OUR STORY

“When I moved to New York in 2014, I was struck by something immediately,” said Nidhi. “The severe lack of color. Everything was either black or navy. Coming from India, where colors were so vibrant, I remember telling myself, ‘I want to do something about that.’”

The catalyst for her company came not long afterward when Nidhi was visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art for a special exhibit of jewelry from India.

“I saw this beautiful exhibit and this one piece of jewelry. The exhibit listed the name of the village, so I wrote it down. It felt so good to see my culture on display. I instantly got this feeling that I belong here. And, then it clicked, I knew what I had to do. I wanted my culture to shine in New York.”

The next time Nidhi traveled to India, she visited that village that she had written down when visiting the Met. She saw the jewelry makers and listened to their stories. She received a warm Indian welcome and watched the people create. She brought back images from that trip and shared their stories with designers. A few years later, one captivated designer turned around and built a jewelry line for Puma based on what Nidhi shared.

Nidhi is a technologist, fitness enthusiast, turned textile and fashion entrepreneur who is pursuing her passion. She loves interactions with craft researchers and master artisans and her travels to India’s villages. Straddling Western and Eastern cultures require patience and understanding. She leads with humility and gratitude and treats everyone equally, leaning on interpersonal communications and mutual respect.

Her technology background proves useful for managing her day-to-day company operations; it’s process-heavy, analytics-driven, and efficient.

In her spare time, she revels in the company of her family and child—and wishes that all professional women could have that quality time with their families. She’s a strong proponent of women-led entrepreneurship and gender equality in the workplace.