Continuum

In this edition of Continuum, Mrs. Aishwarya Lahariya reflects on her journey as an entrepreneur.

In conversation with Brand Mumbai, she shares her perspective on sustainable textiles. 

• Bharat has a centuries-old textile legacy, yet global conversations around innovation often come from the West. Do you believe Bharat is underestimating its own textile intelligence and heritage today?

This is a very layered question that finds its root in our inherent biases in Bharat, our lack of reverence for art of Bharat and our reverence diverted to only certain fields of innovation. Our recognition of Bharat’s art and innovations in textiles only surfaces when we see Global North amplifying it in a culturally appropriated manner. We are still in the colonial hangover of looking up to the Global North and not realizing our own wealth of knowledge.

• You work closely with traditional crafts and natural materials. In your view, what is the biggest disconnect between modern fashion consumers and the actual process of making textiles?

Modern fashion consumers (most of them) do not care how a product is made and who makes it. The blame for this is shared by both consumers and marketers, on what they look for and what they tell respectively. That’s the biggest disconnect.

• Why do you think so many textile businesses talk about sustainability confidently, yet struggle to change even the fundamentals of production?

The intent. Change comes with the intent to change, most businesses use sustainability as a marketing gimmick and greenwashing their claims. At the same time, smaller brands trying to change are always held at a very high standard, making it impossible for them to make mistakes. Bigger businesses also hold scale as a reason to not roll out better practices. Something as simple as picking a better chemistry in the same process, altering fundamental parameters like temperature, water intake etc. shouldn’t be that big a deal. In fact, most large businesses can create a  huge impact if only they replace harmful chemicals; A. with harmless chemical B. while keeping everything else the same. What lacks here is completely the intent.

• Luxury fashion has historically been associated with exclusivity and excess. How do you redefine the meaning of luxury through JIWYA?

Luxury fashion started in the late 1800s, early 1900s with a focus on skill and crafts. Then the brand names started taking center place, eventually putting the crafts behind. At Jiwya, we are not luxury because we want to sell an expensive product, we are luxury because we charge the real cost of making our products: fair wage, planet first materials and people first practices, respectful ecosystem for the art, artisan, skilled workers and the entirety of the ecosystem.

• There is increasing pressure on founders to scale fast and grow aggressively. Do you think the current startup ecosystem sometimes conflicts with the principles of conscious and regenerative businesses?

It absolutely does. The very idea of unlimited growth is impossible for both startups and large corporations. 

We are living in a polluted, highly carbon emitting world because we expect a business to keep making endless products and linear growth. In reality, for us as a society and economy to be sustainable, we have to move towards circular degrowth systems that in turn will generate holistic jobs.

• Artisans of Bharat are often appreciated globally, yet many still face economic and structural challenges locally. What kind of ecosystem changes are necessary to truly empower craft communities?

The reality is not as sad as it is portrayed. Artisans do have a healthy amount of work coming their way. The problem is fair payment in due time. Structurally, two simple changes can improve their work: Paying them on time and Marking a minimum pay for the type of work. One has to also understand the difference between an artisan and a skilled worker. Kalakars and Karigars. One aspect I’d like to highlight is that the world often views artisans through a very narrow lens of either being part of an underprivileged, ageing community, or as workers in small, over- crowded workshops. 

But, there’s an important distinction to be made. A skilled worker is someone who has mastered a particular skill within a defined field. An artisan, on the other hand, carries forward a generational art. This is something they have absorbed, practiced, and refined over years of legacy-learning and deep, almost instinctive memory. Valuing the two in their own depths is very important.

• As someone deeply involved in materials and sourcing, do you believe the textile industry’s long-term dependence on synthetic fibers is sustainable, economically, environmentally, or culturally?

NO. We need to stop using them asap. All of these come from fossil fuels that are primarily responsible for the majority of carbon emissions and in turn global warming on this planet. It’s like we know a tap is releasing fire and burning our home but we refuse to turn it off. They may be economically cheaper because of how much the government subsidises them over natural material but end up polluting our drinking water with microplastics. Culturally as well, usage of synthetic fibres is deconstructing generation arts and their feel, significance and processes.

• Today, sustainability is becoming part of branding language across industries. How can consumers and industry professionals differentiate between intention-driven brands and trend-driven positioning?

It’s actually very simple. Read what the brand is saying. If they can explain their efforts in the most simple language with numbers, there’s the intent. More jargon, complicated language equals dubious efforts.

Other than this, one can use independent rating platforms like Good on You, United Nations Fashion and Lifestyle Network, etc.

• What role do you think the next generation of textile entrepreneurs will play in reshaping India’s manufacturing and fashion identity globally?

The next generation can completely make or break Bharat’s heritage of natural materials and holistic practices on whether they adapt them, value them or use them for marketing gimmicks.

• When you look at the textile and fashion industry of Bharat today, what gives you the most hope and what concerns you the most about the next 10 years?

I think when I see a small brand trying to do better despite the uphill challenges, manufacturers pushing better materials, marketeers choosing vetting when promoting a brand these things give hope. The most frightening part is how easily a lot of these are being replaced by polyester as the primary fibre. 

• As an entrepreneur building a globally recognised regenerative fashion brand from Bharat, what do you believe is your responsibility towards your country, not just as a founder, but as someone representing textiles, craftsmanship, and innovation of Bharat on the global stage?

Of course! Culture and land carry meaning and stories that have survived centuries. The least I can do is listen to it, nurture it and communicate it in the right manner. The world is ready to listen to these stories, sadly Bharat still doesn’t value it as much as it should and I sincerely hope that changes soon.