Aisha Saraf Kothari Is Looking To Create A Michelin Guide For Boutiques Around The World

During a fateful trip to Delhi’s Khan Market, Aisha Saraf Kothari went looking for sunglasses and found a major gap between the price points of glasses she stumbled upon at a small pop-up store versus the more expensive ones she spotted at an established brand’s store. This observation burrowed in her mind and, ultimately, became the foundation for her brainchild AiSPi.

“I started thinking about the Michelin Guide and what that has done for the food industry. Why don't we have anything like that for boutique stores?” the entrepreneur muses, as we sit down for a chat, “At that point, I had been living in Europe for a while, and I had no idea where I should shop. Because actually, if you think of it, all your fast fashion and luxury brands are available to you in every big city, right? Whether you're talking Delhi, Mumbai, or any of the major European cities. So, where can we really find boutique fashion? That's kind of where AiSPi took form.”

Aisha left her decade-long career in strategy and M&A to launch the e-commerce platform in 2017. It spotlighted niche international designers for the Indian market. Under her leadership, they have introduced over 80 brands to India and earned collaborations with names like Manish Malhotra, Varun Bahl, Shivan & Narresh, DLF Emporio, and The St. Regis Mumbai. 

“People say that you know your first business is like your baby. With AiSPi, it's really been that because it's been a transformative sort of journey on its own, where it's taken its own path.”

In a freewheeling chat with Manifest, Aisha lets us in on the brand’s journey, the changing landscape of bridal trousseau shopping, and so much more…

In Conversation With Aisha Saraf Kothari, of AiSPi

Manifest: How did your corporate background shape its foundation and its journey so far? 

Aisha Saraf Kothari: I think my background has allowed it to be a very sustainable business model. I think very often what ends up happening is that it's a very hard place to find a middle ground between creative and corporate. I feel like with my background and passion for creativity, I'm able to blend the two worlds together and give a very business and commercial-forward lens to creativity. 

M: What gap in the luxury fashion market, especially in India, were you most determined to fill with AiSPi?

AK: I think the gap that I felt was in this mid-range price point of boutique brands. So what I found is that, you see, luxury brands have a massive presence, fast fashion has a massive presence, but anything which is unique, it's not that simple for them to actually go into new markets because they have limited supply, limited resources, but that product really speaks for themselves. And I think that was a gap that we were really trying that we are trying to fill. 

M: Can you recall some of your earliest memories where fashion and travel melded together? 

AK: I've always been a list maker, so every time I travelled, I always had a multi-column list like where to eat, what to see, what to do and where to shop. The last section was always the most difficult one to fill, and even when I used to fill it, it used to feature interior stores or concept stores. That's kind of where my journey started, as I wanted to try and find places where I would be able to buy clothes and accessories that are my style.

M: How would you describe your personal style, and how has that affected the way you curate products for AiSpi?

AK: So I think my style is definitely bold in statement. I like to dress with no inhibition, so I mix colours and go for bold pieces. I don't mind experimenting. I love styling, so I think that has influenced AiSpi and what we curate. I think, especially in the Indian market, we like something that elevates the outfit, or something that instantly becomes the reason why people notice you're wearing it. And that's really what we curate as of today. That being said, after giving birth to two children. I also feel like somewhere over the last few months, I have started drifting towards a more minimal aesthetic, simply because it's much harder with two children to have the headspace to put together a whole look. 

M: Is there a pattern that you’ve observed in terms of how consumers, Indian consumers in particular, have evolved over the past few years?

AK: 2019 was our first year of retail, and then COVID happened. So, 2022 was the second time we set out to retail. During COVID, we saw this excitement to want to purchase new and relatively unknown brands, but there was literally nobody else even touching upon these brands. I remember this because we went to all of our today competitors, and initially we went to them and said ‘hey, why don't we curate for you? Why don't we become your buying department? Why don't we find these brands, and you can retail them?’ Because setting up a full retail operation takes a lot, you know? Our conversations didn’t go anywhere at that time. But today, what we see is that people are seeking out our brands. They are also seeking out other brands. And I think there has been this shift towards spending on things that are not necessarily branded. 

M: How has AiSPi shaped the way modern and fashion-conscious young brides, bridesmaids or wedding attendees curate their wardrobes for the wedding season?

AK: Trousseau is one of our best-selling edits, and that's why we’re so excited for this collaboration, because we see a very direct correlation towards shopping for trousseau during wedding time and our sales. Then there’s also gifting. Our price points fall really into that gifting budget when people are looking for options for a high-end luxury wedding. If you think about it, except for your potli bags and Judith Leiber, there isn't any other brand that really caters to Indian clothes, right? So when you are out at a wedding, you will either see people carrying a Kelly or a Judith Leiber. Everything is either leather or bejewelled. Of course, it looks really nice, but the point is that these bags are not catered for these outfits. And rightly so. We see the majority of our brands actually complementing Indian outfits because of the way that they are made. And today, with the rising prices of Indian clothes, you're able to buy a very simple lehenga and combine that with a L’alingi or a Rosantica, and actually elevate your outfit. So I think with the statement makers, the price points, the uniqueness, and the difficulty to get these brands, is where we add value to a bride’s trousseau.

M: Have you encountered any space where you've had to educate people about this? 

AK: 100 per cent. Honestly, that's where 80% of our energy goes in, and I think that’s our responsibility. I think that it’s important to tell the story, explain to consumers and educate them on the brands. If you look at our Instagram, we release a lot of videos and interviews with the designers. We, ourselves, will break it down for the consumer. All of our sales associates are trained on the history, geography of the brands we have. We also have a WhatsApp chat available for our clients where we tell them about the brand, the history, the price points, the materials, everything. So I think that is definitely a large part of what we do. 

M: What would be the top brands from  AiSPi that people should have on their radar this wedding season?

AK: I think the top three that instantly come to my mind are, of course, our top three that have been very established. So that's Rosantika, Marzook, and L’alingi. They're very obvious choices; they're brands that we've been working with for over seven years, I think. But to add on to that, there are some brands that I would always recommend, like Vanina. Vanina is doing extremely well and offers items at a really good price point for this, and the other onewould be Mlouye, just because I feel like those are mainly leather and if you’re a bride who wants to carry a western and Indian look, Mlouye has a lot of fun options that you can layer on.

M: You've collaborated with names like Manish Malhotra and Shivan & Narresh. According to you, what makes a good collaboration?

AK: I think the most important thing is complementing. You need to be able to add to each other. I think that's why Manish Malhotra's collaboration was one of the best ones we've had so far, because his clothes and our accessories really went well with each other. There is, of course, the acknowledgement of value-added. When both parties, and this is more operationally, see the value that the other one is bringing, even if they're a smaller brand and vice versa,  then it’s a good collaboration.

M: What are some designers or brands that are on your wish list?

AK: There's a massive list! We have a list of 2000 brands and products that we are constantly delving and looking into. I think one that I have always loved is Hotlips by Solange. They're very cool. I think Poléne has been doing really well. I do believe that is a brand with the right price points. Then there’s Boyy. It’s a brand we've been chasing for quite some time. Gentle Monster is a great brand, but it still doesn't have a presence in the Indian market.

M: What are you manifesting for AiSPi? 

AK: The first thing we’re looking at is international expansion, especially being able to cater to other regions which are in a similar space, like India. The second thing would be to expand our curation. We would love to have more products and brands under our belt, and I think the third thing is a larger sort of accessible digital presence.