Aanchal
“Being a woman to me is a lot about strength, individuality, mutual support & confidence. I choose the women I want to surround myself with. It’s so important to hang out with women that are always there to back you up, the women you can rely on for whatever with unwavering levels of support. It just boosts up your morale almost instantly.”
Aanchal is a passionate entrepreneur and a true creative. Having aspirations to pursue fashion from a young age, she now designs and runs her own Indian wear brand called Aakarshan by AJ. She has proven that her mentality is her greatest strength, remaining patient through difficult circumstances and understanding that growth is a process. Maintaining these perspectives has made her successful in her career, as well as in her personal relationships. Meet Aanchal. This is her story.
K: Please introduce yourself!
A: Hi, my name is Aanchal Jaggi, a fashion designer by profession and an artist at heart. Born & brought up in the middle east, but my roots belong to India. I grew up in Dubai and have been living here since I was two years old. Graduated with a BA Degree in Fashion Design & Pattern Drafting from French Fashion University ESMOD. I have an Indian wear brand called Aakarshan by AJ that I established in 2012.
K: Describe yourself in your own words
A: A confident entrepreneur, a focused business woman, an enthusiastic fashion designer, a doting daughter, a devoted wife and a complete family person. I've always been the creative one, attracted to art, sketching, designing, painting etc, throughout my childhood. I loved everything related to fashion since I was in school and decided that I'd grow up to be a Fashion Designer and my parents helped me every step of the way to fulfill that dream. I am still learning everyday and I never want that to stop.
K: What is your favourite thing about yourself?
A: MY PATIENCE. I believe that being patient helps me focus on my long term goals, build a reputation and make more rational choices. It's so important to be patient in today's day & age. There's competition all around us and with social media, it feels like everyone's a part of some race. Race to continuously prove yourself, race to be better than others, race to get more followers & likes, race to be more popular. With all of that around us, I feel like we really need to believe in ourselves and understand that everyone's growth is different. Be patient & believe in the process. All we should really be doing is giving it our all and putting in all our hard work to achieve what we're aiming for.
Keeping my professional life aside, I also believe that I am very accommodating & patient in my personal life. Although, sometimes others can really take you for granted and push you to your limits because they know how calm & patient you are. It gets difficult at times, but you have to do what makes you feel the best.
K: Tell us a story. Have you had an experience that’s defined you or made you stronger?
A: Shortly after I got married, my husband and I had to face some hardships that made us step way out of our comfort zones and obviously no one is ever prepared to hit a rough phase. It was a difficult time and was mentally exhausting. The situations that we were in, brought us closer as a couple. We realised that we were stronger than what we thought and if we could fight this together, we can overcome anything in life. We sailed through it all sometimes with a smile & many times with tears. But this made us work harder towards our careers, more focused towards our goals and made us value time & money more than ever. Each dirham that we earned, was a constant reminder of how we wanted to make our lives better. I feel like I'm still growing everyday and overcoming difficulties but with a more positive approach.
K: What is one piece of advice you’d give to your younger self?
A: I wish I could have understood much earlier in life that sometimes it's best not to force something that's not working out. There's a reason why some things take time and we don't really understand it at the moment and make hasty decisions that we regret later.
K: What does being a woman mean to you?
A: When faced with the question ‘What does being a woman mean to you?’ there are so many answers, and every day, the answer changes. Being a woman to me is a lot about strength, individuality, mutual support & confidence. I choose the women I want to surround myself with. It's so important to hang out with women that are always there to back you up, the women you can rely on for whatever with unwavering levels of support. It just boosts up your morale almost instantly.
K: Who is one woman that inspires you? What would you say to her if she were here now?
A: My mom. She is such a huge inspiration that words are less to express it. She herself was pursuing fashion design when she was in college & I truly believe that all of my creativity comes from her. She's a homemaker, but also plays such an important role in my business. She's the last one to sleep, the first one up, and after doing all the household chores, she's on her toes, in the office helping me out. In true sense, she's the backbone of our entire family and we wouldn't know what to do a day without her.
