Alaviaa Jaaferi wants you to sell your Birkin and buy stocks

Alaviaa Jaaferi floats into her sea-facing living room, barefoot in baggy, mismatched pyjamas, the picture of a Mumbai-based zillennial. She waves our team into her Architectural Digest-approved Bandra home whose hall spills into a balcony that channels Mediterranean minimalism with a hint of Malibu ease, tempered by just enough sound from the streets outside to remind you of exactly where you are. I ask her younger brother Abbas what aesthetic this is, and he casually says, “I’d say liminal,” before disappearing away from the chaos of the crew now overtaking his house.

On the other hand, the 28-year-old Jaaferi, unbothered by the people streaming in behind her, leads us into her room. Once her hair’s done, I ask how her name is pronounced. “It’s Ul-viah,” she laughs—half patient, half resigned. “Even during brand calls, after I correct them, they still get it wrong.” She stops to trace invisible lines over her eyes. “Can we place the lashes just on the ends? Just to get that lift,” she tells the makeup artist. 

Jaaferi may be 28, but she’s already out to prove her fashion cred. A graduate of Parsons School of Design, she interned with Jade By Monica & Karishma and in 2021 launched Vis a Via, a multi-brand fashion platform, along with stylist Nikita Jaisinghani. “The idea was to bring niche global brands to India, but there are lots of laws and rules when it comes to imports,” she explains. “Dealing with any small thing is 10 times harder here, and once content became full-time it just got hard to keep up.”

Once the shoot kicks off, there’s a flicker of nerves, but they pass quickly. Jaaferi talks to me about her time in front of the camera: photos came easy (thanks to clicking selfies with her brother on a MacBook her dad once bought). Videos? Not so much. “I was so conscious,” she admits. During her time on Prime Video’s Indian reality TV show The Tribe (2024), her producers in Los Angeles clocked it early: “You have way more personality than you’re letting on,” they told her. Now, she talks to the camera like it’s an old friend.

Below, she shares with The Nod her hot takes on stardom, thrift favourites, and her enduring love for The Weeknd.

I’m working on a clothing line. One of the pieces is being made right now. I used to ask Monica [Shah of Jade By Monica and Karishma] all the time about incorporating her beadwork or Indian embroidery into more Western silhouettes. We never got around to that, but now I’m like, maybe I want to do it? It’d be so cool.

I’m a content creator first. It’s funny, because in India the term has this weird association, and the older generation just doesn’t get what goes into being a content creator. When I create, I’m moodboarding, sourcing, and styling—basically being my own creative director. Actors are happy to mock influencers, my dad [Jaaved Jaaferi] said something similar on The Tribe. But do you really think it’s cool doing an item number? Feels a bit regressive.

Fashion was definitely a form of rebellion for me. While growing up, my dad was super strict; he didn’t like me wearing skinny jeans with a short top or miniskirts. It wasn’t about the outfit, really. It was the fact that I couldn’t wear it, so I would. If he were home, I’d sometimes sneak out the back so he wouldn’t see me. I used to change in the elevator or at a friend’s place before heading out. It used to be so annoying, but he’s more chill now. I’m finally starting to make my own choices and figure out what I actually like.

My earliest fashion memory is shopping with my mom in Switzerland. She wouldn’t let me buy too many bags, so now that I’m earning, I’ve started investing in them. I’m eyeing a vintage Fendi Baguette or one of those country-specific Dior Saddles—the Chinese one is so cool. I’m not into Birkins, though. My friend got one in Paris, and I told her, ‘Dude, sell it and buy stocks.’ But I have a lot of shoes. Not many heels, just kitten heels, so I can move fast. Mostly boots and sneakers, brands like Alohas.

I don’t have a specific style theme—I wear anything and everything. I don’t mind mixing silver and gold; you’ll see that in the video [referring to the Cook a Look she shot earlier]. I can’t pick a favourite designer because my style is always shifting. And I love offline thrifting in LA or New York. Essentially, I’m trying to build a collection I can pass down—like a personal archive. Not necessarily designer—just cool stuff you won’t find again.

I believe in investing in a good pair of pants. You’ll find a lot of denim in my wardrobe. I’ve got silver, blue, metallics, everything. When it comes to denim, I don’t love how Zara fits; it’s not as long-lasting as brands like Re/Done that really specialise in denim. Now I have so many bottoms that I’m trying to build up my collection of tops to match.

I can’t live without lip filler. I’ve just started doing masseter Botox too. I sound mad; I keep wanting to reference TikTok sounds, especially that Kim Kardashian one: “I feel like I’m starting to feel like myself again”. That’s me every time I get filler or masseter. I haven’t done Botox anywhere else, and I’m not sure I’d start super early. I know my friends do it on their foreheads, but that’s why I always say, just start using retinol.

I love retinol. I’ve been using it since I was 21. I have no Botox on my forehead, and my skin doesn’t move. You purge at first, but once you get through that, it’s worth it. You just have to stick with it. I’ve been using SkinCeuticals, and Paula’s Choice is good too. But honestly, just use tretinoin from Noble Pharmacy. I think that works best.

Also, I’m a big gamer. My friends keep telling me to start streaming. Right now, I’ve been playing Dead by Daylight, but I used to play Fortnite a lot, and I just finished It Takes Two. I play Catan on my laptop while I eat... It’s not normal. I watch a lot of TV shows. My top three would be kind of basic—Dark, Breaking Bad, and Game of Thrones. I’m very into deep house music. I used to hate techno, but now it’s all I listen to, along with afro-house music. Oh my god. I was a full-on Directioner growing up and knew every Bieber song too. I love them. I don’t listen to pop anymore, except The Weeknd.

For the longest time, I could not get myself to read. I used to find it really boring. So, what I do now is, right before I go to sleep, I set an alarm for 10 minutes and read till it rings, which kind of got me into the habit of reading. I started with Atomic Habits by James Clear. Right now, I’m reading The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. It’s all over TikTok as a fix for creative ruts. One exercise is writing three pages first thing in the morning. It felt a bit forced at first, but by the end, I had a lot to say. There’s also a step called the Artist’s Date, where you do something creative for two hours a week. I’m looking forward to trying that.

Hair and Make-up: Nitu Tamang. Bookings editor: Nikita Moses. Art direction: Mehak Jindal. Production: By The Gram