About Us — Surat Hand-Painting Atelier Since 2002

The beginning

One room. Three painters. A very clear idea.

Hand Painted Saree was founded in 2002 in a small room in Surat's textile district. The founder had spent years working in the garment export trade, watching machine-printed fabrics dominate the market — and watching hand-painted work slowly disappear from the shelves of boutiques that once celebrated it.

The idea was simple: build an atelier that produces hand-painted sarees at a quality and scale that can serve wholesale buyers worldwide — and charge fairly for the skill involved, without inflating margins at each step of the supply chain.

Twenty-four years later, that idea has become a team of over twenty artists, a network of 500+ buyers across 40+ countries, and a reputation in the industry for consistency, transparency, and craft.

See the Craft

Our journey

24 years of growth

2002

The atelier opens

Founded in a single room in Surat with three painters and an order book made of handwritten notes. The first export order: 40 silk sarees to a UK buyer.

2007

First international trade show

We exhibited at Texworld Paris for the first time. The response was immediate. Orders came in from France, Germany, and the UAE within the same week.

2012

Atelier moves to dedicated studio

We outgrew our original space and moved into a purpose-built 4,000 sq ft painting studio in Surat. The team grew to 10 master painters. Production capacity doubled.

2017

500th wholesale buyer

We marked our 500th wholesale client — a boutique in Singapore that has placed orders every quarter since. We launched our own apprenticeship programme for young painters.

2022

20th anniversary & digital expansion

We celebrated 20 years with an exhibition of our most iconic commissioned designs. We launched WhatsApp ordering and our first website, reaching 40+ countries consistently for the first time.

Today

Still painting. Still growing.

The team is 20+ strong. We paint 10,000+ sarees a year. And every single one is still made by hand, by an artist who takes pride in the work — just as it was in 2002.

What we believe

Our principles

Three commitments that have guided every decision we've made since 2002 — and that shape every order we take today.

The hand must touch the fabric

No digital printing. No screen printing. No shortcuts. Every stroke on every saree is made by a human hand. This is not a marketing claim — it is the only method we know and the only one we teach. If the work can be done by a machine, we will not make it here.

Buyers deserve direct access

There should be no middlemen between a buyer and the people who paint their sarees. You speak to us directly — not an agent, not a reseller. You know exactly what you're paying for and why. Pricing is explained, not hidden. Samples are shipped, not just promised.

III

Artisans deserve fair recognition

Our painters are not cheap labour — they are skilled professionals with rare capabilities. We pay above-market wages, provide long-term employment, offer training, and credit our artisans by name when buyers ask. The business grows only if the artists grow with it.

What buyers say

Relationships that last

Most of our buyers have worked with us for more than two years. Here is what some of them say.

"We switched from printed sarees to Hand Painted Saree's hand-painted pieces two years ago. Our customers can feel the difference — and our margins went up the same season."

— Boutique owner, Mumbai

"They painted our custom design exactly as we described — the first time, from a WhatsApp photo. The production was on time. The quality was consistent across all 80 pieces."

— Wholesale buyer, London, UK

"I've worked with other painting ateliers. None of them communicate as clearly or as honestly as Hand Painted Saree. I always know where my order is and when it will ship."

— Boutique owner, Dubai, UAE

An atelier built on one belief