CELEBRATE YOUR LIFESTYLE IN AGAATI

AGAATI derived from the Sanskrit word Agati means "Origin", arrival or arising. For us this translated to the emergence of a passionate brand with a purpose-to power the eco-artisanal fashion movement. We create one-of-a-kind designs that aspire to connect artisans to consumers, empower women and inspire a sustainable lifestyle. AGAATI also curates a select group of artisans from all over the world who create eco, ethical and hand crafted jewelry, bags and home designs 

The curation of wearable art and one-of-a-kind clothing, jewelry, bags and home  designs are narratives inspired from culture, history and nature. AGAATI is committed to bringing accessible luxury through sustainable efforts.

The products have at least one of the following sustainable attributes.

eco friendly fair trade sustainable fashion

To AGAATI sustainability is about servicing the makers and artisan communities and committing a long lasting friendship to nature. Socio-economic and environmental impact is the framework that we keep at the core of our design, supply chain and logistics. 

Fashion revolution

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Makers and artisans

We are grateful to the skilled artisans who add soul and create magic in our garments. It is our mission to bring the makers and consumers closer together. We believe artisans and consumers complete the sustainable cycle of beautiful one of a kind tailored garments. The artisans we partner with inspire us to respect and celebrate the true beauty of handmade which we are so fortunate to have access to and bring that to our customers too. 

Exploiting artisans for short-term profits has been damaging artistry where most makers want their next generation to leave the trade to do better. We want to make this trade better and preserve the craftsmanship.

There are 75 million workers in the garment industry and 80% of the workforce are women. When these women workers are exploited with low wages, gender inequality and harassment, the effects percolate throughout the society, scarring generations and communities around the world. We want to lend our voice and actions to enable fair wages and respect to these women.

We will continuously strive to bring impact to people's lives and hope you will join this movement too.

artisans, makers, who made my clothes, fashion revolution, fair trade 

Our approach of sustainably sourcing and using raw materials has four key dimensions.

Natural fibre: We focus on using natural fibres like organic cotton, silk and wool. Within these, we work with suppliers to find one of a kind, unique fabrics that provide soft luxurious feel while also being breathable for comfort and harmless to the environment. Hand weaved textile is used in almost 50% of our design.

Zero waste philosophy: An integral part of our design philosophy evolved studying zero waste design methods, then we took it beyond. We start with a philosophy of making garments that are timeless, desirable and of highest quality to last a lifetime. In our making process we use left over pieces of fabric as embroidery giving a second life to the fabric and leftover dead stock fabrics handed over as surplus by bigger companies.

Zero toxic chemicals: Dyeing of fabrics is one of many ways fashion impacts environment. While dyeing we use azo free dyes that have the removal of metallic component, which can create a textile-induced chemical sensitivity, or worse. Natural dyes will be used in hand painted designs. We are constantly exploring methods to find desired colors in natural dyes that is scalable.

On being Vegan: We thought long and did research before deciding not to be vegan yet. Being vegan meant that we either use polyesters (petroleum-derived fibers), or restrict the use within natural fiber like silk or wool, or we invest in R&D to find ways to create new fabrics that are vegan. In time we hope to make better progress. The search for the suitable peace silk is ongoing. We do not use any leather or fur products. Amongst animal products, we use silks and wools where we carefully select suppliers like humanely raised Alpaca wool from California and Matka Silk from waste mulberry silk yarns in India. Our research will continue.

Designer

Saloni Shrestha is a fashion designer with over 11 years of experience specializing in designing women’s ready-to-wear collections that are narratives of nature, culture and people. A fashion design graduate from Parsons, The New School, Saloni is trained in couture and ready-to-wear with her knowledge further enhanced after training at reputed fashion houses such as Oscar De La Renta, Diane Von Furstenberg, Zac Posen and Naeem Khan

Saloni is a native of the Himalayas who has lived and travelled across various continents, which she says, is also a key source of inspiration and influence. Growing up surrounded by purity of nature, diverse culture, music, vibrant textiles and bold colors have all been embraced in her creative process.

Saloni’s commitment to a creative life and craftsmanship slowly developed into developing and leading an impact business. Sustainability naturally shaped the idea of AGAATI when she recently moved from New York to San Francisco. AGAATI is a high fashion sustainable womenswear brand that has one-of-a-kind designs which connect communities, empower women, and inspire a more sustainable lifestyle.

Passionate about creating a positive impact for nature, artisans and women, Saloni is leading AGAATI into the much-needed sustainable future!

Saloni Shrestha, women founders

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