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hopped over steps of a polished wooden staircase, leaving a sudden silence in her wake. Her mother and the friend sipped on their chai and waited, sure of what she had planned this time. A moment later, Arya rushed back inside with a heap of 7 x 7 in glossy Origami papers, much to her mother’s amusement. Arya sat next to Meena Aunty and began. “See this, Aunty. It’s a parrot green body with purple designs and I know this sari will look so pretty on you!” and Meena Aunty played along. “Hmm yes baby, this is beautiful, but do you have anything in pink?”

This game was a common occurrence for Arya’s mom and her clients. “I suppose you could say that’s where Arya Giri was born,” Arya Giri says. Arya’s story is one constructed across numerous longitudes and latitudes, Missouri, California, Singapore, Chennai, and more. Having moved around so much through her formative years, Arya's understanding of her cultural roots and identity came to her through fashion. She went on to major in Fashion Media and Industries at Lasalle College of the Arts, and started her label, Arya Giri.

Fashion First

She runs Arya Giri (AG), a luxe prêt label that combines playful self-expression and evocative poetry with powerful emotional links. By incorporating narrative into the fabric of AG, they creatively bring disruptive hand-embroidery to the forefront. AG debuted at New York Fashion Week SS23 and Paris Fashion Week SS24, and is represented by Evoluzione Chennai and Delhi, Pernia's Pop-Up Shop, Flying Solo New York City and Paris, and AG e-commerce. Bindu Giri, a handloom sari brand is her mother's brand. “The brand's collection of magnificent Kanchipuram sarees online is as one-of-a-kind as it is pure, with authentic handlooms taken from Bindu Giri's royal heritage. Bindu and Arya collaborate closely with weaving communities to handcraft Kanchipuram silk saris that are meticulously handcrafted from start to finish with excellence using original ingredients and processes,” she explains.

[caption id="attachment_35007" align="aligncenter" width="518"] From the Sher-Rani collection by Arya Giri[/caption]

AG's USP is interwoven into a dual-purpose statement, is at the core of the label’s philosophy. First, is to lead the charge in presenting craft in a humorous yet poignant way. The rate at which artisanship is accepted and supported around the world is growing, but it is not keeping up with the rate at which craft communities are contracting, Arya says. “By the end of the next ten years, AG hopes to dispel the myth that good quality always comes at a premium cost and become affordable for the public. The second goal is to support a multicultural community of people who are interested in reflecting on their cultural tangibility.” The AG individual, in Arya’s eyes, is “majestic, inquisitive, and effervescent, who values quality, history, and defying convention,” and the brand intends to enhance everyday items with a touch of high culture.

Fashion Week

Ten months after she launched her label, she was invited to show her collection at the New York Fashion Week. This was her chance to establish India’s fashion footprint internationally, and to “provide a crucial platform for the story of her collection, Sher-Rani, the Tigress Queen.”  The collection tells the tale of the phool wali, or flower garland maker, and how she becomes the local Tigress Queen or Sher-Rani by weaving flower garlands together. In a more contemporary interpretation, the Sher Rani shattered the glass ceiling to provide her children with a brighter future. “The combination of strength, grace, dignity and ferocity is what makes Indian women so remarkable,” Arya smiles. And flowers play an important role in every step of an Indian’s life, too, from birth to cremation.

Since then, Arya Giri has started selling merchandise in Paris and given fashion week showcases. They have interesting surprises in store for next year as well as additional ways for the public to engage with their work as part of their expansion plans for the USA.

 

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Sharing Lessons

Admitting that challenges are baked into the journey of a startup and the title of entrepreneurship, she consciously strives to continually remind herself that these are moments for learning and change.  “I think maintaining a growth mindset is imperative since the beauty of the job is its dynamism,” she admits. Being an entrepreneur involves a wide range of skills, and Arya has learned on the job, teaching herself everything, from production management and marketing, to expansion strategies.

“It has been a truly humbling and rewarding journey. If I were to share one lesson that comes to mind, I would say it’s the fact that no matter how difficult it can be, feed your creative mind first and then your commercial mind. When you are in the startup headspace, often it can be challenging to straddle the tightrope of saleability vs. experimental creativity. Finding that sweet spot is imperative,” she says. Outside work her stress buster and emotional outlet is dance. “There is so much in the pipeline for AG, BG, and otherwise and I look forward to sharing more with you. You can expect more dynamic collections, more places to find our work, and exciting immersive experiences,” she concludes.

• Follow Arya Giri on Instagram.