Today, we will look at the success journey of House of Chikankari, a pioneering fashion startup founded by Aakriti Rawal and her mother, Poonam Rawal, and how they transformed the unorganised chikankari market into a successful e-commerce venture catering to millennials with their contemporary designs. House of Chikankari, formed in October 2020, is a fashion startup that has revolutionised the chikankari market with its creative e-commerce method.

Chikan is derived from the Persian word chikaan, which means drapery. According to some reports, the craft originated in East Bengal, India, where the name chikan means "fine." Chikankari embroidery is supposed to have started as a court craft by Mughal Emperor Jehangir's wife Noor Jahan during his reign. Traditionally, chikan embroidery was only done on white fabrics, with decorations reminiscent of cotton, Kamdani, and weaving traditions. Lucknow Chikankari has six fundamental stitches and over 32 more traditional stitches that are employed in different combinations depending on the pattern to be embroidered. Phanda, chana patti, ghaas patti, bijli, jaali, tepchi, bakhiya, hool, zanzeera, rahet, banaarsi, kharau, keel kangan, bubul, and hath kadi are some of these stitches.

House of Chikankari strives to develop a brand that resonates with the younger audience by focusing on contemporary designs and a commitment to quality. The driving forces behind House of Chikankari are Aakriti Rawal, an undergraduate degree holder from King's College, London, and a Master's degree holder from Imperial College, London, and her mother, Poonam, a housewife with a passion for designing and stitching. Aakriti and her mother, Poonam, started their business after seeing the untapped potential of the chikankari sector in the e-commerce space.

They used their Rs. 3 lakh funds to establish the firm with a staff of three individuals in their basement.  They persevered and developed momentum during the holiday season despite initial obstacles in organising operations and beginning an e-commerce business.

Scaling became a primary goal, and with funding from Aakriti's father A successful pitch on Sony Television's Shark Tank India, Season 2 - House of Chikankari raised Rs 75 lakhs for 3.75% equity from Aman Gupta, Co-founder & CMO of Boat Lifestyle, and Peyush Bansal, Co-founder of Lenskart.com

The brand recently appeared on Shark Tank India Season 2, where Co-Founder Aakriti Rawal stated, "Most of the chikankari industry is unorganised, which does not allow customers to get quality assurance and authenticity of handworks, which encouraged us to come up with 'House of Chikankari.” House of Chikankari is an e-commerce brand that offers authentic chikankari in a modern style and delivers it to numerous parts of the world. In 2 years of its journey, the brand has provided employment to over 5,000 women artisans serving over 15,000+ customers. The brand has over time witnessed over 5X growth. In FY 2020-21, the brand earned sales income of Rs. 33 lakhs, in FY 2022-23, the brand increased to Rs. 3.3 crore, and in FY 2022-23 (to date), the brand has generated over Rs. 7.4 crore, with the goal of reaching Rs. 15 crore by the end of FY 2022-23. Furthermore, the brand has a 15 percent net margin on its products and expects to earn a 17 percent net profit on the expected revenue for FY 2022-23. 

In an interview Aakriti Rawal, Co-founder of House of Chikankari, stated, "We envisioned a world where the art of chikankari could transcend borders and generations." We sell clothing while conserving a rich cultural history and helping women craftspeople through our e-commerce platform.

It's a journey of translating traditions into contemporary manifestations of style and sophistication." "Building trust took its fair share of time," she remarked of developing the aspect of trust in the client for their products. Interacting with the Sharks was an amazing pleasure, and the experience provided us with a new perspective and a new direction on our path. House of Chikankari works with female karigars in Lucknow to ensure a consistent supply of work. By hiring and training women from diverse backgrounds, the organisation supports their families and contributes to their children's education. They sell their clothing between Rs. 2,000 and Rs. 13,000 to appeal to a wide range of buyers. The company has seen amazing growth, with a turnover of Rs. 20 crore in FY 23 and plans to expand further next year. Over 70,000 people have purchased from House of Chikankari. Their current fundraising round of Rs 75 lakhs has fueled their expansion goals even further.

Furthermore, the organisation might seek collaborations with fashion designers and companies to broaden their reach and offer more diverse products to their clients. Collaborating with other traditional artists and craftspeople can also assist House of Chikankari expose the richness and diversity of Indian art and culture to the world.

To summarise, the success story of House of Chikankari is an inspiration to many ambitious businesses who are passionate about conserving traditional art forms and making a positive effect in their communities. By being true to its beliefs and providing high-quality products and services, the company has gained a devoted consumer base as well as the attention of investors and industry experts. We wish them continued success on their path.

“Behind every great woman... is another great woman.” Kate Hodges