About Samsara Sari
About Samsara Sari founded in 2019
Samsara means the cycle of rebirth in Sanskrit. This concept drives Samsara Sari which transforms pre-loved saris into original and colorful collections of apparel, accessories and home products. Each piece is few of a kind, most made from vintage saris.
Through tradition and storytelling, the brand celebrates the beauty of the sari by transforming it into a modern treasure. Samsara Sari is a sustainable brand that bridges multiple generations, modern and traditional, and two cultures. We preserve an Indian art form, a heritage, and a memory.
We promote cultural awareness, inspire people to be proud of who they are, and give back to the community locally as well as globally. For each sari donated, Samsara Sari donates money towards charities that align with our mission. We are currently giving money towards Covid Relief in India.
Inspiration for Samsara Sari
In 2010 our founder, Namita Reddy, traveled with family in search of clothes for her wedding to the town of Kanchi in South India, a town specialized in traditional marriage saris that are hand woven by artisans. While speaking with one of the shop owners, she was told that the younger generation does not wear saris as much as the older one so weavers are going out of business. Hand weaved saris with threads of real gold and silver in them are being replaced by machine made saris.
It was then that she really began to further appreciate the richness of the sari as an art form and its cultural significance. Namita began to wonder how she could make a difference, by combining design, culture, people, and a purpose.
A few years ago, while going through her mom’s closet to find a sari to wear to a cousin’s wedding, Namita found a closet full of beautiful saris that she had never seen before, including her mom’s wedding sari.
There are a lot of women of Indian heritage in this country who have closets full of saris they no longer use. She decided that she would preserve a few special saris of her mother’s and wear them with pride, but she wanted to find a use for all the other gorgeous saris that she did not wear anymore. Realizing that this was not unique to her mother, she decided to pull the saris out of her mom’s closet and others to celebrate their beauty by transforming them into modern treasures.
About Namita Penugonda Reddy, Founder and Designer
Namita painted and drew her whole life, cultivating her love for the arts. She grew up in Pennsylvania and had the opportunity to travel abroad, being exposed to different cultures, people, art and architecture.
Her love for the arts led her to an education and career in architecture. After receiving a Masters Degree in Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania, Namita worked in the field in New York City for 15 years. She always had an entrepreneurial spirit and was eager to incorporate her design background and love for textiles, with her Indian heritage, by turning her idea into a business.