Building a brand is a very personal process for every designer! Each one of them has
Founded by Mrs Vina Ahuja, Akashi is a label imagined around the idea of Modern India. With a qualification in interior design, Vina Ahuja is known for her vast knowledge in textiles and fashion. At the crossroads of tradition and modernity, Akashi holds a strong belief in sustainability and contemporary aesthetics.
Breathing life into tales of body positivity, environment and diversity, Akashi is looking to encourage the women of today with a new perspective.
We sat down with Vina to get a little more insight on Akashi.
How did the brand come into existence?
I studied interiors. I began Akashi, after working in home textiles for two years. There was a lot of experimenting, research and travelling that took place before starting the label. As I was working with home textiles, I travelled to the villages of Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and many more because I worked with a lot of natural fabrics. Along the line, I realised that I was always passionate about clothing, and so I decided to start my own clothing brand.
“The idea behind Akashi is to give back to the villages and bring back old crafts which are almost forgotten. Akashi is about sharing our experiences, love and passion through our design and curation.”
Tell us a little bit about the inspiration behind the two collections at Pernia’s Pop-Up Shop!
The festive line was made completely out of Khadi. Our inspiration for the embroidery came out of pottery. The second line was inspired by chandeliers. The embroidery and other elements take inspiration from grand chandeliers and is used to elaborate the garments.
Our goal is to create easy to wear, contemporary clothing while supporting the cottage industries of India thereby encouraging the traditional techniques to be beautifully presented. That is always out inspiration.
Another thing I am really passionate about is body positivity. We see a lot of body shaming in today’s world.
“Any woman of any shape and any size can wear these garments and feel good in them. It is our aim to create awareness and create a positive change. That is very important to us!”
What are your future plans?
We are working on making our brand 100% sustainable. Somethings are very challenging when it comes to this. But that’s our goal and we constantly working towards this.