In this episode of Chai Break, we dive into the world of regenerative fashion with Aishwarya Lahariya, textile scientist and founder of Jiwya, a 100% plant-based clothing brand based in India. Aishwarya shares how her background in chemistry, sustainability research, and passion for ethical design led her to create a fashion label rooted in zero-waste living, artisan empowerment, and soil-to-soil systems. If you're curious about the real impact of your clothes—from water usage to labor ethics—and want to understand what truly sustainable fashion looks like, this episode is for you.

• The origins of Jiwya
• Aishwarya’s upbringing, chemistry background, and move from the U.S. to India to build her brand
• Why most cotton (even “organic”) is greenwashed—and what truly sustainable sourcing looks like
• What a soil-to-soil ecosystem really is and how Jiwya’s designs biodegrade in just 60 days
• The reality of fast fashion: mass production, clearance culture, and the “Oops we bought too much” problem
• Why ethical pricing still feels "expensive" and how to shift the consumer mindset
• The science behind plant-based dyes that use 1/10th the water of conventional methods—and return nutrients to the soil
• Empowering artisans and preserving textile crafts across 100+ clusters in India
• The challenge of scaling while staying true to values—and what it means to vote with your wallet
• Aishwarya’s thoughts on the future of fashion, the Buy Now documentary, and her work with Nadhi, a women in climate collective