Ashie Dalal's vendor booth sits right across from an active dance party at Pride, fuelled by the pumping rhythms of a techno DJ booth. Dalal had the fortunate luck of mixing business with pleasure as she spent the day watching crowds dressed in FIFA jerseys and sequinned ensembles dance their hearts out up and down the block as they mingled in front of her jewelry stand.
Ash Designs was born in 2020 as a pandemic-era small business as a creative outlet for its founder, Ashie Dalal, based in Brampton. After working gruelling hours as a full-time nurse, she began seeking a hobby to relieve after-work stress and reconnect with her artistic passions, which led her into the world of clay jewelry creation, "I felt like I was losing touch with my creative side, and I really wanted to just do something with my hands," she shared.
As she began to dabble in jewelry creation during her free time and evenings, her family and friends quickly recognized her talents as a monetizable opportunity and encouraged her to begin selling her designs and putting her work into the public eye. Dalal's collection has expanded from clay earrings shaped and painted by hand all the way to charm and metal pieces in sterling silver, stainless steel, gold plating and gold fill: all lead, nickel and cadmium free. Today, she manages her own Instagram business account, website and attends markets that provide her the perfect stage to showcase her art and meet like-minded creatives.
In reminiscing on how her artistry was reignited, it's everything within her orbit, often found in all the mundane moments of her everyday life, "I find inspiration in the people that I meet — in their outfits and their nails, in conversations we have," she shares. "Sometimes they tell me or show me pictures from their travels, so it's those interactions that actually end up feeding more of my creativity."
Ash Designs showed up in full force for Pride, decorating her table with bold statement clay earrings, a collection of charm rings, and delicate butterfly, dragonfly, and star earring studs. What's especially special is that each pair of polymer clay jewelry Dalal creates will appear as its own colour variance and pattern, transforming every piece into truly one-of-a-kind art.
Dalal urges aspiring entrepreneurs to do their homework at every stage of the process, especially when it comes to provincial and municipal loans and grants — funding she says is more available to small Canadian businesses than most people even realize. The Canadian government distributed over $4 billion in business grants and innovation incentives in 2024. Yet many small businesses remain unaware that these opportunities exist, with nearly half of owners reporting experiencing challenges due to a lack of financial knowledge, according to a Xero study.
What drives Dalal to Pride this year is the interlinked love of arts across the city; she points to the importance of emboldening your courage in believing yourself as an artist especially in knowing that your creative work will find its home and space in a diverse sea of Toronto artists.
"The biggest thing is to take the shot. It's worth taking the chance of doing something that you really enjoy," she shares. "You're going to find the people who enjoy your work and appreciate what you do a hundred percent."
Dalal has built a growing presence across Toronto's markets over the past few years, appearing at Artist Alley within Comic Con, the CNE, Do West Fest, and Stackt Market. Dalal hopes to attend more markets over the 2026 summer season, with plans to announce her future appearances through @ash.designs.shop
