the intricacies of Fashion:Marketing & creating
By arianna adeseye & asya azkin
Aanya gorai
In 2016 (her freshman year), Aanya Gorai started AlwaysAanya, an initiative that sells scarves and donates the proceeds to various charities and organizations. Now a junior, Aanya sat down with me to discuss her marketing strategies and how her business has grown in 2 years. Check out her scarves here! alwaysaanya.com/
Arianna: Ok so how did you get into scarves as a business?
Aanya: Well my aunt has worked in that industry for a long time and one of the times when my family and I went to visit her, like just going to visit family, I actually saw and was able to meet the scarf weavers that she works with. So like it wasn’t the scarves specifically that interested me but I thought like “What can we do to help these weavers?” And just giving money to them is helpful, because as they use their own skills and earn money from it, we also give them money on top of that. [Through our donations] they get paid 3 times the industry standard in India.
Arianna: Yeah that’s great, that’s really cool. So have you sold a lot of scarves?
Aanya: I would say it’s been a year and a half and i would probably say that we’ve sold 10,000 maybe? Like around that.
Arianna: Oh wow. That’s awesome, and of course that’s a lot of money to go back to charity.
Aanya: Yeah but we don’t give all of it back to the weavers because we also donate some of it to local charities. We frequently donate money to churches near here, the Johns Creek art center, and places like that.
Arianna: Primarily how do you market your scarves to potential customers? Like do you have a website? Or do you prefer to go out to sell at flea markets?
Aanya: We have a website and we’ve found that it’s more effective for us because we have these shows once in a while. For example. all throughout December, our scarves were displayed throughout the art center because they have a maker’s market. So advertising events like that have been very successful so far and it also saves us money because with online transactions you have to pay a fee, so yeah.
Arianna: So you know you’ve had so many events, would you say that your business is bigger than it used to be? Or in what ways have you expanded it?
Aanya: It’s definitely bigger than I thought it would be although it’s still pretty small. But I like the size; it’s manageable. I’d say that our biggest expansion happened when not this year, but the year before. In 2016, we went to the art center; they invited us and asked us like, “Why don’t we display your scarves here?” That’s what really helped us to get the word out there. Then we also did this thing called America’s Mart, which is a show type of thing and through there we were hired by an artist. She ordered like 500 scarves because she wanted her work on them, so that really helped us to like grow.
Arianna: Yeah I can imagine. So have you guys sold at local places like the Johns Creek Art Festival?
Aanya: We haven’t done the Johns Creek Art Festival yet, but we’re going to this year.
Arianna: Oh yeah? You must be really excited about that.
Aanya: Oh I’m so excited about it! Also, on April 21st, Johns Creek is also having an international festival or something like that for the first time and so we’ll also be selling there because, of course, the scarves are from India.
Arianna: Yeah that should be fun, we’ll have to check that out! So what would you say makes your scarves stand out from others that you might see in standard shops and places like that?
Aanya: The biggest thing is that everything is handmade; it’s all handwoven, not from machinery, and everything is made from organic fabric like 100% organic silk, cotton, and wool. The dyes aren’t organic because if you use organic fabric with organic dyes, the dye won’t stick to the fabric. But the dyes are still all natural. And I believe that the fact that it’s all natural and handwoven makes the fabric a lot softer and the natural wool means that the scarf will be warm, but not physically heavy. Also the scarves are special because a lot of the weavers’ techniques are actually passed on from generation to generation. The scarves have been certified by UNESCO as like cultural heritage so it’s literally like art on a piece of cloth.
Arianna: Yeah that must be really cool to kind of pay homage to your heritage like that. And correct me if I’m wrong, but you donate the money to battered women and women that have been affected by domestic violence right?
Aanya: Well we donate [the money] back to all of the weavers, who are mostly women. But we don’t specifically donate only to battered women. However, all of these people have been in those situations because in rural areas [of India], it’s very common. So it’s important because most of the time, they’re not able to leave these abusive households because they can’t afford to live by themselves, but now they can because they have financial independence, so I’d say that’s probably been the most exciting about this.
Arianna: Well what you’re doing is amazing, giving this money back to the community and helping people who need it, so thank you for that and thank you so much for meeting with us!
Aanya: Thank you so much! ‘
Aanya: Well my aunt has worked in that industry for a long time and one of the times when my family and I went to visit her, like just going to visit family, I actually saw and was able to meet the scarf weavers that she works with. So like it wasn’t the scarves specifically that interested me but I thought like “What can we do to help these weavers?” And just giving money to them is helpful, because as they use their own skills and earn money from it, we also give them money on top of that. [Through our donations] they get paid 3 times the industry standard in India.
Arianna: Yeah that’s great, that’s really cool. So have you sold a lot of scarves?
Aanya: I would say it’s been a year and a half and i would probably say that we’ve sold 10,000 maybe? Like around that.
Arianna: Oh wow. That’s awesome, and of course that’s a lot of money to go back to charity.
Aanya: Yeah but we don’t give all of it back to the weavers because we also donate some of it to local charities. We frequently donate money to churches near here, the Johns Creek art center, and places like that.
Arianna: Primarily how do you market your scarves to potential customers? Like do you have a website? Or do you prefer to go out to sell at flea markets?
Aanya: We have a website and we’ve found that it’s more effective for us because we have these shows once in a while. For example. all throughout December, our scarves were displayed throughout the art center because they have a maker’s market. So advertising events like that have been very successful so far and it also saves us money because with online transactions you have to pay a fee, so yeah.
