About us

From the Founder:

I’ve always been drawn to beautiful, delicate things. Flowers, old gardens, the wings of a butterfly, colours that exist together in nature without ever feeling too considered.

A lot of what I create begins there.

I notice these little things everywhere. I grow flowers, photograph them, bring them home and watch them change with the seasons. A hydrangea beginning to wilt, a lotus growing in my garden, the colours on a butterfly’s wings, a flower I saw while travelling. These are the things that tend to stay with me.

I’ve realised that I rarely sit down with a moodboard and decide what I want to make. My references are usually much more personal. They come from photographs I’ve taken, places I’ve been, things growing around me, or simply a memory of something I found beautiful. Sometimes I’ll hold onto an image or an idea for months without really knowing what I want to do with it. And then, somehow, it finds its way into my work.

Ironically, designing wasn’t something I thought I would come back to. After design school, I was so tired of patterns, stitching and the whole process of making clothes that I wanted nothing to do with it for a while. So, I went in a different direction and spent years working as a stylist.

Styling taught me to look at clothes differently. It became less about how something was made
and more about how it felt on a person. How it moved, how it was put together, and how the
smallest detail could change everything.

My own style has always been feminine, but never overly done. I love softness, beautiful drapes, a little nostalgia and things that feel effortless rather than perfect. I like pieces that have something interesting about them without trying too hard to get your attention.

And somewhere along the way, I found myself wanting to make things again.

Only this time, it feels different. I’m not designing because I feel like I should be a designer. I think I’m finally ready to share a little bit of my world through what I make. The things I notice, the places I’ve been, the flowers I’ve grown, the photographs I’ve kept and the memories that have stayed with me.

I don’t really begin with a collection or a trend in mind. Most often, I begin with something that makes me stop and look twice.

And then I see where it takes me.

The Founder:

Aishwarya Ray Sarkar is a fashion entrepreneur based in Kolkata, India. Born in Mumbai to a fauji family, Aishwarya lived across the country while growing up. She completed her school education from St Xavier’s College Mumbai in 2012. She then attended Pearl Academy in Delhi while completing internships with photographer Saurabh Dua and at Grazia magazine. In 2016, she joined Pernia’s Pop-Up Shop (now owned by Purple Style Labs), where she worked as a stylist. She married and moved to Kolkata in 2020 and started ARS in 2025.