Nisha Inalsingh shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Good morning Nisha, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? What are you chasing, and what would happen if you stopped?
I am by nature a Type A personality and I’ve always been competitive, striving to do better and become successful with whatever I set out to do. As I’ve gotten older I realize that success has many different meanings – you may not achieve your original goal, but along the way learned some critical things for your next venture. Life is a fluid, organic process and success should always be a goal; but if if you stop for pursuing that goal, for whatever reason, you have not failed, but learned something new.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Nisha Inalsingh, the founder and creative director, of Nish Niche a women’s contemporary clothing line. We are a small artisanal boutique brand based in NYC and I created our brand vision from my various experiences throughout my life. Born in Trinidad and raised in the USA (FL, CA and NY), I spent alot of time traveling the world. In NYC I was in the advertising world working for fashion brands and then moved to the production side of things as a shoot producer working with many creative directors, designers and merchants. This all influenced by desire to create my own unique brand or ‘niche’ and playing off my name, Nish Niche was born.
I have always been fond of Asian textiles and the richness of the region’s history, but I’ve always been drawn to a more pared down aesthetic that you see in Scandinavian cultures. Bringing these two world’s together was where we started in November 2021 when we launched. We’ve since launched 9 collections which we are very proud of how we have grown. We have used sustainable, Japanese fabrics wherever possible and manufacture all of our wovens in NYC.
Our latest collection, Forest, which was just released, introduces knits for our first time. We partnered with a sustainable company in Peru known for their wide range of sumptuous baby alpaca wool. We are really thrilled about expanding our product offerings.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What breaks the bonds between people—and what restores them?
Bonds break when trust is broken. This can happen from a few incidences or one big one. When you are working hard and spending precious money especially as start-up, you have to rely on good, bright people who understand your position and have an interested in seeing you succeed. Broken bonds may be restored if a healthy conversation takes place discussing the issue in an honest and open way. This can lead to a deeper bond or it may lead to the realization that this relationship is no longer viable. Old bonds may die, new ones come along, but you have to keep your nose to the ground and keep marching forward.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Yes, there were so many times when my motivation dwindled and I wondered why I wanted to be in this industry because there were so many roadblocks. Friends telling me I don’t have the experience to write, produce and direct a documentary or start my own fashion line. Vendors that you are paying making costly mistakes and missing deadlines and employees quitting in the middle of an important project. As time goes on you learn that this is the normal, no path is perfect, and you need to roll with it or you have to question your commitment to your entire endeavor.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. How do you differentiate between fads and real foundational shifts?
We are inundated with fads on a daily basis and this is the simple goal of marketing – creating brand awareness and a consumer’s desire for your product. A trendy bag or shoe, the ‘it’ dress – fashion is full of fads not to mention fast fashion. These fads come and go are part of our marketing cycles.
Foundational shifts do not change fads but change how a whole industry operates and it’s actual infrastructure.The internet was a foundational shift in the early 2000’s and today it’s AI impacting every business sector. As a retail business AI algorithms can help create brand awareness, generate extra sales through cross selling, increase profit margins and build customer loyalty by using language that is more relevant. The impact is huge and that is what I consider a foundational shift.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
It took me many years after graduating from university that I control my overall destiny. My classic story growing up was when I told my father I’d like to live in NYC but didn’t have any friends there and he told me that you will make friends wherever you go. I realized many years later that piece of advice was the first time I realized I held the reins to my future. There are many lessons along the way and there are many jobs where you have to do what you are told to do but it’s all pieces to the puzzle of your life.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://nishniche.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nishniche_shop/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nishnicheshop/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@nishniche5840
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@nishniche_shop
Image Credits
Sergio Kurhajec shot 4 images
Chama shot 2 images (pink dress on beach and orange dress with parachute)
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
