Three senior girls turn inspiration into fashion accessories

It started with an art class field trip to the Museum of Modern Art in San Francisco. Seniors Sai Janaswamy, Divya Veturi and Sruthi Damodar made matching halter tops for the occasion. After three days of manual ─ the sewing machine was broken ─ but enjoyable labor, the three friends sported their one-of-a-kind outfits to the city. Little did they expect a custom request for the same halter tops some months later by one of their peers.

"Sai [Janaswamy] was talking to [Dean of Students Michael Hicks], and he said, 'You should go into fashion, start a business,'" Damodar said.

The advice was only logical. Janaswamy hoped to pursue a college education in art school and had learned to stitch by years of observing her mother. Veturi used to make earrings out of "anything ─ paper clips, etc." Damodar's specialty was knitting (she also became in charge of the business aspect of the company). Home economics was part of their culture and their interest in fashion was fostered along.

"My aunt teaches embroidery and sewing classes, so she taught me," Veturi said. "We go around for tips and advice from other people. It's helpful because a lot of my family and friends are in the fashion industry."

The threesome started with a small project: the halter tops. The success eventually led to the creation of ily Design, where they designed, made and sold jewelry and clothing items. The collection was full of necklaces, bracelets and earrings, sometimes in sets, made of different combinations of colored beads. Veturi considered one of her greatest feat to be a double necklace made of 400 to 500 small beads and a pair of matching earrings. Mostly, their jewelry was often inspired by their mood at the moment. They also expanded their scope to taking custom orders. So far their commission has included a formal dress and their original halter tops.

They looked to YouTube videos, magazines and music videos for creative inspiration. But most of the time, they were a free-flowing team. There were no strict deadlines other than custom design requests, they were not the bosses of each other and especially since they were close friends (Damodar and Veturi are cousins), they were free to express their thoughts in the designing process without having to worry about judgment and condemnation from each other. The end products were results of this attitude: three good friends who pursued a mutual hobby in their spare time. All of the profit returns to the business for materials for future collections. Janaswamy put it simply:

"We do whatever we feel like doing, and that's the best."

That is also the reason why high school would not be the end of their entrepreneurship venture. Since many projects were executed independently, they see themselves continuing to freelance design even if they would  be far apart in college next school year.