STITCHING A STORY

SIMPLY

Sahiba Brar, 33 Cover Story Raya Lifestyle Concept Store, Chandigarh

Why business? Sahiba Brar left her role of a Corporate Sales Manager at Indigo Airline in Delhi in 2010 before setting up Raya last year. “Frankly, I had no ambitions of getting into the rat-race and climbing the corporate ladder. No, I did not want to be CEO,” she smiles, displaying deep dimples. Insisting that for her it has always been about having the freedom and control over work so that life never takes a back seat, Brar says, “A corporate environment is way too restrictive,” says this BE in computer engineering from Bhartiya Vidyapeeth (2004), who completed her MBA in marketing from Amity Business School in Noida in 2006.

Business of Lifestyle Brar curates multi designer clothing, fashion accessories and home décor—all under one roof. “So, this is more than a store, and offers ample opportunity to let my creativity run loose,” she says. Everything that Raya houses has been handpicked by her from various fashion weeks, and in a way reflects her own personality.

The Achievements Brar thinks that she has successfully filled a big gap by offering designer products available in Delhi, right here in Chandigarh. “I was the first one to come up with a concept store like Raya, also introducing major designers to the fashion-starved here. There are clothes by more than 30 top designers of the country like Tarun Tahiliani, Manish Arora, Rohit Gandhi Rahul Khanna, Namrata Joshipura, and Pankaj and Nidhistocked in Raya.

The Challenges Lack of contacts, guide or experience at the start. “I drew up my own strategies and plans on how to run a retail business.”