Selvedge Textile Tour of India 2026: Mumbai

The past week in India unfolded in Mumbai, a city whose energy and diversity provided a vibrant new chapter in the journey. Perched on India’s western coast, Mumbai is a place of striking contrasts: colonial-era landmarks sit alongside glass skyscrapers, while centuries-old craft traditions thrive within one of the world’s most dynamic modern metropolises. It is a city where histories, industries, and cultures overlap, making it an endlessly fascinating destination for textile and design enthusiasts.

The week began with a series of encounters that revealed the breadth of Mumbai’s creative scene. A gallery crawl introduced participants to the city’s contemporary art landscape, with visits to leading spaces including Tarq, Chemould Prescott Road, and Akara Contemporary. Studio visits at designer brands such as Payal Khandwala offered an intimate look at how India’s textile heritage continues to inspire contemporary fashion, demonstrating how traditional materials and techniques can be translated into modern design.

Detail of Parsi Gara Embroidery. Photo courtesy of Ashdeen Lilaowala.

Midweek coincided with the vibrant celebrations of Holi, when the city briefly paused for the joyful festival of colour. Celebrated across much of India, Holi marks the arrival of spring and is traditionally observed by throwing brightly coloured powders and water. Afterwards, the programme resumed with a deep dive into the textile histories that shape Mumbai’s cultural identity. Parsi embroidery specialist Ashdeen Z. Lilaowala shared the intricate history of the exquisite Parsi gara tradition—embroidered silk garments developed within the Parsi community, descendants of Persian Zoroastrians who settled in western India centuries ago. Influenced by historic trade between India and China, these textiles often feature elaborate floral and bird motifs stitched in fine silk thread. Collectors and scholars also opened their archives to reveal remarkable quilts, garments, and textile stories passed down through generations.

Inside the Chanakya School of Craft

One of the most anticipated visits was to the Chanakya School of Craft, where participants saw first-hand the extraordinary embroidery techniques that support some of the world’s most prestigious couture houses, including Dior in Paris. The school is dedicated to preserving and teaching traditional hand embroidery, offering insight into the immense skill and labour behind techniques that can take hundreds of hours to complete.

Dhobi Ghat - the world's largest open-air laundry. As featured in Selvedge Issue 45, Ingenuity.

The week also invited exploration beyond studios and galleries. Participants walked through the atmospheric lanes of Khotachiwadi village, discovered the living heritage of Kalbadevi’s historic textile district, and witnessed the remarkable choreography of Dhobi Ghat—the world’s largest open-air laundry, where generations of dhobis (traditional washermen) wash and press garments for the city’s hotels and households. At Churchgate Station they observed another uniquely Mumbai institution: the dabbawalas, whose meticulously organised lunch delivery network transports home-cooked meals across the city each day.

Liberty Cinema, a historic Art Deco landmark located in Mumbai, India. 

Mumbai’s rich architectural and archival heritage formed another thread in the week’s programme. At the Asiatic Library, participants viewed John Forbes Watson’s monumental 1866 publication The Textile Manufactures and the Costumes of the People of India, an extraordinary set of volumes containing mounted fabric samples assembled for the British India Office as a way of documenting the vast range of Indian textiles. A walking tour with the Art Deco Trust also revealed the city’s remarkable collection of 1930s Art Deco buildings, the second largest in the world.

Evenings brought their own magic, whether watching a Bollywood film at the historic Regal Cinema or sharing dinner and craft demonstrations with local designers. Throughout the week, Mumbai’s street life, craftsmanship, and creativity intertwined, offering a vivid portrait of a city where tradition and innovation in textiles and design meet at every turn.

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Further Information:

Read more about the Selvedge Textile Tours of India here.

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Image Credits:

Lead: The Living Museum at the Chanakya School of Craft. Photo: Hashim Badani. As featured in Selvedge Issue 129, Repeat.