Stitching Purpose Into Fashion: Aanya Sachdeva’s Journey to NYC
BY REYA KHANNA
This article was curated by Reya, whose dedication and thoughtful work distinguished her contributions to the 2025 GWS Summer Writing Workshop.
Aanya at her first fashion show. Aanya Sachdeva.
What began as imaginary fashion shows for her dolls became real runway moments, but the roadmap was not straight forward for Aanya Sachdeva. Aanya grew up in Shrewsberry, Massachusetts and when she was only seven years old her love for fashion was born. She would create clothes for her American Girl dolls and soon learned from her grandmother how to hand and machine sew. As her creativity grew, she had the opportunity to attend a presentation for Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (an organization that donates to childhood cancer) where she saw a girl around her own age share her story of battling cancer. This young girl’s story touched Aanya so much that she decided to donate all the proceeds from her handmade bows towards ALSF. Aanya’s BOWtique business (as she named it) grew rapidly and she decided to switch to selling on Etsy and Instagram.
Aanya's passion began to deepen when it was time for her to apply to colleges. She had many sleepless nights working on her portfolio for her applications but when the acceptance letters came in it was all worth it. Aanya had gotten into her dream school, Parsons School of Design in New York City! Moving from the suburbs of Massachusetts to the busy streets of New York City was quite an adventure and adjustment, but sharing an apartment with her big sister made it feel like home. Aanya was driven from the start of her freshman year to seek new opportunities. She explored the city, studied the markets, and soon enough was ready to relaunch her business.
Aanya renamed her business to “ Aanya NYC” and added new pieces to her collection. She began working harder and smarter to expand and re-define her brand. For example, she attended New York Fashion week and had the opportunity to showcase her collection on the runway. She also held multiple fashion shows and events. Looking forward, Aanya wants to make a difference in the fashion industry. She wants to lead by example and inspire others through her fashion design and purpose. She hopes to continue making progress with Aanya NYC as a brand without taking away from the uniqueness of some of her primary designs and story.
Throughout her nascent journey of fashion design, Aanya has persevered and let her passion speak for herself and her future endeavors. Aanya hopes that her story can inspire young girls to never give up on their dreams and to always believe in themselves. Take a chance, stick with it, learn, grow and make a difference.
