This Sister Duo Is Building A Brand To Fuse Upbeat Fashion with Comfort In Maternity Clothing

Unable to find comfortable clothes that fit well during pregnancy, Aanchal along with her sister started a maternity clothing brand, Chicmomz – The Magic of Motherhood. 

“During my pregnancy, there wasn’t any good maternity wear. Options were, either my husband’s t-shirts or plus-size clothes. And due to pregnancy, there are changes in the body, so I desired something that would be comfortable at all times. Also, along with comfort, I was looking for something fashionable, as I am a working woman.”

Sisters, the perfect team

Born and brought up in Saharanpur, now Delhi based, Aanchal, a mother of a 2-year-old baby girl, was in the corporate world for more than a decade and worked for various MNCs. Aashna, the younger sister, is an engineer turned journalist who did her Masters in Journalism and has work experience with NDTV and Hindustan Times. Initially, she wasn’t keen to join her sister, but gradually by pitching in some great ideas and working on a few projects, Aashna joined Chicmomz.

“We want Chicmomz, as a brand, to be known for comfort meeting fashion, for all moms and moms-to-be. Women should always have the choice of comfortable clothing, especially during their pregnancy.” 

The market

Bootstrapped with an investment of 2 Lakh INR, Chicmomz became profitable just after two and half months post-launch. The profits are being reinvested to grow the company and expand its client base.

They fulfill orders to customers pan-India, and the clothes can be purchased online from their official website, Facebook, and Instagram pages. They are working to gain market share by competing with big brands, such being, GAP, H&M, Momzjoy, to name a few. However, they differentiate themselves with affordable pricing, comfort fits, and of course, fashion-forward styles.

“When it comes to maternity apparel, the fabric is salient, and we never compromise on it. Our first-time customers become our repeat customers, and our repeat customers just keep loving it. Common feedback; they don’t feel the fabric on their body at all, so free and light.”

Risk hai toh Ishq hai moment

Aanchal, a risk-taker, says, “Life is all about risk, and till the time you don’t go all out, you won’t know your limits.” She shares one such awe-inspiring moment, “Kareena Kapoor Khan is pregnant with her second baby and was at the Pataudi Palace. Aashna and I braved a chance to visit the palace and somehow hand-delivered one of our creations to her manager, with no hopes or expectations. After 10 days something surreal happened, completely unexpected. She wore our dress, and got clicked by the press! Consequently we got featured in many named famed sites, like, Vogue India, Zoomtventertainment, and LBB.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Chicmomz (@chicmomz)

There has been no looking back, and Aanchal loves being a BossMom, breaking all stereotypes.

“I conceived 2 years back, and I did not know if I could manage things well. But, after I became a mom I was able to work three times more than I used to earlier.” 

Faced with a lot of gender biases during her corporate stint, Aanchal now works mostly with female freelancers, out of which two are mothers. She says, “In any male-dominated arena, women being firm and vocal about their views ensure that their voices are heard. One wouldn’t know her true potential until she goes for it, all out. Love yourself in any situation and have faith in everything that you do, it can change your life.”

Managing work-life balance 

“Work and motherhood together is still not an acceptable combination by many in the society. I was expected to feel guilty even when I wasn’t experiencing any. But my spouse was supportive through and through, with a positive outlook to not lose out on my dream. He happily said that even if the startup turns out to be inoperative, I would have, at the least, gained knowledge and valuable experience from it. I truly feel and know that becoming an entrepreneur is the best decision I ever made. It’s an amazing process of learning and being productive at every step of the way.”