The Sani Sisters Present: A Conversation with Aurea Andrades

The Sani Sisters Present: A Conversation with Aurea Andrades

The Sani Sisters Present: Aurea Andrades

Content creator and founder of Ruuz Couture Aurea Andrades has built up a viral following on TikTok over the course of the past few months through her fashion and DIY content. She spoke with Sani’s co-founders, Niki and Ritika Shamdasani, for a “Sani Sisters Present” session and spoke about her creative process and more.

Andrades talked about how she started TikTok to promote her brand Ruuz Couture, where she sells vintage, modern, and upcycled clothing. However, her first video to go viral was not related to fashion - it was an Ed Sheeran and Abhishek Bachchan challenge she did with her cousin (which we have to find!). TikTok soon became a creative outlet, with her finding ways to combine dance, fashion, pop culture, and more. 

Andrades graduated in 2019 from the University of Houston with a degree in biology. Like many of the other inspiring creatives that we’ve been able to get to know through our Instagram Lives, she is manifesting a path that is not linear. She is also a testament to the fact that it is never too late to pick up a skill. Several of her TikTok videos have shown behind-the-scenes of sewing a piece and it turns out that she is relatively new to the skill. 

“Sewing really started at the beginning of quarantine. The first thing I sewed ever was my Halloween outfit for 2019...when quarantine hit, I really had time to dive into that. Also TikTok influenced me a lot. There’s so many great sewing tutorials and upcycles.” 

The same goes for Ruuz Couture, which grew organically, but always with a strong mission at its core. 

Andrades said, “I was cleaning out my closet one day and thought I had way too many clothes...I was like let’s try to sell some of these...Almost all of the clothes sold.” 

For that first drop, 50% of proceeds went to Shanti Bhavan Children’s Project, a nonprofit in India whose educational model reaches beyond individual students to tackle poverty and create positive change in their families and communities. Even now, 20% of proceeds from each collection are donated. 

Other prominent influences Andrades mentioned on her style and brand are from the Y2K era. She was born and raised for the first 6 years of her life in Mumbai and then moved to the US and throughout her childhood, she watched a lot of Bollywood movies and MTV. 

“I always loved growing up with Kareena Kapoor, like I watched Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham I can’t even count on one hand how many times.” 

Kareena Kapoor and her style in the movie influenced one of her viral pieces of content, where she sewed one of Kapoor’s outfits in the movie. “...being able to make that outfit was me living out that dream of mine” Andrades said during the Live. 

And somehow even a detailed video like that one was filmed in one day. Andrades said she typically films her videos in one to two takes to keep them feeling animated and authentic. She typically starts the process with songs that she likes and that are catchy. We’ll be taking her tips the next time we’re filming! 





Back to blog

Leave a comment

Please note, comments need to be approved before they are published.