During the summer, I had the pleasure of having lunch with Nupur Goenka of the fashion brand AISH while she was passing through New York. I immediately gravitated towards her energetic personality, well-adjusted perspective on running a business—she takes it all in stride—and her mission for her brand.

What was the catalyst behind starting Aish?

In 2009, my friend had started her own company in New York City to work with her passion for fair trade and handloom textiles. I decided to ‘go with the flow’ of opportunities and started working as a part-time buyer for her. This experience served as my first initiation into the world of handloom; I started going to all the government emporiums and craft fairs throughout India and understanding textiles and yarns from different parts of the country.

I did a three-week program in Chennai Weaver’s Centre on the basics of weaving, facilitated by Ms. Kalyani Pramod—a force in the weaving movement of the South—to completely entrench myself into the technical process of this industry. I saw the warping process, set up my own table loom and wove seven inches of fabric myself. As business began to pick up momentum for my friend in NYC, I began to gain more confidence in my knowledge of what would sell. During this time, one of the Bengal weavers agreed to start making custom designs in very small lots—this was a big development. Riding on this opportunity, I started my own brand in 2010 under the name of my then four-year-old recycling project called ‘Let’s’ which would eventually transform into what AISH is today

Where does the name come from?

The original name ‘Let’s’ did not seem to conjure the feeling that we wanted the brand to embody. We wanted something soft, luxurious, unapologetic and endless, like a river. We decided to change the name to AISH.

You went to school in New York. Why was it important to you to go back home to India and start and run your business?

I am unsure what was pulling me back home. But an unexplained urge brought me back and I have never regretted it.

The fall and winter collection is so luxe and incorporates materials like velvet and a richer color palette. What was the inspiration behind it?

Fall winter hues, textures and feel is inspired by the feeling of comfortable sensuality. I imagined a cozy living room with a crackling fire, large velvet sofas and soft rugs; sipping full bodied rich red wine and deep in conversation with a friend or lover.

How important is it for you to run a business that supports local artisans in the Indian textile community?

We started working with local artisans because we loved the organically fostered textiles and its feel. We think the craftsman have something to offer to the world — a unique point of view, a beautiful textile with a heavenly feel that had the capacity to give great joy and delight

How does the brand incorporate sustainability?

AISH fuses artisanal sustainable crafts coupled with a modern global lens—70% of the fabric that AISH uses is hand-loomed on un-mechanized looms that use no electricity. We use natural fiber and VAT dyes. Production uses and then re-use the last bits to make bags for internal use, supplying material to NGO's for vocational training of women. In turn, this reinvents the last pieces of the products to make something special and one of a kind. AISH believes that this sort of time and effort spent in allocation is beyond the financial ROI. Our return, rather, is measured through their impact.

What does a typical day look like for you?

As an entrepreneur, no two days are the same, which is something special that I cherish.

What has been the biggest lesson that you learned while running your business?

Perseverance and endurance is more useful than talent alone.

Aish in three words…

Sensual, tropical, modern.

Images courtesy of the brand

Behind the Brand | Nupur Goenka of AISH