Welcome to South Asian Trailblazers! 👋🏼 I’m Simi Shah, and here, I dive deep into the journeys of trailblazing South Asians. Listen to the podcast that inspires this newsletter on Apple, Spotify, or any major podcast platform. Follow us for updates on our events and more on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, & TikTok.
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🦁Akash and Niki Mehta — Founders of Fable & Mane,
In this episode, I welcome our first-ever sibling founder duo: Akash and Nikita Mehta, Co-Founders of Fable & Mane. Fable & Mane is an Ayurveda-inspired hair wellness brand.
Akash is a British entrepreneur and influencer. He graduated from Imperial College London with a degree in electrical engineering. His professional journey spans roles at Burberry, Estee Lauder, and Dior, where he notably served as their youngest-ever global digital manager. Currently, Akash serves as the CEO of Fable & Mane. In addition to that, he owns a digital agency- studio, CO-ANU. Akash is also the host of the rising beauty podcast, Founded Beauty, and holds the position of an investor in Patou, making him one of the youngest board members at LVMH. Beyond his professional pursuits, Akash has amassed a significant social media following, acts as a global guardian for UNICEF, and is a co-founder of The Fable Fund, a fund dedicated to wild tiger conservation and protection. Niki and Akash started Fable & Mane in 2020 and have since scaled it globally — debuting in Sephora in 2022.
Niki is a visionary and conscious beauty entrepreneur. She holds a degree in computer science and management from the University College of London and spent much of her building French fragrance brands. Currently, Niki serves as the Creative Director and Head of Product Innovation at Fable & Mane. She recently co-executive produced the Netflix documentary film Game Changers. She is also an investor and board member of LVMH's Patou and co-founder of The Fable Fund. She is a certified mindfulness teacher and, in 2022, completed 200 hours of meditation training.
Read on for episode excerpts, which we’ve edited for clarity and brevity. 👇🏾
Simi: Share with me the origin story of Fable & Mane.
Niki: Well for me, it was about my own hair loss journey. I was in my late 20s and I experienced a lot of hair loss — literal clumps of hair coming out. And I had just forgotten oiling. So I went back to the kitchen started warming coconut oil and mixing ingredients like amla. I made it all fresh — how it was made back in the day — leaving it overnight on low heat. I put in some curry leaves and fenugreek. And I just kept a little bottle, and yes, it didn't smell nice, but I massaged it in my hair consistently for three to four weeks. And the amount of loss just from my hairbrush and in the shower was much less. This stuff really works. And I thought, Why did I stop doing this? And also, where is it in the market — apart from what you find in Indian supermarkets or grocery stores? And so, we saw an opportunity to create something that was beautiful, clean, cultural, conscious, and that celebrates our heritage. That was the main reason to enter this industry.
Simi: Talk to me about scaling globally and breaking into Sephora — the holy grail for beauty brands.
Akash: We had the concept and we LinkedIn messaged Sephora, because that was always the top retailer of our dreams. We had seen the rise of certain brands like Sol De Janeiro celebrating Brazil and Tatcha celebrating Japan. And we thought: India! What about India?
We had this concept and they loved it. They felt it from the beginning. They invited us to San Francisco and we were in the kitchen with them for about a year just building. We were trying to understand the realities of building a beauty brand, of being a part of someone’s ritual, and we really spent time on our why, which is what I think made us a bit different. Today, we’re proudly the first-ever South Asian haircare brand, the first Ayurvedic brand, and the first sibling-founded brand at Sephora.
And I remember speaking to our VP of Hair at Sephora, and she saaid, ‘Akash hundreds of Ayurvedic brands are pitching us. We’ve never seen anything like this.’ And I’m not sure if we had anything to do with that, but I’d tell them that it was amazing feeling. But what I'm really proud of today is that when we first started, Niki and I were told sometimes, ‘Don't worry, you’re our only Ayurvedic brand. It’ll just be you.’ And I said, ‘No, no, no. That's not music to my hears. I want there to be many more.’ I want us to champion all of them, to grow together because there has to be more than one. There needs to be many. We're not your typical brand. We're here to uplift our culture. And that's with more of us, not just one of us.’
Together, we discuss how Akash and Niki have not only shaped Fable & Mane into a distinctive global brand, but also have successfully navigated the challenges of launching an Ayurveda-inspired brand into global markets, all while collaborating as socially-conscious siblings. Tune in on Apple, Spotify, and our website!