit at the heart of moonray. we work actively with master craft artisans to contribute to design innovation while honing their incredible talent to preserve our craft heritage.

80% of our designs use diverse craft forms, including handloom fabrics, hand embroidery, macrame, crochet, applique work, hand painting, and tie and dye. they are innovatively interpreted to be unique to moonray.

as curators of craft, we feel privileged to preserve our craft heritage through innovation and education to pass it forward to our future generations.