I decided to intertwine two endeavors: fashion and mental health in an entrepreneurial way.- Aisha Aulakh
Aisha Aulakh
Aisha Aulakh was born and raised in Upper Marlboro, Maryland and attended Howard Community College for three years, where she was a pre-med major with a career path trajectory of becoming a physician’s assistant. Being the go-getter that she is, Aulakh was also majoring in business management, English and psychology. During her first couple years of college she faced increasing issues with her mental health. Her struggles have increasingly affected her lifestyle and day-to-day tasks prior to her diagnosis. With regular therapy and strong support systems, she was able to bounce back and pursue her dreams again.
One activity that has provided strength for her is speaking to groups where she promotes individuality, self-confidence and mental illness awareness.
Having an innate, deeply rooted love for fashion, she has intertwined two endeavors: a philanthropic fashion line that gives back to the mental health community. She believes following the path of entrepreneurship is a way to encourage leadership, creativity and opportunity. Aulakh will be releasing a memoir in summer 2016 about her struggles with mental health, growing up in a South Asian Muslim household while balancing her entrepreneurial life.
What is she doing now?
In late 2014, VOIX was originally founded as a philanthropic apparel line. Inspired to incorporate her love for fashion, Aulakh launched her assorted handpicked, manufactured scarves and cardigans via e-commerce. Her appreciation for mental health is deeply rooted from her own personal experiences. Aulakh’s deep fervor for satire, photography and fashion were the passions that inspired her to persist on her path of revival. Since then, Aulakh has been outspoken about her journey through public speaking events encompassing the skills of sustaining self-control, discovering individuality and refining passions.
In hopes of giving back to the mental health community, Voix, LCC had originally pledged to donate 5% of sales to NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Aulakh recently opted this viable opportunity to establish a platform for the mental health community by creating an outlet for millennial creatives to express perception and emotion through the beauty of art as a form of therapy.