Today on the blog, we feature, Nisha Arora, principal designer and founder of Ishaavi, a sustainable fashion label for women, based in Gurgaon. Meet the maker at the February 2020 edition of By Hand from the Heart Makers Market in Chennai.
Tell us a bit about yourself.
I’m born and brought up in Gurgaon and youngest amongst my siblings, with an elder sister and 2 elder brothers. I did my schooling from Gurgaon and graduated in Bachelors of Art from University of Delhi. After my graduation, I pursued my fashion design and development studies from IIFT and NIFT Delhi.
Being an alumni of NIFT Delhi, I have a very strong and persuasive voice when it comes to design. Since my childhood, I knew I wanted to be a designer and after completing my studies, I started working as a freelance creative designer and later joined my family business ‘Ambika Aesthetics.’ With an extensive designing experience of 21 years, I co-founded ‘Ishaavi’ with my support system and husband Lovi Arora.
Why did you become a maker? Why is making so important to you?
Since my childhood, I always aspired to be a designer. I have been fascinated by fashion and admired the beautiful weaves & textiles of our country. The major inspiration came from the women around me, like my teachers, mom and aunts who were impeccably dressed all the time. Fashion has always been my first and last choice. It’s like another child to me which I’ve been nurturing with my full attention and patience.
How did you begin Ishaavi?
In my quest to conserve the tradition of hand-woven textiles, I envision Ishaavi and for it to be a part of collective efforts towards eco-green. My aim is to be able to do even more for our environment and reach our fashion forward audience in a creative yet classic way through my true practices and through Ishaavi.
Ishaavi begun to stand for everything sustainable and takes a full life cycle approach – it looks at everything from fabric to dyes and finishes, to ethics during the production process and to the waste at the end. Through Ishaavi, we honour handlooms by conceptualising our self in creating end- to-end sustainability. We bring back local craft technique in a contemporary avatar and encourage people to embrace conscious fashion.
What is the story behind your brand name?
Ishaavi is another name of Goddess Durga. We started this label with a belief that modern clothing should symbolise all that is good and harmonious in the world. Being authentic and to produce responsibly, we focus on homegrown fabrics, heritage textiles, indigenous silhouettes and artisanal techniques to create clothes that have a long and valuable life.
How has your business evolved over the years?
Although we are still at young stage of our business but since we started we have had the opportunity to work with different weaving communities along India’s regional craft belt. These weaving communities are majorly based out of Hyderabad and Maheshwar. We have also worked with the weavers from Kolkata on hand-weaving technique of jamdani. We have worked with organic and rich Indian fabrics like 100 counts cotton, handwoven handspun yarn, Muslin and Khadi.
Your work space; the artisans you work with.
As an own label maker, one thing I have learned is that you have to depend on many, many people to make things happen , so you need to assemble a great team of people to do things well. Thus it has always been my endeavour to have a team on board which has the same goals as I do and provide my team with a comfortable and familiar environment with their own personal space in order to bring out the best in them which I feel is clearly represented in their work as each product has its makers personal touch.
Your favorite work tool.
The classic work tool for a designer are my most favourite, they are sketch colours & sketch books.
What is currently on your work table?
Gearing up for Ishaavi’s spring summer 2020 collection, I have been toying up with a lot of out of the box ideas. At the moment, I have lots of colour pens, notepad, fabric swatches, my water bottle & my laptop at my work table.
What is your personal favorite pick from your label right now? And why?
My personal style and my wardrobe beholds the designs and the garments that I design for Ishaavi. My personal favourite is Bella Bamboo. Its a pale champagne over-lap fine cotton dress. It has delicate hand embroidery motif on side panels along with handcrafted smocking details. I like to wear it as it personify my sense of style and elevates my personality. I also have a sense of nostalgia attached to the smocking technique thats used in this piece. Above all, its sustainable, comfortable, simple, elegant and suits every body type.
What are your displaying at the By Hand, From The Heart.
We’ll be displaying our upcoming collection (Spring Summer’20) at the By Hand, from the Heart. The collection is going to be a mix of Sarees, Kurtas, dresses, tops & pants.
Meet the Maker @
By Hand from the Heart: Makers Market – 29th Edit
7 – 8 February 2020, Friday – Saturday | 10 a.m – 9 p.m
Hanu Reddy Residences, No. 41/19, Poes Garden, Chennai 600086, India.
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