CHICAGO — As part of its celebration of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, ABC7 Chicago highlights an inspiring Indian-American entrepreneur who is using fashion to reconnect with cultural roots.
This entrepreneur is transforming a traditional Indian garment into a brand that not only honors heritage but also empowers women by helping them feel recognized and valued.
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Jyoti Chand, the visionary behind the brand Jotes, is crafting a line of Indian nightgowns that serves as a tribute to authentic cultural identity in a world where cultural elements are often appropriated without acknowledgment.
For Chand, who resides in the Chicago area, comfort is intricately linked to her cultural heritage.
“I remember my mom wearing her nightgown while cooking, cleaning, caring for us, running errands, and even sleeping,” Chand recalls.
The author of “Fitting Indian,” influencer, and now founder of Jotes, Chand says the Indian nightgown is more than something you sleep in.
“It is the most underrated garment in Indian culture,” Chand said.
For generations, it’s been the uniform of home, worn to cook, to clean, to rest. And now, Chand is reimagining it as the clothing you can wear anywhere.
“I designed this nightgown to be worn with nothing underneath,” Chand said.
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The first collection is also personal. When Chand was 12, she traveled to India with her grandmother and says the colors, symmetry and detail inside the Taj Mahal stayed with her.
“I drew all my inspiration from the Taj Mahal… this specific print is called the Taj, and it is actually inspired by the wallpaper inside the Taj Mahal,” Chand said.
But this isn’t just about fashion. It’s also about credit, and who gets to profit from culture once the mainstream decides it’s beautiful.
“There have been brands lately that bring in these Indian-inspired things that are really just Indian,” Chand said. “Like, there’s no Indian-inspired. It’s Indian.”
For Jotes customer Muryem Quadri, that recognition is why she bought one, specifically to give birth to her future daughter.
“The first time I put on a Jotes piece, I felt beautiful, and I felt comfortable, and I felt at ease,” Quadri said.
Quadri is a second-generation Indian woman and says as a kid, she grew up loving pieces of her culture, even when others made her feel as if she had to hide it.
“I remember the same thing, like wearing henna in elementary school and being asked if I had, like, drawn mud on my hands,” Quadri said.
Now, years later with the support of Jotes, she’s wearing her culture boldly.
“I want to impart to my children one day is a huge sense of pride of all of the different things that my people, Muslim and Indian, have contributed to culture,” Quadri said.
And that’s the point. While it’s a nightgown rooted in Indian women’s everyday lives, she’s made it for any woman to feel cherished.
“I want them to feel at home, wherever they are,” Chand said. “Our culture is also our home.”
The first women’s line of Jotes is now available. More information can be found here.
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