hAAPI hour with melissa cho

Isha Punja: Building an Ethical Clothing Brand in my Dorm Room to Debuting My Designs at NYFW


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My second guest is Isha Punja, the 24-year-old founder of Hut Mentality, an ethical clothing brand sourced by Indigenous and rural artisans in India. The brand's clothes are made by hand and natural materials, such as organic cotton being hand printed with vegetable dyes. Isha's designs have been notably featured in British Vogue and at New York Fashion Week. With India still facing the devastating effects of its second COVID-19 wave, I was curious to find out how Isha’s business was doing. And especially because all her artisans are based there, I wanted to learn how she and her team have been weathering this pandemic-related storm.

Recently, her business experienced some controversy on the video-sharing app, TikTok, when she defended herself from someone’s comment saying, quote, “why do you put white people in our clothes though?” Before you hear my full chat with Isha, I invite you to grab a drink of your choice, and let’s spend happy hour together.

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hAAPI hour with melissa choBy melissa cho