Aishwarya Lahariya smiles standing in front of pink flowers and wears a white and brown off the shoulder dress from Jiwya.

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Recently seen on the runway at London Fashion Week, Jiwya is a passion project for Human Ecology grad Aishwarya Lahariya, MS ’19

By Melissa Newcomb

In 2022, Aishwarya Lahariya, MS ’19, and her cofounder drove more than 11,000 miles across India over the course of six months, meeting with artisans in the hope of making their dream of a unique clothing brand a reality.

The end of the trip was the start of Jiwya—a sustainable clothing business that showcases the craftsmanship of the artisans that Lahariya and her partner met during their travels.

A model stands in a doorway wearing a Jiwya dress that features a floral pattern at the top and a white, flowy skirt.
A male model for Jiwya wears a blue striped, collared shirt and a white jacket with matching stripes on the trim.
A model for Jiwya walks to the side wearing a black dress with flowers on it.
Pieces from Jiwya's debut collection.

“We created a fashion supply chain that is the cleanest possible—from the first fiber used, to the last button attached, to the packaging,” says Lahariya, a native of India who earned a bachelor’s degree at that nation’s Institute of Chemical Technology before studying fiber science in the College of Human Ecology.

Jiwya boasts what Lahariya calls a “soil to soil” ecosystem: its high-end clothing is made from plants that, at the end of their useful life, can decompose to nourish the soil again.

We created a fashion supply chain that is the cleanest possible—from the first fiber used, to the last button attached, to the packaging.

(The name, as the brand’s website explains, is pronounced “g-v-yuh”; it’s derived from the Sanskrit word “jeev,” whose meanings include a living being or life force.)

Lahariya and her cofounder both left jobs in textile science in the U.S. to move back to India and launch the business.

Aishwarya Lahariya wearing a Cornell shirt and hat at a football game with touchdown.
With Touchdown during her student days.

She previously worked for a large mill and for a medical textile company.

“Fashion is the second-largest global polluter,” she observes.

“I’m trying to dismantle an industry where this has been accepted as a norm, and show why this better option is needed.”

Each of Jiwya’s pieces is handmade; the website offers details such as how many hours it took to create the item, and sustainability specs like how much water and electricity were saved in the process.

There’s also a section describing what makes each item special; a tank top and shorts set, for example, was “made in hand-spun organic cotton while teaching specially abled adults the art of leaf printing.”

As Lahariya explains, the raw materials for Jiwya’s creations are produced by more than 150 “artisan clusters”—groups of people, usually in rural areas, who make goods together and rely on each other’s skills.

The raw materials for Jiwya’s creations are produced by more than 150 “artisan clusters”—groups of people, usually in rural areas, who make goods together and rely on each other’s skills.

“No artisan survives on their own,” she says. “A weaver who uses a hand loom needs somebody to make the loom and the yarn, and a dyer who can dye it.”

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The result is colorful clothing made of natural fibers in intricate designs. Jiwya offers women’s and men’s pieces that include blouses, button-down shirts, dresses, skirts, shorts, and jumpsuits. Prices range from around $350–$430 for a dress; shirts start around $150.

Aishwarya Lahariya learning how to hand spin yarn from a large wooden and medal wheel.
Aishwarya Lahariya learning how to use a loom to weave pink yarn from an artisan.
Lahariya learns how to hand-spin yarn and weave on a loom.

Jiwya's products, all designed by Lahariya, are available on its website as well as in some boutiques in India and in NYC, Paris, Berlin, and Dubai.

The brand—which also offers décor items, including wall art—launched its second collection in September 2025 during London Fashion Week.

“My way of designing is asking how I can elevate existing body types so everybody can feel beautiful,” Lahariya notes.

My way of designing is asking how I can elevate existing body types so everybody can feel beautiful.

“It shouldn’t be that somebody with a larger body should only wear loose clothing and somebody with a thinner body should only wear bodycon. It should be what allows you to celebrate your own body.”

The business also offers a program called Re:Jiwya, which allows buyers to return pieces for repair, have an item revamped at a reduced cost, or earn store credit by sending worn apparel back to be upcycled or composted.

Models walk down the runway during London Fashion Week wearing Jiwya's new collection, which includes a tan and black patterned dress.
Jiwya models on the runway in London.

“Jiwya is what happens when fashion meets hardcore textile science,” writes Man’s World India, a luxury fashion and lifestyle magazine.

“It is the kind of brand that makes sustainability feel less like a marketing gimmick and more like a fundamental shift in how we think about clothing.”

Top: Lahariya wearing one of Jiwya's designs. (All photos provided.)

Published October 2, 2025

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