AISHA SARAF KOTHARI

THIS FASHIONISTA WITH A FLAIR FOR BUSINESS BRINGS THE BEST OF THE WEST TO SOUTH ASIA WITH HER BRAND. IN A CANDID CHAT WITH HELLO!, SHE SPILLS THE TEA ON LIFE, WORK AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN

- NOOR ANAND CHAWLA

Aisha Saraf Kothari is always on the move. She constantly shuttles between her home base in Antwerp, Belgium, and her family homes in Delhi and Dubai, also making pit stops for work across the globe and visiting the choicest destinations to relax. When we connect with her, she’s in Milan for fashion week. And next on her agenda is Boston to present a talk at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Paris for work, and finally back home in Antwerp — all within the span of 12 days! So we assuredly believe her when she asserts, “I feel like a global citizen. Like I belong everywhere.”

This jet setter lifestyle shaped Aisha’s personality and led her to launch her brand AiSpi in 2017; it’s is an e-commerce platform for fashionistas across South Asia to discover and shop the hidden gems of international fashion. Her global exposure, knowledge of business and keen eye for trends quickly made her a name to reckon with in the South Asian retail space.

“South Asians deserve the world. They have taste, they have the spending power, and they are yearning for access to the best,” she shares. “I wanted to bring this exposure of the world to South Asia, for my family and friends.”

“As I’ve lived abroad for many years, I’ve had the opportunity to explore different places. There’s so much the world has to offer beyond what’s available for people to see on the internet alone. This is why I created a digital ecosystem that would offer access to shopping, food, sightseeing, hidden travel secrets and so much more."

A PASSION PROJECT