STRUCTURE INTO PLAY

Karishma Swali and Avantika Swali’s Chorus explores pleating, folding and Indian craft traditions in Fold Theory, its Fall/Winter ‘26 ready-to-wear collection.

Photos by : Chorus

For its Fall/Winter '26 collection, Chorus turns the humble fold into a design philosophy. Fold Theory is an ode to the sartorial, exploring pleating and folding with a sense of play that blurs structure and movement, form and fluidity.

Silhouettes draw on the folds of books and the precision of origami, while moiré silk introduces texture and depth, and organza tubes build sculptural volume. Crystal drops and fringes bring light and rhythm; a beaded monogram becomes a signature; plaid checks are reassembled with a lighter touch. “A fold is never just a fold,” says Karishma Swali, co-founder and creative director. “It can behave, misbehave, or change its mind entirely. In Fold Theory, we treated it like a conversation rather than a rule.”

The palette is grounded in black, ink blue and architectural neutrals, animated by flashes of mint green and amber yellow that catch the eye as folds and seams move with the body. At its foundation is Chorus's signature indigo-dyed organic denim, made with rain-fed kala cotton weavers in Kutch, Madras-check looms in Tamil Nadu, and Maheshwar's weaving communities — alongside moiré silk, cruelty-free eri silk and FSC-certified viscose.

Founded by Karishma and Avantika Swali, Chorus draws on Chanakya International's four-decade dialogue with craft, treating textile as architecture. Fold Theory is available at chorusworld.com, Chorus's Kala Ghoda flagship, Palladium, Galeries Lafayette and Dhan Mill.