Can you develop samples from our artwork or tech pack?
Yes — send artwork, a tech pack or even a photograph. We return header swatches and strike-offs in your materials and colourways, with per-design costing.
Est. 2000 · Mumbai, India
Hand embroidery from India, made for the world’s runways
Founded in 2000 — 26 years of hand embroidery. Charisma Fashion India is a hand embroidery and beading house in Mumbai, developing and producing embellishment for couture, bridal and eveningwear labels — every bead, sequin and stitch placed by hand.
Since 200026 years in the craft
100% by handBeading, zardozi & appliqué
Italy · France · UKTop designer houses served
Swatch to bulkSampling through full production
An embroidery house, run like a partner — not a factory floor
Charisma opened in 2000 and has spent 26 years in this industry. Our office and atelier are in Mumbai, India — 344-346 Samuel Street, A K Chamber, Masjid Bunder, Mumbai 400003 — where our karigars practise techniques passed down through generations.
Our Mumbai team reviews every development before it ships, and production is managed day to day by the same team — so a sampling question never disappears into a queue. For clients in the United States, our sales representative is based in Dallas, Texas.
The house has also been profiled in The Times of India, which followed our embroidery from the Mumbai frames to the runway — including our work for Maison Margiela, worn by Lady Gaga in her “Applause” video. Read the press story.
The craft
Six techniques cover most of what our clients develop with us. All of them are executed by hand on the adda frame — the same way they have been done for centuries.
01
Hand beading
Glass beads, bugles and pearls couched and stitched into dense all-over fields or fine motifs — our most-ordered work, from scarves and ponchos to full gowns.
02
Zardozi
The royal gold-work of India: dabka, nakshi and metallic threads raised over padding for couture and bridal pieces that need real weight and light.
03
Sequin & crystal work
Paillettes, sequins and crystals layered for red-carpet shine — set densely enough to survive a full evening and a close-up camera.
04
Motifs on tulle
Embroidered motifs built directly on tulle and net, ready for your atelier to place, cut and apply — a long-running programme for eveningwear houses in Europe and the US.
05
Embroidery on lace
Beading and thread work executed over fine lace grounds, developed with lace houses for bridal and lingerie-adjacent collections.
06
Aari & thread work
Fine chain-stitch aari and silk-thread embroidery for softer, painterly surfaces — florals, shading and tonal work that reads like drawing.
The craft, up close
Finished pieces from our own archive — runway, red carpet and bridal work. The houses behind them stay private; the embroidery speaks for itself.
What we produce
Four kinds of engagement cover nearly everything clients bring us. If your project sits between them, ask — sampling is how we find out together.
Full-piece embellishment
Complete gowns, bodices and panels embroidered to pattern — zardozi, beading and crystal work at couture density, checked piece by piece against the approved swatch before dispatch.
Motifs & components
Embroidered motifs on tulle, beaded trims, borders and appliqué components your own atelier applies — the flexible way to add hand work to a collection without moving garment production.
Scarves, ponchos & lace programmes
Hand-beaded scarves, cashmere ponchos and embroidered tops, plus ongoing embroidery programmes on supplied lace — repeat styles carried season after season with the same hands.
How a project runs
One clear chain — enquiry, interpretation, materials, sampling, approval, production, dispatch — the same whether it is a single bridal piece or a full production order.
Every project starts with your artwork and a conversation, and nothing goes into production until you have approved a physical swatch. From there, the approved swatch becomes the master: production is checked against it piece by piece, then dispatched worldwide, tracked to your door.
See how a project runsThe best houses — kept private
For 26 years our embroidery has gone out under other houses’ labels. We work for some of the best — top designers in Italy, France and the UK — and we keep their names private. That discretion is part of what our clients buy. The calibre we mean:
- Armani
- Versace
- Saint Laurent
- and many others
Most of our clients arrive through referral and stay for seasons. Client work is confidential: we never name the houses we embroider for, and we never photograph or publish a collection before it is released.
Featured in The Times of India
“Meet the Indian designer who gave charisma to Lady Gaga”
In 2016, The Times of India profiled our Mumbai house — including the embroidery our team created for Maison Margiela, worn by Lady Gaga in her “Applause” video, and the Andrew Gn gown panel embroidered by hand in our atelier.
Read our press storyWhy houses stay with Charisma
Who do you deal with, day to day?
Our Mumbai office directly — your emails are answered by the atelier, and every development is reviewed before it ships. There is no account-manager relay between your studio and the frame.
Can you sample before committing to production?
You approve a physical swatch — in your fabric, your colourway — before any production is booked. If a design will not hold up in production, we tell you at the swatch stage.
Will our unreleased designs stay confidential?
Unreleased collections stay unreleased. Artwork and samples are handled in-house only, and we are happy to work under your NDA.
Questions, answered plainly
What are your minimums?
Sampling starts from a single swatch or panel — that is the point of it. Production minimums depend on the technique and density of the design, and we will give you an exact figure with your sampling quote rather than a generic number.
How long does sampling and production take?
It depends on the intricacy of the artwork — a beaded motif and a full zardozi gown live in different worlds. Send the design and we will quote a timeline we can actually hold, before you commit to anything.
What do you need from us to start?
Whatever you have: artwork files, a tech pack, reference photographs, or the fabric itself. Many long-running clients started with a photograph and a conversation.
Do you ship internationally?
Yes — most of our work leaves India. Samples go by international courier and production by courier or freight, packed export-ready and tracked. Our clients are in Italy, France, the UK, the United States and beyond.
Can we meet in person?
Yes. Visit us at our Mumbai office, or meet our sales representative in Dallas, Texas. For other cities, tell us where you are in your enquiry and we will arrange a call — or a meeting with samples in hand when we are next travelling.
Start with a swatch
Tell us about the piece or collection you are developing. You will hear back from our Mumbai team — with feasibility, the right questions, and a sampling plan.
Office & atelier: 344-346 Samuel Street, A K Chamber, Masjid Bunder, Mumbai 400003, India · US sales representative: Dallas, Texas
On Instagram
Inside the atelier
New swatches, beading close-ups, and work in progress from our Mumbai atelier — the craft behind the collections, posted as it happens.
@charisma_fashion_india
We make embroideries for high fashion brands — hand embroidery & beading, Mumbai since 2000.