The House of Ara founder on shaping a career through craft and ready-to-wear

For many independent designers, the transition from creative founder to business leader is gradual and often learned on the job. Avani K Chandan has built The House of Ara without a formal fashion background, navigating both creative and commercial responsibilities as the brand has grown.

In this Q&A with Inside Retail, Chandan discusses her path into fashion, how her responsibilities have shifted over time, and the challenges of scaling a design-led business while remaining closely involved in its creative direction.

Inside Retail: Before founding The House of Ara, what experiences most shaped how you think about fashion as a business, not just a creative pursuit?

Avani K Chandan: I did not come from a formal fashion or design background. My journey began purely from a deep love for Indian art, textiles, and clothing. As the brand took shape, I learned the business side organically – by observing customers, understanding pricing, managing production realities, and learning through trial and error.

This hands-on, self-taught approach shaped how I view fashion today: As a balance between emotion and economics, where creativity must be supported by structure, discipline and sustainability to truly survive.

IR: As founder and creative director, how hands-on are you with the business side today? How has your role evolved?

AC: I remain deeply involved in both creative and business decisions from design direction to production planning and brand strategy. Over time, my role has shifted from doing everything myself to building processes and trusting a small, capable team.

IR: What have been the biggest leadership lessons in scaling a design-led business?

AC: One key lesson has been learning to make decisions rooted in sustainability rather than speed. Another has been understanding that clear communication with artisans, vendors, and customers is just as important as design vision.

IR: What has been the most challenging moment in your journey as a founder so far?

AC: Navigating growth while staying true to our values has been the most challenging. There are constant trade-offs between cost, scale and craftsmanship, while learning to say no to opportunities that don’t align has also been essential.

IR: Are there areas where you deliberately choose to stay hands-on, and others where you’ve learned to let go?

AC: I stay hands-on with design, fabric selection, and brand storytelling; these are the soul of The House of Ara. I’ve learned to let go of day-to-day operations and delegate execution, allowing me to focus on long-term vision and creative direction.

IR: What operational challenges come with working with heritage crafts at scale? 

AC: The biggest challenge is balancing consistency with the organic nature of handcrafted processes. Lead times are longer, quality can vary, and artisans work within seasonal and regional constraints. Scaling requires patience, close collaboration, and investing in systems that respect the craft rather than forcing it to behave like an industrial process. 

IR: As a fast-growing, homegrown label, what have been the most important growth milestones so far? 

AC: Some key milestones include building a repeat customer base, receiving recognition from national publications, and successfully presenting our collections through pop-ups and curated retail experiences. Each milestone reaffirmed a growing consumer appetite for thoughtful, craft-led fashion.

Further reading: Avani K Chandan on scaling The House of Ara in India’s ready-to-wear market.

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