Alishha Chouhan On IKIRU, The BRICS Summit And Building Indian Luxury From Indore

The 18th BRICS Summit, held at New Delhi's Bharat Mandapam on September 12 and 13 under India's chairship, brought together delegations from ten member nations alongside partner countries and international organisations. Among the pieces placed before Prime Minister Narendra Modi were décor objects curated by IKIRU, an Indore-based home marketplace founded in 2021 by Alishha Chouhan, working with a network of over 300 brand and manufacturer partners across the country.

The entire process—customisation, overnight sampling, quality checks and express logistics—was completed in 48 hours. Robb Report India spoke with Chouhan about how the opportunity arrived, what those two days actually looked like, and what she wants the moment to say about where ambitious Indian brands can be built.

Robb Report India (RR): How did the BRICS Summit gifting opportunity come to IKIRU?

Alishha Chouhan (AC): It came to us as a direct approach. Not a pitch, not a public tender. Honestly, we don't fully know how IKIRU's name reached them—likely a reference from within our network. Someone associated with the summit reached out directly, and a procurement team was involved. Out of respect for the process, we can't share too much beyond that. But we weren't chasing this moment. When the call came, we were ready.

For context, IKIRU is a curated home marketplace—our core categories are furniture, lighting, and décor. Gifting is one of the many use cases we serve, alongside home buyers, interior designers, and hospitality and real estate clients. So when this requirement came in, it was a natural extension of what we do every day—curating the right piece for the right space.

RR: You had just 48 hours from concept to shipping. What did that timeline actually look like?

AC: Our work actually started before the 48 hours began. When the requirement came in, we curated and suggested a range of pieces from several of our brand partners. Once they shortlisted the one they loved, they came back with a customisation request—and that's when the 48-hour clock started. From there, it was a tight sequence: aligning with the brand partner, sampling overnight, quality checks, and express logistics. Every hour had a variable that could have derailed it. What saved us was that our brand partner didn't blink. IKIRU curates. Our partners create. When it comes together, this is what's possible.

RR: Who were the makers behind this particular collection?

AC: IKIRU curates from a network of 300+ brand and manufacturer partners across India—spanning Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and many other regions. For this curation, we drew from a specific brand partner known for precision craftsmanship in the category the client was drawn to. Out of respect for our brand partner relationships and client confidentiality, we don't publicly name specific makers tied to specific client orders. But every piece we curate is made by Indian hands, in Indian workshops. That's non-negotiable at IKIRU.

RR: You founded IKIRU in Indore. How does a moment like this change the trajectory for a marketplace built outside the usual metro hubs?

AC: Honestly, I hope it changes the conversation more than the trajectory. There's an assumption that ambitious Indian brands need to be built in Bangalore, Mumbai, Hyderabad, or Delhi. IKIRU was built in Indore, and it's been an advantage—closer to India's craft heartland, closer to our partners, closer to how real relationships get built. BRICS doesn't change what IKIRU is. It confirms it. A curated marketplace from Indore, with pan-India operations, can absolutely stand on the world's stage. This moment just made it visible.

RR: What gap in India's home décor and gifting space were you trying to fill when you started?

AC: That thought stayed with me, but I knew I needed real experience before I could execute on it. So after moving back, I spent years in tech leading global business—learning how to build, scale, and operate. And when I was ready, I came back to the original idea.

IKIRU was built to fill a very specific gap. India has world-class brands and makers, but most existing platforms either treat craft as commodity or gate-keep it behind luxury pricing. There was very little in the middle. IKIRU sits there—curating Indian craft with the design rigour of global brands, made accessible to design-conscious consumers. We don't manufacture anything ourselves. We curate, obsessively. 300+ brand and manufacturer partners across India, across furniture, lighting, décor, kitchenware, and textiles. Because Indian craft deserves the world's stage—and Indian homes deserve better.

RR: What does this moment unlock next?

AC: BRICS has opened conversations we couldn't have started ourselves. Institutional collaborations, government engagement, diplomatic gifting—all on the table now, and we're actively exploring them.

But the bigger opportunity—and where our real focus lies—is B2B expansion in our hero categories: furniture, lighting, and décor. That's where IKIRU has built genuine depth. Our catalogue across coffee tables, side tables, dining, floor lamps, table lamps, and statement décor pieces is one of the strongest curated collections in India today. We already work with names like Marriott, Hyatt, Brigade Group, Isprava and many more on this front, and we're scaling that channel significantly—for hospitality, real estate, corporate offices, and design studios.

Exports are a natural next chapter, and we're planning that carefully. But the ambition I keep coming back to is this—when India thinks of furniture, décor, or lighting, I want them to think of IKIRU. That's the mountain. BRICS was one milestone. We're a very long way from done.