The Team
Saloni Shrestha
Founder
Creative Head AGAATI
Saloni is a social entrepreneur and fashion designer based in San Francisco known for her artisanal designs and impact work to empower artisans and craftspeople . A fashion design graduate from Parsons, The New School, Saloni is trained in couture and ready-to-wear with her knowledge further enhanced after training at reputed fashion houses such as Oscar De La Renta and DVF.
Saloni’s commitment to a creative life and craftsmanship has evolved from not only working with artisans for design projects but to launching a global initiative to elevate the creativity of handmade through Global Eco Artisan Awards. Saloni is now focussing her life to be of service to promoting handmade and building opportunities for the global artisan communities.
Patrick Duffy
Global Ambassador and Board Member
Founder, Global Fashion Exchange
Patrick Duffy is an expert at developing networks and activating ideas, guiding creative teams globally partnering with institutions like the V&A in London, Bryant Park in New York City, Federation Square Melbourne, and iconic spaces like Madison Square Garden and The Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles.
Patrick’s experience includes producing events and creating marketing & PR campaigns for some of the world’s most recognized brands across the art, fashion and tech spaces including H+M, Moët Hennessy, and Microsoft, spanning 15 years and hundreds of events in 5 continents. Patrick’s previous work in the fashion industry catalyses industry titans to create positive action working alongside the UN to implement the SDGs.
In addition, Patrick has managed global partnerships for Common Objective (CO), an intelligent business network for the fashion industry, as well as launching “Mr Duffy” a 100% circular and sustainably focused clothing collection with partner Fashion 4 Freedom in Vietnam. Previously worked as development director at Design Pavilion, NYC’s Largest public interfacing event with over 7 million visitors in partnership with Times Square and NYEDC during NYCx Design week each May.
Patrick’s public speaking engages and excites businesses and consumers about creating an industry shift and positive impact which has brought him to the United Nations, many international fashion weeks, and sustainability conferences around the world. Further, Patrick hosts a regular segment for the NASDAQ financial network about design, economic empowerment and a sustainable future in partnership with Design Pavilion.
Bandana Tewari
Global Ambassador and Board Member
Lifestyle Journalist, Sustainability Activist and TEDx Speaker
She writes for The Business of Fashion extensively on a variety of topics from indigenous ‘made-by-hand’ economies of India and Indonesia, to transgender and LGBTQ representation in fashion. For Paro Good Earth, her writing focuses on ancient Indian wisdom—Vedanta. She is a Special Advisor to Copenhagen Fashion Summit and sits on several advisory boards—NEST (NYC), Redress (Hong Kong), Global Fashion Agenda (Stockholm), South Asian Fashion Show (NYC) amongst others.
Bandana is a TEDx speaker. She travels the world speaking in conferences about mindfulness in the luxury business, with a special focus on Gandhi & Fashion—a speech that focuses on sartorial integrity. Her speaker assignments have taken her to countries as varied as Berlin, Sydney, Kolkata and Jakarta amongst others.
As Vogue India’s Editor-at-Large for 13 years, Bandana was responsible for planning, visualizing and ideating fashion features for the ultimate style bible. Her ringside view of the rapidly evolving industry coupled with her signature ability to take the long view in every commentary has made her one of India’s foremost authorities on fashion and lifestyle.
Bandana’s pieces have also appeared in well-regarded publications such as The New York Times, Vogue Arabia, Harper’s Bazaar India, US Vogue, UK Vogue, Wallpaper*, and Tank, in addition to several leading Indian journals such as Platform, Hindustan Times and The Hindu. She has scripted and hosted 50 episodes of ‘Simply Style” the first fashion series in Indian television, as well as the first series of fashion webisodes online.
Instagram+Twitter: @behavebandana
Baishali Bomjan
Board Member
Founder Director, Trayas Foundation
She is responsible for steering the Foundation’s strategy, development, communications, and marketing efforts.
She has 18+ years of experience in public policy, organisation and business development, strategic planning, communications, public relations and capacity building of CSOs and youth leadership, with a career spanning across Indian and international organisations including the Centre for Civil Society (India), Asia Centre for Enterprise (Atlas Network, USA), Nuns Welfare Foundation of Nepal, Voice of Women Magazine (Nepal), among others
Baishali is on the Board of Directors of Afghanistan Economic and Legal Studies Organisation (Afghanistan), India Institute (India) and is affiliated in an advisory role with Centre for Indonesian Policy Studies (Indonesia), among others.
She is a graduate of the Strategic Management for Non-profits, Harvard Business School India Program, Atlas Network Think Tank MBA, USA, Strategic Political Communication and Innovation, International Academy for Leadership, FNF Germany, and Master's, University of North Bengal (India).
Meenu Devrani
Board Member
Entrepreneur, Multidisciplinary Artist, Founder/Creative Head at Fyoli Fyoli
Meenu’s transition from a solo artist to establishing a social enterprise rooted in heritage crafts of India has been spurred by with social and gender inequality and climate crisis that is most acutely felt in the fashion industry. However, Meenu believes that slow fashion and artisanship has great potential and can attain the UN’s sustainable development goals and create a sense of meaningful connection between the makers and the consumers. Introducing many initiatives that resulted in sustaining livelihoods for marginalized artisan communities, expanding their market reach and upskilling their work has been her focus. Ideating and developing products with fresh design interventions rooted in traditional sustainable skills is her mission. Her CSR work includes grants and design inputs for The Adivasi Academy, Gramin Shiksha Kendra and the Kota Heritage Society, all three NGOs working to create livelihood opportunities for historically marginalized and de-notified tribal communities in Northwestern India.
In addition to running her own purpose driven brand, Meenu has helped with artisan partnerships and content creation for Agaati Marketplace, and researched artisan impact projects and fundraised for Agaati Foundation. Communicating with artisans steeped in deep understanding of ground realities is Meenu’s strength: working closely with grassroots artisans has given her a radically empathetic understanding of their motivations and challenges as craftsmen in underserved communities.
As a multidisciplinary artist Meenu loves to draw, design jewelry and textiles, paint, move metals with hammer and heat. Resonant with Nature’s beauty, spirituality and cultures, her work is a fusion of contemporary and ethnic art, which mirrors her identity as a South Asian Indian and American woman.
Meenu has 10+ years’ experience in Earth and Tree inspired textural jewelry designs as part of her studio jewelry brand Vaasvara. She now creates and develops all designs under the umbrella of Fyoli Fyoli.
Meenu dreams of a world where organizations like hers don't exist, selling ‘wants’ to conscious consumers to fulfill ‘needs’ of historically marginalized makers, especially women whose work remains largely invisible. A world where local supply and demand chains were not broken, and local economies were self-reliant. Where fast fashion didn't come at a cost to both people and the planet, where wisdom traditions, skills and regional ecology of indigenous peoples were not threatened by poorly devised development plans. Meenu is helping create a world where there is dignity, respect, and fair pay for the makers at the bottom of the supply chain and where market accessibility and language barrier challenges are not insurmountable.
Over the years, Meenu has been an active volunteer in the community including Project Cornerstone reader at local elementary school, helping establish a student wellness center at her public middle school, a volunteer trained tutor for ‘All Students Matter’ for ESL students at RCS district serving low-income communities and community volunteer for the Cupertino Historical Society and Museum.
Instagram: @fyolifyoli
At AGAATI Foundation, we uphold accountability and value transparency in what we do and how we operate. Our organisational reports and audited financial statements will be published annually and made publicly accessible.