Asali from the beginning

To provide gorgeous gift solutions alongside a first class customer experience without exception.

ASALI was born when founder Mindy Arora spotted a gap in the market for aviation gifts and with them a solution to her eternal gift dilemma of what to get her husband for his birthday!

Attending airshows with her husband, himself an RAF fighter pilot, Flt Lt Jim Peterson MBE, Mindy noticed that the aviation merchandise on offer did not cater for those looking for high end, long lasting pieces made by artisans.

Jim Peterson’s Typhoon Display

ASALI was launched in 2017

After actively researching the market on the ground at airshows, Mindy took the plunge and merged her design ideas, family connection to a leather factory in Kolkata and her newly acquired license with the Ministry of Defence to create the ASALI brand. In 2017 ASALI started production of a small number of licensed Red Arrows gifts which are now also supplied to the team.

The collection then grew to the full range it is today and is available at selected stockists, online and selected airshows.

ASALI wins at the SBS awards.

Theo Paphitis gives his approval

As a result of feedback from customers at airshows and generally understanding the plight of the military wife the ASALI label collection also grew. This holds the same sense of luxury and style as the military range, whilst embracing the brands’ own identity.

Your journey with us starts here but long before you decided to shop with us your full grain leather is being veg dyed in our silver rated tannery in Italy. We do not use chemicals in the tanning process of our Italian leather so you can be sure that you’re carrying an eco-friendly piece.

For each new style we work with our team in the sample department to create one piece that can be tested for function and endurance. Once we are happy larger scale production begins and your piece is crafted using a combination of hand and machine based techniques.

Your piece is made in our family owned factory in Kolkata, an ethically certified (SA1 8000) company that also puts female empowerment at the core of its recruitment policy.

Once completed pieces are individually flat packed and sealed in a separate room fitted with a de-humidifier to ensure there can be no moisture damage during transit to the UK.  We re-use the shipment packing to send items to our stockists and the item sent to you. Read more about our eco-friendly packaging here

Your gifts are largely handmade.

Hon Gp Capt Carol Vorderman & Mindy

We know many of you will want to go the extra mile for your recipient when marking that special occasion so in 2018 we started to offer complimentary personalisation and gift wrap. We often receive quirky requests for names but are equally happy with adding initials. Learn more about our expanding personalisation and bespoke ranges here.

From the outset, giving back has been incredibly important to us. A percentage of every sale we make is donated to one of our two chosen charities, the Royal Air Force Association and the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund, both of which support the welfare of serving RAF personnel, veterans and their families.