The Artisans Behind Chaïa

The Hands That Make Chaïa

Every Chaïa piece begins with a person, not a machine. Our beaded bags are embroidered in workshops across India by artisans trained in Adda embroidery, a centuries-old craft using a wooden frame and a hooked needle. Our crochet resort wear is hand-hooked in coastal Brazil, where generations of women have refined the art of one-stitch-at-a-time garment making.

Brazil: The Crochet Cooperatives

Our crochet collection is made in artisan cooperatives along the northeastern coast of Brazil — regions where crochet has been practiced for hundreds of years, originally for fishing nets and beach garments. Today, the same techniques produce our resort wear: bikinis, dresses, tops, and shorts.

A single Chaïa crochet top can take 12 to 20 hours to complete. A maxi dress can take 30 to 40 hours. Each maker works at her own pace, in her own home or studio, with metallic threads chosen specifically for how they catch sunlight on the water. The cooperatives we work with provide fair wages, healthcare access, and childcare programs — so makers can earn a living without sacrificing time with family.

India: The Adda Embroidery Workshops

Adda embroidery is a traditional Indian beadwork technique practiced primarily in West Bengal, Mumbai, and Lucknow. The maker stretches fabric over a horizontal wooden frame called an adda, then uses a hooked needle (the aari) to apply each bead one at a time from underneath the fabric.

A Chaïa beaded clutch contains anywhere from 40,000 to 100,000 beads, depending on the design. The largest bags require teams of four to six artisans working for two to three weeks. The skill level required to produce this density of beadwork without errors takes years to develop.

Our impact contributions support craft preservation programs that train new generations in Adda embroidery — an essential investment at a moment when industrial alternatives threaten to replace this 300-year-old technique.

Los Angeles: The Design Studio

Designs originate in Chaïa's Los Angeles studio, where founder Chaya Mobasser develops collections inspired by destinations around the world. Each season's lineup is informed by travel, research, and direct dialogue with the artisan partners who bring the designs to life.

Why This Model Matters

Mass production cannot replicate hand craftsmanship — it can only approximate it, badly. By choosing artisan-made pieces, you participate in keeping ancient techniques alive, fund fair wages for skilled women, and build a wardrobe of garments that develop character with wear instead of falling apart after a season.

Browse our hand-beaded bags, our Brazil crochet collection, and our impact partnerships.