What led Shivam Punjya, an academic and researcher to start a premium brand retailing leather handbags? From the outside, it may seem puzzling but it isn’t when you learn that social impact pervades every step of production at design at Behno. Born and raised in California, Shivam launched Behno in the US. Now a favorite among homegrown labels in India, Behno recently signed Katrina Kaif as the brand ambassador for its Indian launch. In this episode, we explore Behno's growth story and how Shivam has created a brand at the intersection of luxury and social impact.

Presented By: Blur the Border

Hosted By: Aishwarya Avlani 

Produced By: Rhea Bhambhani and Blur the Border

Audio-Video Production & Post-Production: Canopy Media 

Location Courtesy: Canopy Studios

Music: Licensed through Epidemic Sound 

Chapters: 

00:00 Intro 

01:43 Behno’s Launch in India 

02:26 Katrina Kaif x Behno

05:25 Creating a Brand for Social Impact

10:29 How Brands Can Adopt Conscious Production

14:42 Challenging Design and Aesthetic Stereotypes 

17:09 The Hidden Meaning in Behno’s Handbag Design 

19:51 The Pivot from Ready-to-Wear to Handbags 

21:01 Why the Brand was Named ‘Behno’

22:59 Shivam’s Take on India’s Homegrown Industry

25:59 On Collaboration & Go-To Homegrown Labels 

30:27 How Brands Can Increase International Representation

31:29 The Day-to-Day of Running a Brand 

34:01 “I Never Thought I’d be the Founder of a Fashion Brand”

36:54 Know the Founder

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