“Being at fashion week is excitingly overwhelming,” comments Aisha S. Kothari, founder of AiSPi. “It’s the gateway to a whole new world–one you desperately want to be a part of.”
For years Aisha has been packing her bags, season after season, and travelling to the biggest events that the fashion industry experiences: the fashion week. This bustling week of inspiration, creativity and style is where she AiSPi-s designers and brands.
Before we jet off to Paris, Milan and London for the upcoming fashion weeks, we decided to answer all the questions we’ve been receiving via DMs, WhatsApp and emails about how and where we find these amazing European designers. Our founder gives us a glimpse into her glamorous life as an insider at the most amazing fashion weeks. Let our four step process give you a little more insight into the life of an AiSPi curator.
Step 1: Appreciate
“Before you take on the role of a curator, it’s important to take a moment to step into the shoes of a spectator. What you’ll see is overwhelming creativity, beautiful materials, inspirational stories and art that lives and breathes fashion. It’s a complete whirlwind,” says Aisha.
Step 2: Hustle
“There’s a lot of hard work and hustle that goes on behind the scenes,” starts Aisha. “Most people just see the glamorous and attractive side of fashion. But despite all that, fashion week is the most stressful moment for the industry.” She continues: “Going in as a curator, you get to see the hard work, sheet creativity and determination that everyone has. From buyers to designers to journalists, everyone is focused and means business.”
“I like to compare this experience to being at a concert. You’re constantly stimulated, you’re on your feet, and you meet your monthly steps goals in one day! It’s exhausting but totally worth it!”
Step 3: Conversations
“Fashion week is similar to being a kid at the candy store,” smiles Aisha. “It’s exactly how you feel because you literally see, eat and breathe the most beautiful fashion the entire time. It’s very exciting because it’s all stuff that’s not been released yet.”
“We prefer to visit presentations, trade shows and showroom edits during the fashion week,” says Aisha. “The designer sets up a make-shift, interactive space where you have models wearing the clothes and this is where the designers interact with viewers. We get a chance to talk to the designers, hear their stories and see products up-close. For me these events are a great, fun space to be.”
Step 4: Curate
“When curating, we keep what is relevant for our target audience in mind. Of course a lot of things can be beautiful and nice but are they really something an AiSPi customer will appreciate?” She explains: “In order to analyse the brands and see if they are a good fit for AiSPi, we apply our pillars.”
Value For Money
“We have a shrewd curation eye when it comes to determining if the product is really worth the price. To do this, we look at the material, cuts, craftsmanship, process of production and the end result.”
Fashion-Forward
“Does the product look fresh and stylish? Is it also timeless and versatile? We ask ourselves these important questions to ensure our curations meet our style standards.”
Uniqueness
“We look for new, undiscovered brands which have either just launched or haven’t been established in the Indian market yet. We love to find hidden gems amongst the bigger brands at fashion week.”
“We get so many questions where people ask us: where do we find these designers, how do we select the products, what is our selection process, etc! Curation is my most favourite part of fashion weeks.”
“Before we decide what products and designers we’re curating, we consider the future edits we’ll be putting together,” explains Aisha. “For example, early this year we focused on Summer Glam, Resort wear Edit and Bridal Edit, now we’re looking at what we’ll be bringing to India next year (hint–you will want to invest in it!). We decided the theme of the edits we’re curating prior to leaving for fashion week. This small but important decision lets us focus on putting together a spectacular curation!”
“We focus on the type of edit or trunk show we want to do, consider our collaboration partners, which city we’re going to, and then we thoughtfully curate for it.”
PS. Now you can curate with us!
AiSPi has launched a new series called Curate With Me where you can come along with us on our journey through the fashion weeks through Instagram! You can tell us which brands to bring back, what pieces you’re loving or what you want on your wishlist. We will take you through the designers, their collections and our most-treasured finds, and all you need to do is vote for your favourites!
Are you excited to Curate With AiSPi?
Written by Team AiSPi
Visit our journey page to know more about the latest happenings in the European Fashion industry. To know more about London, Milan or Paris fashion week, don’t forget to follow AiSPi’s Instagram.