The soul of cashmere: Inside Janavi India’s devotion to detail

We never compromise on quality,” master ji says with a toothy smile as he takes me through the houndstooth weave on the loom. The rhythmic vibrations of the handloom shutters merge with the whirring of the machine looms, as I shout over the din to be heard. Master ji is both patient and passionate to feed my curiosity; perhaps a true reflection of the brand’s unwavering philosophy, which he has been associated with for more than a decade. I am at the atelier of Janavi India in Noida, where the magic of cashmere unfolds. The noisy weaving section is oddly meditative with artisans glued to their stations, some sorting out the yarns, others at their respective looms working with cashmere, silk, or merino waiting to become shawls, stoles, blankets, or throws. The structured cacophony then transitions to the quiet ambience of the embroidery and hand- embellishment section, where karigars bring exquisite shapes and motifs to life. Beaded flowers, sequinned butterflies, hand-painted details, or embroidered pet’s face on a stole for a custom order—the brand is committed to redefine luxury with divinity in the details. Jyotika Jhalani, the Founder and Creative Director, is at the heart of it all—from starting her design studio and export house in 1998, collaborating with luxury fashion houses like Dior, Chanel, Ferragamo, Burberry, among others, to launching the brand in 2000 and carving a distinct creative identity. Today, Janavi India is a testament to artisanal excellence revisited with innovative design vocabulary.

Jhalani reflects on her glorious journey rather humbly, “The time that I’ve taken to get where I am today is because of the sheer love and passion for what I do. The thought behind putting India on the global map was for the Indian artisans to be recognised.” Even while working with international luxury houses, the focus was always on quality and innovation. Her ultimate passion was to witness design take its next form. “And if I have to look back and ask myself, did I do everything right? The answer is no. But I did it with everything that I knew,” she tells me while sifting through swatches. Jhalani didn’t chance upon cashmere; rather, she draws on her Kashmiri heritage and nurtures her love for art, beauty, and craftsmanship. Her commitment towards empowering the growing community of artisans and designers has laid the foundation for her brand. “The team has grown because of my focus on the artisans and not the intention of building a brand. There was no Pinterest that they were looking at. I would say ‘titli banani hai (you have to make butterflies)’, they could make 20 different types of titlis from their imagination. And it was so refreshing. We sold thousands of these butterfly shawls in Hong Kong,” she recollects. The team has grown from four to 400, with a retail presence of over 150 stores worldwide, including Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue, Harvey Nichols, and Harrods.

Driven by spirituality and instinct, Jhalani is not someone who follows trends. She is inspired by nature and real life. “I create without inhibitions. For instance, if I visit a place and I identify with it, that could be the inspiration for the colour.” She gives her artisans creative freedom to experiment with motifs. The world of Janavi India is nurtured in happiness and joy. “We ideate, and somehow juxtapose the whole thing together as a collection. There’s a method to my madness, but the process is never linear. It’s not that we don’t go the conventional way; sometimes I’ll only make swatches and then work on a collection. But there’ll be times when there are no swatches, we dive straight into the collection,” she explains. The designs, though borrowed from India’s craft legacy, are always contemporary. Intrinsically ethnic designs may appeal to a certain crowd internationally, but they’re not for everybody, feels Jhalani. “You also have to look at age groups. So for us, ethnicity is the craft, different embroideries or motifs, but the designs are always modern. If I have to make a paisley, I’ll modernise it. We are also doing a lot more research at the moment, when it comes to design innovation.” With the distinctive use of silk threads, sequins, beadwork, Chantilly lace borders, and the finest of crystal embellishments, the Janavi universe has expanded to a home and kids line. Product innovation also allows the brand to address the seasonal challenges of cashmere. “While summer is one of our biggest challenges, we have worked extensively in the personalisation and gifting segments. The introduction of the home line is primarily to address the seasonal concerns as well.”

Janavi India’s journey reflects the deeper understanding of creative collaborations long before the marketing shebang. From Abu Sandeep, Bibhu Mohapatra, Pantone, Hanut Singh, to the recent association with Judy Chicago’s What If Women Ruled the World? Participatory Quilt presented at India Art Fair 2026 by DMINTI. The banners in Hindi were embroidered by the women artisans at Janavi India. Additionally, the brand played a central role in embroidering and stitching together the thousands of responses submitted from around the world, further extending this material and conceptual connection to India. “Partnerships come from leveraging the strength of both brands,” Jhalani remarks, and adds, “whether it was the collaboration with Bibhu, partnership with Kiera Chaplin, or Pantone, people see the best of you if they can understand and resonate with your history.” Turning to commercial viability, she adds, “But if I go into the practicality of it, it’s better to have ROIs signed before you get in, and not just do it as a creative collaboration.” The world has seen all kinds of creative collaborations in fashion. But where Janavi India is heading is to create a space where people need to know the brand for who they are, and look at the emotion behind it as well. “[That] emotion is love,” she asserts.

The same emotion translates to a thoughtful initiative under Jhalani, who has created an entirely customisable shawl, ‘Love’—from colour to name or message embroidered on the selection can be personalised—a part of the proceeds of which goes towards teaching the children of their artisans. The purpose is to inspire these kids to take forward time-honoured crafts and traditions for generations to come. As her advice to aspiring designers, Jhalani says, “Follow your heart, follow your dream. Challenges are a part of the process. If the colour isn’t right the first time, dye it again. You may feel creative today, and not so much tomorrow; you have to embrace that as well. You have to love who you’re working with and what you’re doing.”

Jhalani believes Indian fashion has come a long way. People have become aware of who they are. “We have designers like Gaurav Gupta and Amit Aggarwal who are redefining Indian silhouettes with a modern lens. Then we have Sabyasachi, Tarun Tahiliani, and Anita Dongre, who are very much rooted in Indianness and carved the way ahead.” The two imperative aspects that have come into focus are quality and the understanding of what the markets want. “When you look at the Prada Kolhapuri chappal making its way to international ramps, it’s in a way telling of how we used to ape the West in the past, but the tables have turned now—whether it’s fashion, yoga, food, or lifestyle in general,” she smiles. But there’s room for awareness—stories in cashmere need to be told, as there’s still a dearth of understanding of the weave in particular.

For Jhalani, the future will be centred on building a stronger narrative for the brand. “It’s the year where we want to show what our strengths are and who we are as a brand. We want to expand our design interventions and weave different shawls from different states. Try phulkari or ikkat on cashmere. The idea is to innovate and evolve, always.”

 

Photographs by TONGPANGNUBA LONGCHARI

Lead Image: A glimpse of Jhalani’s collaboration with Judy Chicago’s What If Women Ruled the World? Participatory Quilt presented at India Art Fair 2026 by DMINTI

This article first appeared in Bazaar India's February 2026 print edition

 

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