We had the good fortune of connecting with Yesenia Arias and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Yesenia, what role has risk played in your life or career?
As an entrepreneur and generally a person looking for growth, risk taking is the most important aspect in ones life.

I say this in a authentic way and will all my heart. I took my first leap when I decided to move away from home for University. There I grew more than I could have if I did not get out of my comfort zone.

Then I took a risk of moving to Pakistan. A country I knew zero to none about. It paved a new pathway for me and opened my eyes to what mattered in life- getting to understand the world through people and culture.

Both of these risks led me to the start of my own business. I majored in Psychology and Social Behavior, so starting another journey I had no clue how to navigate was nothing but a risk. Actually beginning a business is a risk in itself and it always will be no matter how settled one is in life. Believing in an idea and committing your time to make it work, not to mention resources as well, is extremely risky.

I truly believe if there is not a risk in ones life, there is not growth. Not growing is a lot more scarier than anything else I can imagine.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Jhooms is a luxury sneaker brand inspired by cultural art forms from underrepresented countries.

Narrowing it down to one sentence was difficult. I knew each pair was inspired by a culture, but what to exactly name those items was tough. It was finally decided to ensure each represented a cultural art form from an underrepresented country, beginning with Pakistan.

What’s different about us is we do not focus on one place, but rather one idea- cultural art forms. When considering our inspiration for Collection 1.0, most people in Pakistan do not consider these items ‘art’. They are definitely a part of the culture, but calling them art is a stretch. It is only from an outside perspective one can truly see the beauty that lies before everyone’s eyes.

I thought these items were beautiful and needed to be seen by more eyes! So Jhooms is just the bridge to understanding and ‘stepping’ , literally, into a fresh perspective.

Most of my life has revolved around perspective. I consider myself a ‘glass all the way full’ kind of person. Being an entrepreneur goes hand in hand with foolish optimism. I learned the only way to do what you want in life is to truly just go for it and manage all difficulties that cross your path.

When I decided on sneakers I learned all about leather by visiting various tanneries and asking questions. I sat in huge embroidery factories and learned about the different types of embroidery. I even went to numerous shoe making factories to witness how a pair of sneakers is created. I used every opportunity as a learning process even when it did not contribute to the creation of Jhooms.

Throughout this process I learned to take every misstep as a learning.

Everyone should know Jhooms are art pieces! They carry centuries of meaning behind each design which is directly inspired by a cultural art form. We will even display them as art pieces, on canvases, when we open our first pop ups. We are also traveling around the world to a new country with each Collection!

Jhooms means to transcend through movement. We hope to help people transcend by sharing diverse cultural art forms with them through each pair of our sneakers. Also each pair cannot be purchased without a passcode, which you may get by applying or someone who already has one. This is so people are very mindful of what they own and care to know the history about it. It also builds a close knit community.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
My friend is actually coming from Pakistan today, so I will tell you what we are doing. They are the most touristy things, so you have been warned!

I will pick her up at 10:00pm from LAX in which we will drive around in our convertible all the way back home near Griffith Observatory. We might stop for a burger at Tommy’s on the way.

In the morning we will head out to Santa Monica. We will walk around the Main Street and boardwalk. We will then rent a bike and head to Venice Beach. Next we will enjoy the art around Venice and look at the hotties of muscle beach! Haha.

We will probably eat on the Main Street Santa Monica at a place like Samosa House which has amazing Vegetarian Options. We will also grab a drink at MudWtr Gather, like mushroom matcha.

We will head back into town and take a drive/walk down rodeo. Then head back home

We will probably have dinner at Gracias Madre.

For a fun night on the town places like Lauren Hardware are great or Roccos in WeHo if you like dancing.

The next day we will go for a hike to Griffith (30-40 mins). We will enjoy the views then head back down and get ready for brunch. We will probably have a brunch at Nobu Los Angeles, then take a walk along the Hollywood stars.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would say my husband has been the most helpful person throughout this journey. He founded an e-commerce business in Pakistan, ‘Dari Mooch’. He assists me with the nuances of business like ads, opening a Shopify store, and registering my company.

He has experience building a business and majored in Marketing and Finance at UC Irvine, where we met. I can honestly say I would not have been able to get to where I am without him.

It is one thing to believe in yourself, but having a partner who continually pushes you to be your best is a true blessing.

I also read plenty of Shopify articles on ‘how to build a successful Shopify store’. Also some books like ‘Zero to One’ by Blake Masters and Peter Thiel. As well as ‘Building a Story Brand’ by Donald Miller.

My all time favorite novel ‘Sapiens’ by Yuval Noah Harari- this just made me question things from an entirely new lens. I would argue that ‘Sapiens’ was the first novel I understood that made me think I can actually do anything because nothing really makes sense from a broader perspective.

Website: https://jhooms.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jhoomsofficial?igsh=MWV6cXd5NTF6MnNudQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yesenia-arias?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091215818198

Youtube: https://youtube.com/@jhoomsofficial?si=Mznjd6kegHTjQOd0

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