Suhasini Damian is a child of Auroville – her German father and Indian mother met here. She has created her own line of beachwear under the brand name Esendi. A surfer girl and designer, she has all the necessary skills to create stunning, high-quality beachwear! We met up with her to see what inspired her and how Esendi has evolved over the years.
A Leap in the Ocean
Esendi is a sporty, feminine lifestyle brand making swimwear that will stay put during long hours of surfing. The whole enterprise started between Suhasini and her friend Dasha, when they noticed a gap in their choices for swimwear. “We 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.”
Since then, Esendi has grown to encompass a range of items, like unisex backpacks, beach bags and waterproof pouches. Since Nico, Suhasini’s partner, is creating custom-made surfboards, she also makes special surfboard bags. In a way, surfing is at the start and end of all her creations, and it continues to be a huge passion for her: “I am a ‘surfer girl’, you could say, and there are not so many of those in India. There are about five or six surfer girls in India currently, and 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. Getting appropriate swimwear is a part of encouraging women to surf, because that way they can take a leap in the ocean with confidence.”
Surfing also continues to inspire her, and you can find Suhasini at the Auroville beach every weekend. “When I go on surf trips or travel, I see new things, meet new people and that always inspires me. 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.”
Rooted in Auroville
For Suhasini, the best thing about doing this work in Auroville is the freedom that she feels to develop herself. “And Auroville is so international, you have people from all over the world, it’s beautiful to see all the different cultures mixed together. It was and still is a great environment to grow up in.” But the larger context, India, also plays a huge role for her: “India is a very colourful country and people like to dress colourful, so that is where I get my inspiration from. I try to keep it simple but colourful.”
As is quite normal in Auroville, she is not just working on one thing. She also spends time on her father’s project, Siddharta Farm, which is famous in Auroville for its yummy peanut butter production. Her day turns out to be pretty varied. “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 dad’s 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.” She wants to be able to do these kind of activities also, so Esendi is not looking to take over the world of swimwear: “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 [email protected] and we will forward your request.
All the pictures were taken from the Esendi Instagram account.
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