Selecting a suitable name was an experience in itself! I along with help from my close friend Reshma (founder of Earthy Goods, a social enterprise that sources and distributes natural handcrafted products from village India – such as the delicious Bhiura jams that I’ve just been having for breakfast!), checked meanings and domain availability of over 200 names! We settled for Arastan which in Persian means “to adorn, decorate, embellish; to set in order”; bāzār ārastan meaning “to arrange a bazaar, to lay out one’s goods for sale”.

Finding a designer who understands you and who is passionate about design but also shares your passion is a challenge. Having contacted several designers, I have settled on Ishan Khosla to do my branding.

Ishan impressed me with the way he quickly captured what Arastan means to me. This is from his initial response:

Authentic Eclectic Exotic Original Pure Personalised Warm Feminine Earthy

the experience of a bygone era. the warm and earthy desert tones.
the feel of a rare carpet from a forgotten land. of objects to treasure
and experiences to share.

arastan is more than a shop — it is an experience — a pilgrimage to a land far far away and
yet so palpable and exciting. It is about the culture of the desert, of lands steeped in history.
The identity needs to reflect this aura of belonging to the past. The colours need to be
based on the various hues of blue used especially in the desert cultures of Persia and
Uzbekistan. The overall feel must be geometric and yet have a feminine and warm feel.

Looking forward to seeing the results…