Beautiful, flowy, ornate—lehengas hold a significant presence in the upbringing of many Desi girls. And while this cultural garment is beloved by many, there are numerous antiquated qualities to the traditional lehenga. In her latest installment of her Desi Innovators series, our writer @saumyamonga interviews the founder and CEO of Desi Is Me, @milliebarman. A local Bay Area clothing brand, @desiisme is devoted to providing affordable, comfortable, and elegant designs. These lehengas are not only a much-needed update to tradition, but they also represent and empower the bicultural experience of South Asian American women.

In our latest edition of Desi Innovators, our staff writer Saumya got a chance to interview the CEO of Brown Girl Magazine, Trisha Sakhuja-Walia. The digital media platform was the first of many South Asian focused publications and became well-known for its supportive community of South Asian creatives. Read on to learn more about Sakhuja-Walia's journey to create an inclusive, empowering space for South Asians.

Meet the women of Khulke, “a podcast for all generations”! Khulke translates to “open” in Hindi. Harpo, Simran, and Nimrat strive to foster open dialogue about a variety of topics that are usually not addressed by the South Asian community. By discussing mental health to women’s health to the Black Lives Matter movement, Khulke strives to bridge the inter generational gap and encourage open conversations within the South Asian community.

Our writer, Saumya Monga, interviewed the founder and CEO of Phulkari Co, Gurlynn Gill. We discussed what it means to be a South Asian woman running her own company in Silicon Valley, Gill’s desire for collaboration, and spotlighting other Desi creatives in the Bay. Phulkari Co. just celebrated their second anniversary since their first launch and continue to break the barriers of Desi American fashion.