Soil to Soil: The Chemistry of Conscious Fashion with Jiwya’s Aishwarya Lahariya

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