Kimia Arya has always had a passion for the fine arts and high fashion. As a classically trained artist, she had a huge affinity for the works of Picasso and Michelangelo, and the stylized works of Dali. In Fashion, she was drawn to Chanel, Lagerfeld, Cavalli, McQueen and Jean Paul Gaultier for inspiration. Arya always dreamt of combining her two favorite worlds into a purpose driven business, and she has accomplished just that through her eponymous fashion line, Kimia Arya. Largely known for her Painted Silk textiles, which are inspired by her own original paintings, Kimia has successfully managed to make a name for herself in the fashion industry and has grown to redefine couture in America.

While building her brand, Kimia was quick to notice the wasteful means of the fashion industry, especially in the high fashion world she admired. Fabrics and materials were being sourced for single garment creations, and multiple collections of 50 or more garments were being shown per year, per fashion house. The overconsumption and influx of garments, fabrics and materials, on our environment are more than the population, Kimia explains. The fashion industry alone produces an estimate of 150 billion garments every year, for 7.9 billion humans, and is the second biggest pollutant in the world next to agriculture. These numbers are staggering and she knew from inception that her purpose was to make a positive impact through her fashion house.