Karn Malhotra is an Indian couture house built around embellishment. Every garment leaves the Mumbai studio with hand-applied detail across three lines: Signature, Premium, and Couture. Each piece is made to order and hand-finished before it ships.

Embellishment as language

Embellishment is not decoration at Karn Malhotra. It is the design. The studio works in a tight vocabulary of seven techniques, often combined on a single piece:

• Crystal work
• Sequin work
• Pearl detail
• Mirror appliqué
• Beadwork including glass beads
• Tasselwork
• Heritage embroideries like zardosi, pitta, resham

AURUM, from the Couture line, is the clearest expression of this vocabulary: gold and silver sequins, crystals, mirrors, glass beads, and tassel detail layered onto one garment. METROPOLIS, SONA, and ZARINA carry the same vocabulary in different proportions across the Signature and Premium tiers. We reimagine India’s heritage embroideries through a contemporary lens—giving traditional craftsmanship a new way of being lived, felt, and worn.

The material palette

The fabric story is led by two materials. Georgette and satin together appear on roughly seven out of every ten pieces. Georgette gives the line its fluid drape. Satin gives it structure and sheen. The remaining palette:

• Crepe, for pieces with weight and movement
• Lycra, for fitted silhouettes
• Tulle, for layered volume
• Silk, used selectively on Couture pieces
• Cotton lining on selected garments, for comfort against the skin under embellishment

Structured and fluid

The collection works in a clear binary. Half the pieces are built around structure: corsetry, sculpted shoulders, tailored jackets, defined silhouettes. The other half are built around movement: drape, fluidity, flow. THE CHRYSALIS MONOLITH and LEILA Corset and Pant Set sit on the structured end. AURUM, ALUNA, and THE SCULPTED AURORA sit on the fluid end. Each tier carries both registers, and a commission can be placed at either pole.

Hand-applied across the line

Every embellished element at Karn Malhotra is applied by hand. Sequins, crystals, pearls, mirrors, beads, and tassels are stitched onto the base fabric in the Mumbai studio before the garment is constructed around them. Pieces are then made to order, cut to the client's measurements, and hand-finished before they ship. The studio operates by appointment in Mumbai, with worldwide consultations on request.

Couture: the highest expression

The Couture line is where the house pushes to its creative limit: a small number of sculptural, one-of-a-kind pieces created each year, embellished at the highest possible density. These are not products to be repeated but statements of what the atelier can do, conceived to lead the runway, the campaigns, and the conversation. Each Couture commission is co-created with the wearer, priced on request, built once, for one person, and never made again.