A SOLIHULL-BORN and educated entrepreneur has been given the official Ministry Of Defence license to use Military Insignia, including the Red Arrows logo, on a new range of luxury leather gifts, with donations from each sale going to charity.
ASALI (the Hindi word for Genuine) is the brainchild of Mindy Arora who grew up in the borough and went to school in Dorridge and at Solihull School.
Mindy already runs a successful marketing company, but is hoping her new venture will be a similar success – and help to raise lots of money for her four chosen charities.
Sales of all Red Arrows products will see a donation to the Jon Egging Trust – the charity set up in memory of Warwickshire-born Red Arrows pilot John Egging, who died when his jet crashed at Bournemouth Air Festival in 2011.
Sales of Typhoon products will support the Royal Air Force Association (RAFA), while sales of Combat Stress Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) products will support that charity and its chosen causes.
ASALI’s own products will see a donation handed to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF).
Mindy said: “The idea for ASALI came about literally in the middle of the night.
“The process of acquiring the license, sourcing and designing the leather range was far more lengthy!
“I am delighted to be launching this unique and beautiful range of military inspired gifts and even happier that we can support some very deserving charities at the same time.
“I am keen to make a commercial success of this but establishing a charity connection early on is very much part of our model.
“Asali means ‘Genuine’ in Hindi and this is our ethos.
“We hope demand will allow the range to expand to use more of the logo’s acquired with the license, across the RAF, Navy and Army and we encourage groups within the military to get in touch.”
