“I always knew I wanted to be a fashion designer. Ever since I was a little girl, I loved playing dress-up and making clothes for my dolls. As I grew older, my passion for fashion only intensified, and I knew that I wanted to turn my love for design into a career.

But midway, amidst some confusion, due to my good marks, my parents asked me to pursue engineering and so I did and got placed in TCS. I worked there for around a year. At one point, I was clear about what I wanted to do and that wasn’t a 9 to 5 job.

I got into NIFT for 2 years and did proper coaching on fashion and styling.

But starting out as a fashion designer wasn’t easy in the initial stage. I spent days working hard and honing my craft, pouring my heart and soul into every design I created.

I decided to take a loan from the MSME scheme for women and opened my first store in 2019 and boom – COVID happened after 8 months of the opening.

I had the unwavering support of my husband and family, who believed in me and my dreams. They encouraged me to keep pushing forward, even when things seemed challenging.

We shut down the store since I wasn’t able to pay rent, I had to repay the loan amount and had to pay my tailoring staff as well. I rented my dad’s small-old place and made it my cute tiny boutique and tried getting orders from the people I knew. That was the time, I was invited to do styling for an ad shoot for Actor Nakshathra. She liked my fashion sense and consequently, hired me to be her designer for her engagement.

I poured everything I had into making my customers satisfied and curating the most beautiful collection of clothes I could imagine.

And finally, all of my hard work paid off. I opened up my own boutique in Nungambakkam, where I could showcase my designs and sell them directly to customers. For Mayon (my boutique brand) to commence its fierce journey, I was over the moon with excitement.

And slowly but surely, my brand began to take off.

People started talking about my designs, and customers began flocking to my boutique.

Looking back, I realise that the road to success is never easy, and there will always be obstacles that one should overcome. But with consistency, passion, and the support of those you love, anything is possible.”