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New York City Discovers Aranyani


Photo Credit: Society & Diplomatic Review


Aranyani had its first big society blast-off in the Big Apple- NYC- with their high ticket and magnificent Italian leather handbags. Some were big enough to put the days’ shopping in- others, small enough to just put your lipstick, money, and folding eyeglasses into.

As India's first luxury handbag brand, Aranyani made a brief but unforgettable stopover at New York enroute London where the first Aranyani store will be launched at Mayfair in AW 2022. The impressive "Aranyani Discovery" event was hosted in conjunction with the country's focus on the ‘Make in India’ and ‘Local for Global’ campaigns. The "who's who" of New York along with the city's glitz and glam converged to witness the amalgamation of Indian heritage craftsmanship with a modern aesthetic twist in the luxury handbags.



The launch was hosted by the Indian Consul General the Honorable Randhir Jaswal and his lovely wife Dr. Abha Jaiswal at the Consulate’s gorgeous Upper East Side mansion and sponsored by Laurent Levasseur Saint of the famous YSL Foundation.

All of New York’s fashionistas attended: Lisa Silhanek, the key to the New York Fashion Week, Fern Mallis, who literally controls the fashion industry of who “is in or out", and Edwina Sandys, the London socialite and granddaughter of Prime Minister Winston Churchill.


Ms. Fern Mallis and Mr. Laurent Levasseur

From left to right: Mr. Aravind B, Mr. Som Mirpuri, Mrs. Dimple Mirpuri, and Mr. Haresh Mirpuri

Bouquets of brillianty arranged spring flowers decorated the room and meticulously curated arrangements of the fabulous pocket books highlighted the whole Indian ballroom. Sales were discreet and with new technology, many ordered online. The event was a win-win.

Two days later, Founder and Chairperson of Aranyani' and Sai Lakshmi Industries Haresh Mirpuri, his wife Dimple, along with Laurent, received at the Hotel Pierre in a deluxe suite their celebrity friends. Among them, Baroness Gabriel Von Langendorff and Ambassador Darja Bavdaž Kuret, former Ambassador of Slovenia to India and currently the Special Adviser to the United Nations President of the General Assembly.



During the day, the haute monde department stores sent emissaries to negotiate possible collaborations. Despite the current Ukrainian crisis, Yoshita Singh, the Chief Correspondent of the Press Trust of India to the United Nations managed to sneak out of the UN and gave kudos and accolades to this amazing Indian Aranyani blast. New York’s alive again and Aranyani is joining the wake up call.

There were several other elite women who shaped thoughts and trends in their unique ways. Gloria Starr Kins, Editor-in-Chief of Society & Diplomatic Review, Evie Evangelou, the President of Fashion4Development, Christelle Bois, Director of the popular hit docuseries - The Story of Art in America, Ambassador Darja Bavdaž Kuret, and Alison Levasseur of the Interiors and Garden Director of Architectural Digest at Condé Nast, were amongst of the prominent women at the event. The Indian diaspora was well represented by Lavina Melwani, founder of Children's Hope India, Bunty Abha Sahwney, the creator of the Partition Museum in India and Arveena Ahluwalia, entrepreneur and Global Director of Travel Zoo.

Breathtaking handbag displays were the cynosure of all eyes where Consul General Jaiswal, remarked in his speech that Aranyani symbolizes the “best of India coming to New York”. ‘Aranyani’, which means the goddess of the forest in Sanskrit, presented four exclusive handbag collections that epitomized the pinnacle of hand-painting, hand-embroidery, gold gilding and setting precious gemstones charged under the sun and full moon.

Mrs. Chung, Byung Hwa with Honorable Ranhir Jaiswal and Mr. Chung, Byung Hwa, Consul General of the Republic of Korea to NY


“This journey of creating luxury is actually a very spiritually uplifting journey. I believe that to build a luxury brand necessitates a positive impact at every touch point. We started this process by creating a state-of-the-art atelier that respected the people and our surroundings", Founder and Chairperson of Aranyani and Sai Lakshmi Industries, Haresh Mirpuri said in his evocative presentation. Aranyani follows a zero-waste manufacturing strategy and is a paperless and plastic-free atelier. The brand honors its craftspersons by putting their names in every QR coded Authenticity Card in each and every bag ensuring the buyer knows who made the product. Reserving the best for the end, Haresh presented the visuals of two children expressing the positive impact Aranyani had on them which drew hearty applause from a visibly moved audience.


Mr. Dilip Chauhan and Mrs. Yoshita Singh

Deputy Commissioner for Trade, Investment and Innovation in New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ Office for International Affairs, Dilip Chauhan, during his brief talk, pledged complete support to the vibrant brand in New York.


For more information: https://www.aranyani.com/