'There's no steady set of influences'

Hyderabad-based design house Aisha Rao has firmly established itself as a celebrated name in the Indian fashion landscape. At the helm is Aisha Rao, a creative force whose journey is as eclectic as her designs

A law graduate from the prestigious NUJS in Kolkata, Aisha's path took a dramatic turn when she decided to pursue her passion for design. She says, "My family was absolutely shocked, and my parents were a bit disappointed when it finally sunk in that I had decided to officially bid goodbye to a career in law and do this for a living."

Leaving behind the legal world, she honed her craft at IED Barcelona and Parsons School of Design in New York, where she studied Sewing & Garment Construction. Aisha recalls, "In 2017, I came back to India to start my eponymous label with zero work experience and not enough practical training in making Indian occasion wear or running a business. It was out of sheer stubbornness that I started Aisha Rao with one tailoring machine and one master who doubled up as a tailor on my terrace."