Today we’d like to introduce you to Lekhitha Ammaresh, Bharathi Caldwell, and Isha Kondapalli.
Hi Lekhitha, Bharathi, Isha, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Samsara by LBI (Samsara) is a South Asian wear brand founded by Lekhitha Ammaresh, Bharathi Caldwell, and Isha Kondapalli. It began as a passion project. We wanted to create clothing inspired by the rich cultural heritage of India but blended in with contemporary fashion. It is our way of paying homage to the timeless elegance and craftsmanship that weaves together our collective Indian American memories as kids playing dress up in our mom’s sarees.
As frequent consumers of South Asian wear ourselves – we found it difficult to find modern & elegant pieces easily for events in the States, especially on short notice. This is not an uncommon experience amongst the South Asian diaspora. We saw room for improvement and seized the opportunity. As co-founders, we all have different educational focuses, but a joint interest in fashion and entrepreneurship brought us together.
Growing up in Texas as Americans while balancing Indian cultural roots, we each grew into reconnecting with our heritage and confidently sharing it. In designing for Samsara, a key goal for our clothing is that our customers feel reflected and confident/empowered in the pieces.
Through Samsara, Lekhitha, Bharathi, and Isha are able to pursue a lifelong creative dream.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been a smooth road, to say the least, but we are grateful for these experiences and learnings from the bumps along the journey. Our commitment to high-quality Indian craftsmanship has led to its own set of challenges: language barriers working with karigars across different Indian states, the opposite time zones having us as co-founders on “coverage shifts” overnight to ensure no production delays, and sustainably scaling our supply chain while working with local Indian tailors for hand embroidery.
On the business side of things, this is our first time as small business owners which has come with its own learning curve for us to balance while working full-time outside of Samsara.
That said, we are growing and improving daily, hoping to set up for a successful long-term future.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We believe in the power of blending the traditional elegance of Indian artisan craftsmanship with innovative design.
Our designs specialize in incorporating meticulously handcrafted embroidery by South Asian craftsmen. Each in-house design is thoughtfully brought to life at Samsara with attention to detail and a commitment to high-quality materials. We source each and every element, from embroidery beads to the lining fabrics, to ensure exceptional quality and comfort when creating our pieces.
We have a genuine passion for the creative design process and also provide custom creations to our clientele, offering unique couture for their special events.
Our collections are curated to embody a timeless and effortless style that transcends trends. We aim to create garments that make our customers feel beautiful, confident, and elegant.
As mentioned earlier, reconnecting with and strongly embracing our culture has been a key pillar in establishing Samsara for the founders. One of our key goals is to share this sentiment and create a space for other South Asians to connect within. In line with this goal, we are so excited to be presenting at NYFW this September with South Asian models and partners to continue to grow our community.
What does success mean to you?
From a bird’s eye view, success for Samsara is defined by bringing to life designs our customers can make lifelong memories in. Every individual who feels reflected and confident in our clothing is a success for us – and in doing so building a strong community for South Asians through Samsara. For us as founders, we recognize there is no one path to success and that the journey will have ups and downs. We are looking forward to our future, continually learning from the experiences and making our brand stronger.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://samsarabylbi.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samsarabylbi/?igsh=a3YwNjEzdzdlczE3&utm_source=qr
Image Credits
Ilavarasan Anbudurai, Rony Anthony
