Aradhana, Founder Aurelia Privé.
In conversation with Aradhana, founder of Aurelia Privé, on the making of meaningful experiences, the value of cultivated taste, and why the things we love can become the things we leave behind.
Taste is often treated as something instinctive: an eye for beautiful things, an appreciation for art, an affinity for objects that feel special. But what if taste is less about what we’re naturally drawn to and more about what we’ve taken the time to discover?
From jewellery and heirloom textiles to art, antiques and alternative investments, the relationship between appreciation and value is more layered than we might think. Some things are acquired for pleasure, others for their history, craftsmanship or potential to appreciate. And sometimes, their significance lies in all three.
For Aradhana, the founder of Aurelia Privé, this relationship between curiosity, culture and connection has shaped both her personal interests and her entrepreneurial journey. Through intimate salons, hands-on ateliers and technology designed to make charitable events more seamless, she is creating spaces where people can discover something new, exchange ideas and build meaningful connections.
Ahead of Acquired Taste, our festive salon exploring the intersection of creativity, personal taste and unconventional investments, we spoke with her about the experiences that shape our appreciation of the world, the value hidden in everyday objects, and why women should think differently about the things they already know to love.
Q: Tell us about yourself and Aurelia Privé. What inspired you to build the brand?
I’ve been Chair of Young Women’s India Association of the UK (YWIA) for the last three years and found it incredibly fulfilling. Running events for the oldest Asian charity in the UK showed me two things.
First, so much of event planning can be streamlined and automated, allowing people in events to spend more time creating them. That’s why I started building software alongside.
Aurelia Privé’s silent auction platform debuted at the WIA Ball at The Peninsula, where it saved the organisers around £3,000 and helped push donations to £32,000 on the night.
Second, as more of our lives move online, we need welcoming and curated spaces to meet in person. Aurelia Privé Events is that space: intimate salons and hands-on ateliers where people come to learn something and leave having met someone new.
Q: Was Aurelia Privé born out of a personal interest, or did you discover an unmet need along the way?
Both. I’ve always had an array of interests, and recently I set myself a goal to meet one new person at every event I attend. It has truly enriched my life.
That love of connection drew me to community work, and leading YWIA turned it into something bigger. I discovered the joy of creating those moments for others, not just being part of them.
It also showed me a gap. The tools behind events were clunky and expensive, especially for a charity, and people were hungry for gatherings that felt considered rather than transactional. Aurelia Privé grew out of seeing that firsthand.
Q: Taste is something we learn and the idea of acquired taste sits at the heart of our upcoming salon. What does it mean to you personally?
Acquired taste is what my family taught me, and what I’ve built on by learning about the world around me.
It’s understanding the value in something raw, such as metal, and what it becomes when it’s shaped into gold jewellery, for example.
I learnt about Degas at school, then went to exhibitions and discovered Renoir. I still go to talks whenever I can. Taste isn’t something you’re born with. Every one of those experiences shapes you.
Q: Can something you love become something of value beyond the pleasure it brings you?
My family has done this for generations. We have a real passion for shawls, from pashmina to Kani to Shahtoosh and Sozni, each with its own craft and story.
Jewellery matters deeply across cultures, including for Hindus, where adornment is as much a spiritual practice as an aesthetic one. We even have days in the calendar dedicated to the accumulation of wealth, like Dhanteras.
Look at Indian weddings today: gold has always been tradition in the South, and now, with gold’s rise in value, North Indian brides are wearing far more of it too. Love and value have always gone hand in hand.
Q: How do you think about the relationship between personal taste, luxury and unconventional investments?
It’s quite beautiful that the things you surround yourself with for a beautiful life can hold value beyond your lifetime and be passed down.
A shawl, a piece of jewellery, a painting: you enjoy it every day, and one day it becomes part of someone else’s story. Taste is what helps you choose pieces worth keeping.
Q: Building Aurelia Privé has required you to recognise opportunities, take risks and trust your own instincts. What has the experience taught you about value?
That value is often hiding in plain sight.
A software tool for charity auctions doesn’t sound glamorous, but on its first night it made a measurable difference to the money raised.
Building something new means hearing plenty of opinions, and I’ve learnt to listen, then trust my instinct about what my community actually wants. Every event has been a small risk, and each one has taught me something the last one couldn’t.
Q: What’s one thing about the events industry you wish more people understood?
How much work goes into making something look effortless.
A beautiful evening is hundreds of small decisions, from the guest list to the seating to the follow-up afterwards. That’s exactly why I’m building technology to handle the admin, so hosts can focus on the part that matters: the people in the room.
Q: For women interested in turning a personal passion or appreciation for something into an investment opportunity, where would you suggest they begin?
Start by learning properly. Go to the exhibitions, the auctions, the talks, and ask the people who know more than you.
Buy what you genuinely love, because you’ll live with it, and understand what gives it lasting value.
And talk about it with other women. Our mothers and grandmothers have been doing this quietly for generations, with gold, textiles and heirlooms. We just need to start calling it what it is: investing.
Perhaps that’s the real beauty of acquired taste: the understanding that appreciation can be cultivated, value can take many forms, and the things we choose to surround ourselves with can carry stories far beyond our own.
Sometimes, the most interesting investments begin with something as simple as learning to see differently. We want you to come experience this with us at our next salon happening Sunday, 15 November 2026.
We would love to have you there!
