Ms. Abhilasha Bahuguna

Co-Founder and Director, Looms of Ladakh, India

Ms. Abhilasha Bahuguna is a social entrepreneur and development practitioner dedicated to building sustainable, women-led enterprises in the Indian Himalayas. Over the past nine years, she has co-founded and led Looms of Ladakh Women Cooperative and the Looms of Niti Mana Self-Reliant Cooperative, empowering over 800 women herders and artisans across Ladakh and Uttarakhand in India. Her work bridges design, heritage, and sustainability to create ethical, farm-to-fashion models rooted in local ownership.

Previously a Scientific Associate at CentERdata, Tilburg University (Netherlands), Ms. Bahuguna holds a Master’s in Socio-Economic Policy from Tilburg University and is currently pursuing doctoral research at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences. Under her leadership, Looms of Ladakh has been featured in the Economic Survey of India 2023, showcased at the UN Headquarters and Times Square, and studied by IIM Bangalore, with its model published in the Harvard Business Review.