Arianna: So you know you’ve had so many events, would you say that your business is bigger than it used to be? Or in what ways have you expanded it?
Aanya: It’s definitely bigger than I thought it would be although it’s still pretty small. But I like the size; it’s manageable. I’d say that our biggest expansion happened when not this year, but the year before. In 2016, we went to the art center; they invited us and asked us like, “Why don’t we display your scarves here?” That’s what really helped us to get the word out there. Then we also did this thing called America’s Mart, which is a show type of thing and through there we were hired by an artist. She ordered like 500 scarves because she wanted her work on them, so that really helped us to like grow.
Arianna: Yeah I can imagine. So have you guys sold at local places like the Johns Creek Art Festival?
Aanya: We haven’t done the Johns Creek Art Festival yet, but we’re going to this year.
Arianna: Oh yeah? You must be really excited about that.
Aanya: Oh I’m so excited about it! Also, on April 21st, Johns Creek is also having an international festival or something like that for the first time and so we’ll also be selling there because, of course, the scarves are from India.
Arianna: Yeah that should be fun, we’ll have to check that out! So what would you say makes your scarves stand out from others that you might see in standard shops and places like that?
Aanya: The biggest thing is that everything is handmade; it’s all handwoven, not from machinery, and everything is made from organic fabric like 100% organic silk, cotton, and wool. The dyes aren’t organic because if you use organic fabric with organic dyes, the dye won’t stick to the fabric. But the dyes are still all natural. And I believe that the fact that it’s all natural and handwoven makes the fabric a lot softer and the natural wool means that the scarf will be warm, but not physically heavy. Also the scarves are special because a lot of the weavers’ techniques are actually passed on from generation to generation. The scarves have been certified by UNESCO as like cultural heritage so it’s literally like art on a piece of cloth.
Arianna: Yeah that must be really cool to kind of pay homage to your heritage like that. And correct me if I’m wrong, but you donate the money to battered women and women that have been affected by domestic violence right?
Aanya: Well we donate [the money] back to all of the weavers, who are mostly women. But we don’t specifically donate only to battered women. However, all of these people have been in those situations because in rural areas [of India], it’s very common. So it’s important because most of the time, they’re not able to leave these abusive households because they can’t afford to live by themselves, but now they can because they have financial independence, so I’d say that’s probably been the most exciting about this.
Arianna: Well what you’re doing is amazing, giving this money back to the community and helping people who need it, so thank you for that and thank you so much for meeting with us!
Aanya: Thank you so much! ‘
Kelsey Ahn
Kelsey Ahn , a junior at NHS, has always been interested in altering clothes to fit her own style and shape. I asked her a few questions about how she got into altering clothes and her fashion influences.
- How did you get into making your own clothes? And how would you describe the style of the clothes you’ve made?
When I first began experimenting with my sewing machine and my clothing, it was solely for the purpose of making them fit me. Being a short girl with (sadly) no curves, many "women's clothes" never quite fit me in the chest or waist area. I first began learning to machine sew in middle school, I learned all the basics at a few lessons, then went on to experiment and learn by myself at home. When my grandmother moved to America from South Korea, sewing was the skill which allowed her to make a living and support her family, so being able to work upon my sewing skills meant a lot to me- it made me feel much more connected to her than I had felt before. At one point in time, I began crafting small pet beds, specifically for guinea pigs and hedgehogs. I created the design myself, calculating which dimensions were the best for each piece of fabric needed, then chose correlating fleece and calico to make a bed, a mat insert, and various pillows sewed into shapes that corresponded with those on the fabrics. Though I made a few rough pieces of clothing during the years which I took sewing lessons, I didn't quite start altering my clothes myself until I got into high school. The process is fun and functional: I can experiment in giving my clothing new, unique flairs of style while altering that skirt that was too large into one that fits just right. - Do you think that certain brands influence your creations?
Personally, I don't feel like certain brands influence what I create. Rather, the changes I make depend solely on the article of clothing and what size changes, if any, I need to make. One of my favorite tricks is changing simple straight spaghetti straps into a racerback pattern, effectively shortening the strap length while creating a new and more interesting design. Another favorite is changing them into a tie-back halter top, but this usually requires tightening the torso part. - Who would you say you look up to when it comes to fashion and why?
When it comes to fashion role models, I don't have any one specific idol. Though I follow quite a few beauty and fashion influencers on Instagram like Charmiejanie and Jenn Im, each person's style is slightly different. If I see something I like in a post or even in everyday life, I may try to incorporate something similar into an outfit or two of my own. I like to take small details and make them my own in some way or another.
Camila Buitrago
camila's look-
With Spring just around the corner, Camila sent us three of her favorite outfits that she thinks would be perfect for the season.
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The first is of an orange windbreaker, ripped jeans, and white Nikes. This is a great color combination that is both easy on the eyes and reflective of the light colors associated with spring. The windbreaker is a great choice because it can be taken off if it gets too warm.
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This look is very simple yet chic; it is a yellow crop top with red Adidas track pants. The colors both contrast and compliment each other, and they will make your slight tan pop during the Springtime.
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The last look is my favorite: a silk shirt with high waisted pants, a black belt, and old school Vans. This look is the perfect combination of classy and original. The silk shirt would be lightweight enough for you to enjoy the Spring weather, and the shorts and old schools are a classic staple piece.
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