AANHPI Heritage Month: Indian-American entrepreneur using clothes to reclaim culture with Jotes

Added: 2026-05-25

[00:00:00]Jyoti Chand says in a world where culture is often borrowed without credit, she's making sure her Indian nightgown brand comes with a sense of identity and connection.

[00:00:10]In the home of Jyoti Chand, comfort is culture. My mom, you know, was cooking in her nightgown. She was cleaning. She was taking care of us. The author of Fitting Indian, influencer, and now founder of Jote's, Chand says the Indian nightgown is more than something you sleep in. It is the most underrated garment in Indian culture. I'm going to teach you how to make my favorite Indian comfort food today. 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. The first collection is also personal. When she was 12, she traveled to India with her grandmother and says the colors, symmetry, and detail inside the Taj Mahal stayed with her. This specific print is called the Taj and it is actually inspired by the wallpaper inside the Taj Mahal. 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, you know, Indian-inspired things that are really just Indian. For Maryam Quadri, that recognition is why she bought one, specifically to give birth to her future daughter. The first time I put on a Jote's piece, I felt beautiful. 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. Like wearing henna in elementary school and being asked if I had like drawn mud on my hands. Now, years later with the support of Jote's, she's wearing her culture boldly. Looky!

[00:01:40]What 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. 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.

[00:02:01]Our culture is also our home.

[00:02:03]The first women's line of Jote's is now available. We've got more information on our website at abc7chicago.com.