Jaya Iyer is originally from India, however she was inspired to live the American Dream. She moved to the US from India carrying nothing but a backpack of her belongings along with a mountain of ambition. She worked hard to obtain a Ph.D. in Fashion Merchandising from Iowa State University. She has taught Fashion buying and wrote a textbook on Fashion in Emerging Markets which is widely used in universities. She also worked in apparel manufacturing and exporting. She is the former apparel buyer for the cult-favorite store, ThinkGeek. Thanks to inspiration from her daughter, Jaya founded Svaha and became determined to change the landscape of apparel. Jaya is the proud mother of 2 young children and enjoys nurturing her children’s interests through fashion, adventures, science, and social responsibility. She is a world traveler and an artist.