Shriya Baru '25, an Elon student and small business owner, enjoys promoting Indian culture through her fashion fusion brand.
Shriya Baru ’25 is a senior accounting major from Cary, North Carolina, who has been intent on sharing her culture with the community at Elon.
“I come from a super traditional South Indian family and it’s a wonderful experience,” said Baru. “Whenever I go to India over the summers to visit my grandparents, it’s a beautiful country.”
Baru lived in India for many years, and when she left the country, she wanted to be sure her culture remained an important part of her life and one that she could share with others.
“During my freshman year, the (COVID-19) lockdown was going on and we decided to do some research on how many Indians are on campus,” said Baru. After the research, she discovered there were less than six Indians on campus and none of them were from India, they were all Indian Americans.
“I just felt this campus needed some Indian pop, some Indian culture, and that motivated me to start my business,” said Baru. Baru started by commissioning art pieces during her sophomore year with the goal of spreading Indian culture on campus.
Baru is one of many student small business owners under auspices of the Doherty Center for Creativity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship. The center has an Oak Originals program that seeks to amplify the creative spirit of Elon students. The center fosters the success of entrepreneurs on campus and encourages creative and design thinking.
Baru’s business expanded from selling Indian design painted letters and creating installations to creating designs for sweatshirts and t-shirts. Some of Baru’s installations can be found across campus, including one outside of Irazú coffee shop where, outside the windows, people can find decorated letters that spell out “Elon.” The project was one of Baru’s first commissioned pieces at Elon. She has other installations in several offices and venues around campus.
While Baru enjoyed painting signs and letters, she wanted to create something that people could own and use in their daily life. That is when she got the idea to create designs for embroidery. By expanding to this, she could reach a wider audience with her apparel brand and accessories. And when Shark Tank judge Daymond John came to Elon as a speaker, Baru got the chance to present her business idea to him.
“It was an amazing experience, and he gave me great feedback,” said Baru. Daymond told her she has a great business idea and if executed properly and with the proper marketing it can lead to something big. “That really motivated me to take my business to the next level,” said Baru.
She started her online store and found a manufacturer for her business. This fall semester she has sold over 300 sweatshirts on campus.
“I’m just so happy to see the amount of love and support I received from the Elon community,” said Baru.
Baru said she was initially nervous because she was not sure what people who had not seen or experienced her culture would think. She spent time trying to create the right design. She did not want it to be overly traditional but also wanted it to be elegant while having an Indian touch. For Elon, she started off with the acorn. To this day, it is still her bestseller.
A goal for her fashion fusion brand is showing the world that two different cultures, Indian and American, can be amazing when brought together.
“When it comes to accepting, welcoming people, different cultures, different races, I feel Elon is an amazing place because everyone is welcoming here,” said Baru.
Barus says that it is not always easy being a small business owner and a full-time student, but it is rewarding. “It’s hard. A lot of late nights and a lot of compromises,” said Baru. She says being both a student and business owner has made her flexible with time. Barus also participates in pop up sales that happen on campus and works at the Doherty Center as a scholar intern.
“When I see a person with my sweatshirt or a piece of jewelry, that makes me feel like it’s worth it,” said Baru.
Baru mentions wanting to bridge the gap between the two cultures and breaking the stereotypes that Indian culture is overly traditional.
“I’m trying to combine both and show how beautiful they are. Just like me, I’m half Indian and half American. That’s my brand,” said Baru.
After graduating, Baru will be in Burlington working at a firm toward being a tax accountant. She also will continue to run her business, online store and doing pop ups in the area like Graham and Gibsonville.
“I plan on doing two off campus pop ups every single week where the big markets are,” said Baru. This will give her the opportunity to reach a wider audience, help increase her online sales and get more experience with people outside of Elon. Baru is proud to be Indian American, and says having the opportunity to share her culture at Elon has been wonderful.
“I just feel blessed to be in this school where I was welcomed by all because I was quite nervous before my freshman year,” said Baru. She mentions that in all of her four years at Elon she has never felt like she did not belong.
“I just feel Elon really helped me discover my true self and I’m forever grateful for every single person on campus that has played a role,” said Baru.
Baru’s fashion fusion brand gives her a way to showcase Indian culture and help people feel more comfortable and familiar with her culture. Her business is her contribution to showing Americans what Indian culture is.
“A lot of people come to me after looking at my brand and designs and they become more curious to know about a new culture,” said Baru. She had a proud moment when two girls her junior year came to her after finding her online site and decided to study abroad in India to learn more.
“What I’ve achieved here, I never thought in a million years I could do,” said Baru.