Where Craft Meets Couture
Three decades, a language of her own
Since 1993, Payal Jain has built a label where Indian handcraft meets the western silhouette, dressing women drawn to a sense of style that endures beyond fleeting trends. Payal believes that each piece deserves the utmost care, with every garment passing through her hands before it leaves the studio.
Biography of
Payal Jain
Jain grew up in a New Delhi home where her mother played the sitar and her father designed buildings that would that would one day become India's green architecture movement. Music, art and design were part of everyday life, shaping the way Payal saw the world.
At her father’s request, she first completed a degree in commerce at Delhi University. She was drawn to architecture, but it was through sketching that her interest in fashion took shape. She went on to study at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in San Francisco, graduating summa cum laude in 1993.
She turned down promising job offers and returned home to open a small studio in Hauz Khas Village when the neighborhood was still modest and India’s fashion industry was still in its infancy. This was Payal Jain's first footprint as a Fashion designer.
Her first textile edit drew on the mirror work embroidery of the Rabari tribe in Kachchh, Gujarat. It set the tone for everything that followed. Indian craft would be the material. Western construction would be the frame.
Design Philosophy and Signature Style
Payal works with techniques most fashion graduates study but rarely practice. Chikankari from Lucknow. Zardozi. Kantha. Bandhini. Shibori. Rabari mirror work. She does not use these merely as surface decoration. She builds the garment around them.
Each collection takes twelve to eighteen months from first sketch to finished piece. She oversees every detail, from the first fibre to the final weave.
Sustainability
Inherited, Not Campaigned
Her father, Prem Jain, pioneered India’s green building movement. For Payal, sustainability begins with design and the choice of fabric. It informs every stage that follows, from processing and printing to packaging, and extends to the life of a garment so that it may be cared for, renewed and passed on.
Her atelier repurposes fabric scraps into accessories and artwork. Offcuts may become scarves. Nothing is wasted
Corporate Wear By Payel Jain
The Leela Palaces invites her to design corporate uniforms. The commission grows to over 300 clients in hospitality and aviation. Four Seasons, Oberoi, Taj, Aman Resorts, Rosewood, Hyatt, GMR Airports.
Career
Career Highlights and Achievements
1993
Launches her label from Hauz Khas Village, New Delhi. Among the first Indian designers to focus on western silhouettes crafted from Indian textiles.
2014
Inde Bleu, an interpretation of indigo, shown at India Fashion Week.
2017
Forbidden Love, built around the life and paintings of Frida Kahlo.
2022
Chasing the Clouds at Lakmé Fashion Week x FDCI.
2023
Neel. Designs for Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Health during India's G20 presidency. Unveils Soul of a Woman at the National Crafts Museum. Thirty pieces from repurposed white fabric scraps, with curatorial counsel from Ina Puri.
2025
Paris Mon Amour at Lakmé Fashion Week x FDCI. An all-white collection of Chikankari, Chanderi, and hand crochet. Zero waste. Authors India's first CBSE-approved fashion studies textbook.
The Label
The Payal Jain Fashion Label
The label’s prêt-à-porter and haute couture collections are made entirely in-house at its atelier. Ready-to-wear spans dresses, skirts, trousers, tops, kaftans, jackets and scarves, while couture offers bespoke and made-to-order pieces for weddings, special occasions and private clients. Her designs balance simplicity and detail each element contributes to the whole. The woman who wears Payal Jain chooses a dress for its line, its fit and the way she feels in it. It is an expression of her own taste.
Media Coverage and Press Features
Selected coverage from independent publications.
Some Things You May Wonder
Frequently Asked Questions
Payal Jain is an Indian fashion designer who founded her eponymous label in 1993. She is known for blending Indian handcraft and textiles with western silhouettes. Her atelier works directly with artisan and weaving communities across India.
Couture built on Indian heritage techniques such as Chikankari, Zardozi, Kantha, and Bandhini. She is also recognised for designing uniforms for over 300 clients in hospitality and aviation.
Ready-to-wear collections and bespoke couture for women. Dresses, gowns, skirts, pants, kaftans, jackets, and scarves. Custom pieces for weddings, evening occasions, and private commissions.
Official collections are available at payaljain.com. The label retails through Ogaan, Aza, and Ensemble in India, and through Anthropologie internationally.
Sustainability is central to the label. Her atelier repurposes fabric scraps into accessories and produces collections with minimal waste. Paris Mon Amour in 2025 was entirely zero-waste.
Your Journey with Us Begins Here
For bespoke commissions, press inquiries, or to visit the atelier.
