We plan to be the category leaders in sustainable athleisure space
Aastey, India’s first size-inclusive and sustainable athleisure, activewear, and necessities company for women, was incorporated in 2020. At Aastey, they strive to blur the lines between function, fashion, comfort, size, and fitness. The brand wants to offer women’s performance clothing a more sustainable and size-inclusive makeover. For women of all sizes, the brand is dedicated to providing a variety of unique designs in the categories of basics, activewear, and athleisure. In an interview with Fibre2Fashion, Aastey Co-founder Jeevika Tyagi talks about the brand, its best performing products, trends and future plans.
When did you start Aastey? What was the motivation behind starting it?
The idea of Aastey was born in the midst of the pandemic. We realised the morose atmosphere around us had begun to affect our mental and physical health. Women were already living under a mountain of responsibilities, and the pandemic had just increased it ten-fold. As the days turned into months, we started seeing changes in the way we live our lives and started giving importance to things that we had started to take for granted.
Through our research, we immediately saw a glaring need gap in the fashion industry, especially on how brands, even today, create mutually exclusive categories like petite and plus size to divide, isolate and exclude women across all age groups. Surrounded by brands that had limited availability in sizing and were continuously producing clothes that were harmful to the environment, we wanted to create something polar opposite, something that offered a counter-culture to fast fashion culture. We decided to not fall into the trap of the age-old stereotypes of how women should always look like stick figures without any emotion or feeling. Keeping these things in mind, we decided to build a brand on the foundation of two core values: sustainability and size inclusivity. We want to embrace everyone without judgement and want to give comfort priority over everything else. Thus, we created the term ‘live Aastey’ which means to be fully present in every single moment.
What does Aastey mean?
The word Aastey is derived from the Hindi/Sanskrit word Aste which means to be, to stay or to sit. The phrase, live Aastey, coined by the founders means to be fully present in the moment and live in the now by accepting each moment with grace. Conceptualised in lockdown, this was an attempt to foster a space where we can create our own joy right here, right now in every moment when you live Aastey. The extension and actualisation of this phrase is our Aastey tribe. Our tribe is a community of women with unique personalities and lifestyles. They have different perspectives on being active and multifaceted in their beliefs. It is a community of women who believe that there is joy in living in the moment and having a mindful life without putting unrealistic expectations on yourself. Therefore, the tribe is the truest embodiment of Aastey.
How has the sportswear market evolved in India?
While the activewear market had been steadily growing in India since the last decade, it got a big push during the lockdown and the recovery that followed. People wanted to wear something stylish but also more comfortable because of the intermeshing of their work and home lives. According to research analysis, the activewear market outperformed fast fashion, ethnic wear and formal footwear since the onset of the pandemic. Now, it is estimated to reach around ₹998 billion by 2024.
What factors are driving the demand for sportswear in India?
One of the major factors driving the demand for sportswear in India is the growth of the women’s market and the rise of millennial consumers. The changing lifestyle choices and the growing trend to be health conscious and fit have driven the Indian consumers to shift to activewear. Online shopping and social media platforms have also given a boost to various brands, especially after people were pushed to use online platforms for shopping during the pandemic.
What is the ethos of Aastey?
The ethos of Aastey revolves around our four core values, which are sustainability, size inclusivity, mindfulness and reducing carbon footprint. Everything at Aastey, from sourcing to packaging, is conceptualised to have the least impact on the planet and the environment. By using eco-friendly, sustainable fabrics with cutting edge designs, we want to commit to live sustainable and live Aastey. Every decision – from looking for the best reusable packaging to guaranteeing ethical sourcing – is taken aligning with this ethos, so we can enjoy this world with all its beauty and serenity.
Aastey also believes that no matter what, we cannot let the perception of an ‘ideal size’ to thrive anymore. It harms and demoralises thousands of women and men and yet we keep accepting it with a pinch of salt. why? Because we think there is no alternative, but there is! We believe there is a better way and will risk it all to build a space that is inclusive of everyone, every thought and every emotion. All our concepts and ideas mirror this philosophy, like our size names are inspired by elements of nature because we believe that nature is ever changing and evolving just like our beautiful bodies. Even the stormiest of nights and the brightest of days have different elements of grace and beauty.
What is the design process? Where are the products manufactured?
Aastey has a very robust design process built on research and development. Innovation is the backbone of everything we create at Aastey. Therefore, we believe in hours of research and customer surveys to create our collections and merge it with our ethos.
Our research focuses on maximising the performance and functionality of the products while making the least impact on our planet. This includes research across domestic and international brands. The research is done to check trends across markets and brands, price points, fabric, colours, prints etc. After that we do a WGSN (formerly Worth Global Style Network) for direction in fashion trends, fabric, colours, prints. Once our research is complete, we move on to creating moodboards, colour boards and theme boards that resonate with our brand’s voice. Once the designs are ready, they are shortlisted for sampling and then the selected samples are shortlisted for production.
We also put in a lot of time and research in creating the perfect stretch and feel for our Aastey in-house organic and recycled fabric blends.
Manufacturing happens across India and internationally.
Which are your major markets in India?
Our major markets in India include tier 1 cities like Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru, along with tier 2 cities like Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Pune and Lucknow.
What are your best performing products?
Our best performing products are the leggings, sports bras and tank tops which are crafted with different recycled fabric blends. All the different fabrics used are specially curated and designed to give our tribe comfort and effortless movement. Our extreme uplift leggings in 5 different colours have 4 multifunctional pockets which makes the product a chosen tribe-favourite. The tank tops come in two styles and are most loved because of their featherlight fabric and smooth texture. Our high-performance sports bras are ideal for all kinds of movement, from day to night.
What are the top 3 trends in women’s sportswear?
Demand for more sustainably sourced clothes: According to research reports, customers have become increasingly eco-conscious and want to know more about how and where their clothes are being manufactured. As the demand for transparency in the fashion industry grows, sports and athletic apparel companies have started using recycled and organic fabrics.
Increasing popularity of the 90s aesthetic: Experts in the industry have stated that the stylish 90s aesthetic is coming back to the athletic wear industry. Breathable and soft crop tops and leggings with a twist are on a rise.
Demand for size inclusivity: There is a rising demand for creating more size inclusive sportswear for women of all sizes and body types while asking companies to shift away from categories like plus size and petite.
What are the future plans at Aastey? What is the brand’s growth strategy for the next two years?
As per Aastey’s next steps, we plan to be the category leaders in the sustainable athleisure space. We spent more than a year developing sustainable and internationally competitive products, and we plan to compound on this experience and offer solutions to make women’s lives better. Currently, we utilise recycled fabrics or organic fabrics in 100 per cent of our clothing. Our pledge is to create a closed-loop cycle for all our products, and we aim to be completely sustainable by 2023.
Aastey seeks to make a difference by creating the most comfortable yet sustainable apparel, no matter the woman’s size, colour or shape. This is why we also plan to create a standardised size chart across India which is a massive task considering our country’s diversity. Our next steps will always be towards expanding our community by crafting more solutions to support and uplift themselves, including exploring other lifestyle spaces. Aastey’s Research and Development will focus on continuously innovating with sustainable fabrics and creating original blends that are sustainable but also that create the best experience for their tribe.
Published on: 07/12/2022
DISCLAIMER: All views and opinions expressed in this column are solely of the interviewee, and they do not reflect in any way the opinion of Fibre2Fashion.com.
