Crafting Elegance: “The Artistry of Vastrakala’s Hand-Embroidered Creations
For close to thirty years, we design, invent and embroider by hand,embellishments meant for furnishings,decoration and fashion. These embroideries celebrate our attachment to quality handwork and our fidelity to hundreds of
techniques and stitches which form the richness of our craft.
Founded by Jean-Francois Lesage, its artistic director and his associates Patrick Savouret, Malavika Shivakumar & Sandeep Rao, Vastrakala is based in Chennai, South India and employs close to 200 local craftsmen and women.
In the initial years, the company’s activity focussed on embroideries for Interiors, working with decorators, architects, museums, private collectors and public institutions the world over. Gradually in the late 90s, Vastrakala added
the skills of fine embroidery for fashion to its repertoire, in order to serve the requirements of Lesage Paris, the storied
Paris-based company renowned for its signature embroideries for Haute Couture, Ready-to-Wear and accessories since 1924. Since that time, Vastrakala executes embroideries for the clients of Lesage Paris and has acquired very specific
techniques used by them. In 2014 Vastrakala became a part of the House of Lesage, one of the Metiers d’Art de la Mode within 19M.
The craftsmen undergo regular training and upgrading of their skills by specialist master embroiderers from Paris. Combined with the specialized fashion techniques learnt from our French master embroiderers, Vastrakala is able to create an unique proposition for our fashion customers. We provide a dedicated team: in Chennai, a creative studio with
samplers, several draughtsmen and a studio co-ordinator; in Paris, a creative cell comprising a French embroideress, headed by Eva Dunis. Together, this team enables frequent and quick exchanges with the Studios.
The new atelier, built in March 2021 is a LEED certified facility, located in the heart of a cluster of villages is now even closer to their homes. Since then, a third of Vastrakala’s work force is feminine.At Vastrakala, we believe that the embroiderer crafts men -and women- are at the heart of the project. As descendants of the master craftsmen
serving the Nawabs of the Deccan over several centuries, our embroiderers are the inheritors of a strong heritage seeped in traditional and millennial old techniques that they continue to pass down from one generation to the next.
The decision taken 30 years ago to locate the project in an area having local craftsmen and women -a region where embroidery has been in continued practice for 200 years- has proved to be invaluable: our craftsmen live in the
villages on the outskirts of Chennai and travel to work every day from their homes.
All our employees are registered and covered by the company’s contributions both to their retirement fund as well as health insurance which are traditionally only extended to industrial workers. Additionally, Vastrakala has arranged for a private health insurance for all employees, giving them thus access to internationally recognized health care facilities.
Further, the Company stands guarantee for the embroiderers to obtain favourable loans from 
legalized, registered banks in order to meet their personal financial needs such as births, weddings, higher education etc.
In 2007, as a commitment towards creating an
organisation that is fully compliant with
labour regulations and one that provides a
secure, ethical work environment for our
craftsmen, Vastrakala was one of the leading
hand embroidery companies to obtain a SA8000 certification. The certification has been renewed every year since.
The new atelier, built in March 2021 is a LEED certified facility, located in the heart of a cluster of villages is now even closer to their homes. Since then, a third of Vastrakala’s work force is feminine.At Vastrakala, we believe that the embroiderer crafts men -and women- are at the heart of the project. As descendants of the master craftsmen serving the Nawabs of the Deccan over several centuries, our embroiderers are the inheritors of a strong heritage seeped in traditional and millennial old techniques that they continue to pass down from one generation to the next.
The new atelier, built in March 2021 is a LEED certified facility, located in the heart of a cluster of villages is now even closer to their homes. Since then, a third of Vastrakala’s work force is feminine.At Vastrakala, we believe that the embroiderer crafts men -and womenare at the heart of the project. As descendants of the master craftsmen serving the Nawabs of the Deccan over several centuries, our embroiderers are the inheritors of a strong heritage
seeped in traditional and millennial old techniques that they continue to pass down from one generation to the next. Our company celebrates with passion the talent and knowledge of our embroiderers, these discreet but brilliant actors in the service of beauty, savoir-faire and an ancient and yet living craft.
Personal note from Jean Francois Lesage
I fell in love with India, Indians, and Indian culture when I was 19 years old, very long ago. During my second trip to India two years later, I was visiting Benares. One day the electricity stopped working all over the city, and strangely only one shop remained lit. It was a small embroidery workshop and the dignified old artisan was working on his embroidery
frame using exactly the same tools and techniques I had always seen at our family workshop in Paris. India and France share the same embroidery culture, influenced on both sides by the Persian art of embroidery. This was the beginning of my Indian embroidery journey; I wanted to prove to my family and the world that India was able to create, design, and embroider the most refined embroidery work.
We settled in Chennai, Madras at that time. We had humble start; 4 founders and 6 embroiderers. Slowly but surely, we started catching more and more prestigious and complex embroidered projects, which went from the entirely embroidered state dining room of the Rashtrapathi Bhavan, Vaux le Viconte Royal Bedroom, Windsor Castle Royal Guest tapestry, the opera of Monte Carlo, and many more, including Napoleon’s throne. 10 years ago, Lesage Paris and our main partner CHANEL proposed to join … We became their Indian Partners developing High fashion, Deluxe Ready to Wear, and luxurious accessories for most of the famous brands of the high fashion world. Interior or High fashion embroidered works can take up to 20,000 hours of work. Today we employ 500 embroiderers, women, and men. We are located in the heart of a large embroiderer’s community village west of Chennai.
Pondicherry’s name, like a diffused perfume, has always been floating at the back of my mind, a romantic Indo French
historical memory, a vivid Tamil culture today, a place where I can truly relax , contemplating the beautiful architecture,
meeting with dear old friends at a slow rhythm. I scrupulously always visit the wonderful Marché Goubert and its beautiful popular ambiance. I particularly love the center facade of the Cluny embroidery workshop, the quiet streets of the ashram, the beautiful staircase of the École Française d’Extrême Orient, and at the end of the day, a sip of coffee at the wonderful Indian Coffee House. Most of my friends like to stay at Maison 26, rue Victor Simonel, which I rented for many years long ago and which is now reborn as a formidable refined and romantic guesthouse. Le Dupleix is a place I like to go for dinner under some of our antique embroidered pieces, which we have loaned to the owners of the hotel – our discrete French embroidery 18thcentury presence within the magical Pondicherry.