Gianni Versace, founder of the iconic fashion brand Versace once said, “Don't be into trends. Don't make fashion own you, but you decide what you are, what you want to express by the way you dress and the way to live”.

Fashion designer, Aasshna Aroraa believes in a similar philosophy. A proponent of the importance of self-evolution, self-expression and all the forms it can take, Aasshna has created Strey, a unique street-wear brand that challenges conventional notions of conformity and embodies the spirit of counter-culture. Behind the bold designs that feature regularly on Strey's catalogue is Aasshna's nuanced understanding of fashion. She believes that it's important that one's sense of fashion expresses who they are as people. However, keeping in mind that people evolve as time passes and so does their sense of style, she has created a brand that offers unique and limited edition fashion. No design is ever restocked once it sells out but instead new products are launched so as to keep up with the ever changing trends.

The ace fashion designer is also a committed friend of our furry friends and ensures that Strey takes regular initiatives to support animal welfare. Drawing inspiration from her late grandfather, M. L. Arora, Aasshna is completely committed to building Strey into a successful enterprise. The Women Entrepreneur Magazine, had an in-depth conversation with Aasshna about her unique brand and her views of the fashion industry's evolution. Here are choice excerpts from the conversation.

Introduce Us To The Brand Strey And The Underlying Philosophy Behind It.

Established in 2017, Strey is a Mumbai based street-wear fashion brand. It features a wide range of products including T-shirts, track-pants, dresses, coords, jackets, hoodies along with accessories such as bags, masks, caps and skateboards. With heavy graphics and complex embroideries, our bold designs have a unique edge and a rebellious vibe.

Strey's perspective on fashion is to go against the cultural norms and breakthrough the conformity by forming a 'counter culture'. 'This is Counter Culture', is the brands motto and it portrays our beliefs to create a sub culture where values and norms differ substantially from our mainstream society.

Strey has a passion for animals and collaborates with various animal welfare charities across the city. A percentage of our profits is donated to aid homeless animals because our goal is to see all stray animals safe and healthy.

Take Us Through Your Early Educational Journey And Prior Industry Experience That You Bring To The Table. How Did You Develop An Interest In Fashion And Decide To Venture Out On Your Own?

I have an undergraduate degree in business management from the University of Nottingham. Post my graduation I started working for my textiles & furnishing fabrics' family business in Mumbai. While working for them I realized that I had a good eye for design, colours and understood the nuances & compositions of fabrics. I also imbibed core leadership qualities such as perseverance and dedication by observing my late grandfather Mr. M. L Arora, who singlehandedly grew a textile empire from a small handkerchief shop.

After working in my family business for close to two years, I decided to start my own fashion business. I wanted to leverage my knowledge and creativity to diversify into a new field, i.e. street-wear fashion. I had observed that at the time, street-wear was a niche market and had almost no presence in the Indian fashion industry. So I decided to start Strey in order to breach this marketplace and provide people with specially curated and designed products that exceeded the usual expectations.

“My advice to young women and girls would be to take their education seriously so that they have enough knowledge and experience to draw from. I would also recommend taking up internships or jobs before starting their own business so that they can learn more and use all of it when starting out on their own”

What Are The Various Roles & Responsibilities That You Currently Shoulder At Strey? What Are Some Of The Most Pressing Challenges That You Face As The Founder And How Do You Successfully Tackle Them?

As the founder, I work on a myriad of different things at Strey. I oversee the designers, product development and am in charge of the sales as well as the production at the factory. I believe it is crucial for the founder to be a part of every facet of the company right from sourcing raw materials to the final packaging.

Some of the challenges I face is delegating work to others and asking for help when needed as I have always been the kind of person who believes the best work is done by oneself. But recently I have learned to manage my expectations and receive help from others because I recognize where my strengths lie and understand the value of collaborative minds.

As An Entrepreneur, How Do You Foresee The Fashion Industry Evolving In India Going Forward? How Do You Intend To Keep Strey Aligned With These Changes?

I believe that the fashion industry will evolve around a more niche oriented market rather than adapting to the masses. The brands might follow trends and still have some growth but eventually they will come to a halt as their USP caters to following other trends rather than making their own. We at Strey make our own trends and that is what makes us unique. We don't follow any predisposed colour schemes, styles or seasons.

We are now in a digital age where change is inevitable so all brands would have to keep up with the new times we are all living in and adapt to seamless online transactions and explore the various dimensions in the tech landscape.

How Has Strey's Growth Journey Been So Far? What Is Your Vision For Strey's Next Phase Of Growth?

Since its inception in 2017, Strey's launch set out to be an inspiration for other brands in this marketplace. Stimulating this kind of imitation in this niche market was the biggest form of flattery in itself. Most brands would fear the competition, but we welcome it as it helps us to further reach our potential. Nevertheless our brand's growth has been progressive yet steady. In the last four years we have gained a large following on our social media of loyal consumers. We have also been working towards our mission statement where we have been part of multiple adoptathons, pop ups, and provided animal ambulances for stray animals. Our long term goal would be to open a virtual store in the metaverse era however in the meantime we aim to focus on sustainability in our future product lines from up-cyling to reusing material.