Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Meeti Iyangar. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Meeti, appreciate you joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

Let me introduce myself, I am Nirmitha and I go by my nickname Meeti (means sweet in Hindi) and here is my story!

I moved to LA from Bangalore, India in 2004 to go to FIDM, where I majored in fashion design. I have an undergrad degree in costume design from India, where I also worked as a costume designer for some amazing playwrights, on incredibly crafted plays for 5 years. My backstage work thought me some discipline and vigor to keep doing what i love. Also all credit to my super incredible mother who raised me to be loving but strong and follow my dreams.

Consciously maintaining the efforts to source, make and design sustainable clothing is my main focus. Ever since I started designing and making clothes, my goal has always been to save and conserve fabric, the structure and longevity of the garment without sacrificing the aesthetics or style. My pieces are versatile, timeless and edgy.

Meeti, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Growing up in India, I had always been attracted to fabrics, textures, and draping styles. Through my extended family, I had access to endless yards of silk fabric and had the opportunity to create my own style at a young age.

I would spend endless time close to these family-owned silk looms every summer collecting colorful silk yarns, watching them weave beautiful sarees and get my hands dirty while helping dip thousands of yards of yarn into dyes. These experiences and learnings were endless, and I feel so fortunate to have had that. I started making clothes for my dolls when I was in 7th grade and it has not stopped, only now I make clothes for my kids who are my real-life dolls!

Before coming to FIDM, I worked as a Costume Designer for several plays and theater productions in India. I learnt a lot backstage about the nuances of creating period and timeless costume pieces. I believe this experience still translates to my design ethic and style in a contemporary manner.

I find sanity in my 2 beautiful kids and my husband. I like bringing people together and being around people, so I started hosting pop up dinner parties through a small app called kitchentable app. It is also a true tribute to my mother who loved to cook and entertain people! She wrote me 2 books full of recipes before I moved here and has been my biggest inspiration throughout.

Coming back to my story, I have a vision and desire to create a hands on collective space for creative professions like designing, cooking, carpentry, self care etc etc. Recently, there has been an influx in co-working spaces all over town which is good for people who can work on the computer and advance their networks and business.

That model is not set up for people like clothing designers or bakers. I am proposing an incubator of sorts where there will be all these stations and skilled people can rent it for however long and run their business through one big shared space.

I want this to be especially helpful for home bound parents from different ethnic background and people of color. This space will be useful for folks who are skilled and have a craft to share and grow their small businesses. It would also have child care on the premises so we can support new/young moms and parents who are looking for avenues to make use of their creativity & skill.

All this was my plan before the pandemic but now that we are all struggling to make ends meet we have to have a more practical approach to this project.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Professionally I am very resilient to change and I take it as a learning curve which needs to be dealt with thoughtfully. I test my resilience by constantly using my strong skills like sewing, cooking, entertaining, volunteering and can many titles – Designer, Chef, Mom, Sociologist, Cultural Enthusiast, Hustler etc

My resilience has been tested and challenged many times in the past 45 years. I could call myself the “trauma queen” — It sounds cliche but my resilience has been on a constant check and recovery process. For example, I lost my mother to domestic violence in India in 2011, she was only 56 and the most extraordinary human being in my life. This trauma of losing her is unfathomable especially when I was 8 months pregnant with our first born.

Anyways, the story I would like to focus on is one that occurred in 2010, when I was shot at close range with a 22 caliber gun in a mugging incident in Los Angeles. I still live with a bullet inside my right shoulder which needs checking from time to time. When my ex boss came to see me after I was shot and told me this- when you have kids you tell them, not to mess with mommy coz mommy is a badass!

As human beings I believe we don’t do justice to the universe if you are not learning and evolving to be better for yourself and for others.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Pivot is such a new concept for a 45 year old. I was called a hustler when I took up cooking in 2018. I was raised by a super human who was the original hustler. My mother has always been my biggest inspiration and cheerleader in my life. I learnt how to be a trendsetter, pioneer and to think outside the box from her.

This is my pivot story.

My friends and my partner encouraged me to try cooking for others, I started hosting pop up dinner parties with an IOS app called kitchentableapp. Contemporary Indian food that bridges the gap between cultures and communities!
Exclusively planned and prepared seven course meal which consists of delicious South Indian dishes, presented beautifully. Our dinners come with sensational stories from me your chef and also from all the amazingly diverse group of guests.

So.in dinners are very unique and holds true to its roots which emerge from the kitchens of South India. The ingredients and flavors are nothing like you have had before. That is a promise we make- It is not your typical Indian food you would have in a commercial Indian restaurant.

We are trying to create a brand where I can dabble with both fashion and food under one umbrella.

Contact Info:

• Website: soin.style
• Instagram: @so.in.meeti
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/so.in.meeti
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nirmitha-iyangar-0900618/

Image Credits
Justin – Julius Santos Bernadette Marciniak Madison Truscan