Meet Auroville: Suhasini the founder of Esendi

Could you tell us a bit about yourself? Where are you from originally and how did you come to land in Auroville? 
I am Suhasini Damian, 25years old, born and brought up in Auroville India, so I can proudly say I am an Auroville child. My mom is Indian and my dad is from Germany, they met here in Auroville.

What do you love most about your life in Auroville?
The Freedom (laughs). Auroville is so international, you have people from all over the world, its beautiful to see all the different cultures mixed together. It was and still is a great environment to grow up in.

What is a typical workday like for you? Give us a glimpse of your morning to night routine…
I go to my workshop first, see what work has to be done by my tailor, look into new designs for the backpacks, fabric stock and so on. I also make customized swimwear that I stitch from start to end, so that is always exciting. I also work at my dads farm -Siddartha Farm, this is not part of Esendi of course. Farming is something I have taken up the past year and so far I have been enjoying it.

How did Esendi come to be?
Dasha, my friend and I did an internship in Lilith Fashion School something like three years ago and right after that we realized that swimwear that is fashionable, like bikinis or printed swimsuits, are not available in India. So together we decided to start Esendi. Last year Dasha and I stopped working together as she wanted to go more into her art, so I decided to continue alone.

What inspires your beach bag, backpack and swimwear line?
India is a very colorful country and people like to dress colorful, so that is where I get my inspiration from. I try to keep it simple but colorful.

What’s your favorite color combination from the new backpack line?
I really like the khaki and brown but for a sportier look the blue and red. 

You are one of the few Indian surfer girls, one can say you are famous. You won several competitions and one can find you at the beach every weekend.
(Laughs.) There are about five or six surfer girls in India currently, I was one of the first ones. I try to encourage girls to get into surfing as much as possible, it is such a fun sport and an amazing way to connect with nature. 

    

Does the surfing inspire your work?
Yeah. When I go on surf trips or travel, I see new things, meet new people and that always inspires me. I also make surfboard bags as my boyfriend makes  boards. This also keeps me busy. My next project is surf shorts, but it is challenging to get the fabric. I am just a one woman show, I cannot order thousands of meters of fabric. There are always challenges to overcome. 

Where do you see the future of Esendi?
I don’t want Esendi to become too big, I want to keep enjoying what I am doing. Mass production is not an option for me. The goal is to keep the products special and unique! I want to have a future with Esendi.

If you are interested in the customized swimwear line please contact us at networking@auroville.com and we will forward your request. 
All the pictures were taken from the Esendi Instagram account @esendi_beachwear.