Lizz de Villegas
Former New Yorker living in New
Delhi
Picking up and moving from New York City to New Delhi in February 2005, with her now husband Arnoud, was not an
easy transition for Lizz. After taking sometime to get adjusted to life in India and plan a wedding in Morocco,
Lizz decided that it would be fun to dip her hand in the fashion cookie jar. She knew that she wanted to do something
for herself, and had always had an interest in the fashion world. She figured this new life in India would be the
perfect opportunity to get started.
Lizz started Kalysta firstly as an Import/ Export business, as she knew that all the goodies she found in India
would be desirable elsewhere, and began her company sourcing all sorts of treats from Delhi to Rajasthan and even
to Kashmir. It was just that winter that Kalysta, the label, came alive.
While living in New York, Lizz worked in both Public Relations and Event Management.
She began her career in the city working in Public Relations, on lifestyle accounts: including fashion houses,
modeling agencies and magazines. After leaving the world of Public Relations, she tried her hand in Event Management
working first with large financial corporations and ending her career in New York City as the Events Manager for
the Museum of Modern Art. Having a BA in Art History, this last job was her biggest dream. Lizz followed her heart
and her hopes and made the move to India knowing that it would be for the best.
It has been this first year in Delhi that has inspired Lizz and her designs. She wants to keep a Western feel to
the designs but, of course, with a hint of Indian color. This is done through the patterns she chooses, the colors
she uses, or even the antique borders she applies to her designs, found on her trips through Rajasthan. Her designs
will continue to be inspired by the magical colors and images that Lizz is surrounded by everyday in India.
