Aakriti Rawal is not just a founder she is the architect of quiet revolutions. The past year, as she openly shared, was not just another fiscal cycle but a deeply personal battle marked by doubts, anxieties, breakthroughs, and growth. In her words, FY 24–25 was the year that broke her and built her a powerful reflection that resonates with anyone who has dared to build something from the ground up.
Aakriti Rawal entered this chapter already seasoned with the unpredictable rhythms of entrepreneurship. Yet nothing could have fully prepared her for the emotional and operational turbulence she faced. She questioned her path, doubted her instincts, and stood face to face with exhaustion but never walked away. Through all of it, Aakriti Rawal chose to keep showing up. Not for applause. Not for perfection. But for purpose.
At the helm of House of Chikankari, a brand rooted in heritage yet driven by innovation, Aakriti Rawal had already carved out a unique space in India’s fashion ecosystem. But as she reveals, growth isn’t always glamorous. It is often uncomfortable. The kind of growth that stretches your limits, tests your patience, and demands that you lead even when you’re unsure of the way forward.
This past year, Aakriti Rawal did exactly that.
Under her leadership, the company achieved extraordinary milestones. Revenue from new channels doubled within just ten months a feat that reflects strategic agility amidst changing consumer behavior. International sales, often a tough nut to crack for homegrown brands, surged by 30% during peak seasons. These numbers, while impressive, are merely the surface of what they represent: a team refusing to give up, and a leader willing to adapt.
Aakriti Rawal also took bold steps to reclaim her brand’s voice. In an age where outsourced content is common, she made the decision to build an in-house content team from scratch. This wasn’t just about efficiency; it was about authenticity. The result? A renewed creative energy that aligned more closely with the soul of House of Chikankari.
Bringing creativity back home was a pivotal move. But it wasn’t easy. As Aakriti Rawal mentions, the struggles with hiring were real. Finding the right people those who not only understood the business but resonated with its mission took time. Yet again, she persisted. And when the right team finally came together, the difference was felt across the board.
Another highlight of this transformative year was the brand’s first celebrity collaboration with Soha Ali Khan. It wasn’t just a marketing play it was a statement of intent. House of Chikankari was no longer a quiet whisper in the crowded fashion marketplace. It was speaking up, owning its space, and doing it on its own terms all under the stewardship of Aakriti Rawal.
Perhaps most striking of all was how the brand managed to raise its seed round in just two months a signal of deep investor confidence and the clarity of vision that Aakriti Rawal brings to the table. And as if that wasn’t enough, March closed with the highest-ever monthly sales in the company’s history.
Yet for all the milestones, what lingers in the mind is not the numbers, but the reflection behind them. Aakriti Rawal reminds us that you can lead while feeling lost. You can create while struggling. You can progress while believing you’re failing. This is not just vulnerability this is leadership in its truest form.
Aakriti Rawal doesn’t posture as someone with all the answers. Instead, she offers something far more valuable: honesty. Her journey this past year isn’t dressed up with false confidence. It’s raw, human, and relatable. That’s why it inspires.
As FY 25–26 begins, Aakriti Rawal steps into it with something more enduring than momentum she steps in with clarity, courage, and a quiet kind of confidence that only comes from weathering storms. And that’s the kind of leadership the world needs more of.
For those in the trenches of their own difficult seasons, her story is a gentle reminder: progress isn’t always loud. Breakthroughs don’t always come with fanfare. But if you keep showing up, like Aakriti Rawal did despite the chaos, despite the doubt you might just look back and realize that the hardest year wasn’t a setback, but a setup.
Aakriti Rawal’s journey with House of Chikankari is not just a business story. It’s a human story. A reminder that behind every achievement is a person who chose not to quit. And that sometimes, the most important success is simply this staying in the fight long enough to win it.
