From the screen to the boardroom, actress-turned-entrepreneur Chahatt Khanna talks about launching luxury sleepwear brand Ammarzo, tackling gender bias, and reshaping India’s sleepwear space with style and soul
Ammarzo is a Mumbai-based D2C (direct-to-consumer) founded by actress and entrepreneur Chahatt Khanna. It was created to address a gap in the Indian market for stylish and health-conscious sleepwear made from natural, cruelty-free fabrics. The brand aims to redefine nightwear as a lifestyle choice, blending comfort, elegance, and sustainability. Khanna speaks to BW RetailWorld about the brand.
Q. How has your journey been from being an actor to becoming an entrepreneur?
My journey has been full of learning curves—and quite difficult, to be honest. As an actor, access is almost automatic. People wait for months to meet you. You’re approached for work. But when you enter entrepreneurship, it’s completely different. That transition was vulnerable. It happened quickly, yes, but came with a deep sense of vulnerability. Even today, people like me, Rohan, and many actor-entrepreneurs are in a similar space—trying to prove ourselves in a very different kind of environment. As entrepreneurs, we often don’t realise what we’re stepping into until we’re deep into it.
Q. What was the idea behind Ammarzo, and how did your personal experiences shape the brand?
Honestly, the idea was to build something my daughters could lead one day. Ammarzo is a blend of both their names—Amaira and Zoharr. I wanted to create something meaningful and lasting, so they wouldn’t have to depend on anyone. That’s where Ammarzo came from.
My personal preferences have also influenced the brand’s DNA. I used to travel a lot and love international brands like Victoria’s Secret, but I often wondered—why don’t we have something like this in India? I explored options like Hunkemöller and Marks & Spencer, but their offerings were basic. I wanted something glamorous, Indian, and stylish—without looking vulgar. That’s when the idea struck: why not create a homegrown brand that feels aspirational yet accessible for Indian women?
Q. What have been the biggest challenges you’ve faced while building Ammarzo, especially in a competitive and gender-biased industry?
There have been many challenges, but the biggest one is being taken seriously as a woman founder. I’m not a co-founder—I am the founder. Even today, when I walk into manufacturing meetings or discuss logistics, some people just don’t want to talk to me. They’ll look around for a male counterpart to engage with instead.
We were recently involved in a project where a supplier simply refused to deal with me directly. That’s when I realised that gender bias is still very real, especially when dealing with skilled labour and factory-level technicians. While the corporate world is more progressive, the ground reality in the manufacturing space is quite different.
But I truly believe that when a woman gets into business, she does it with clarity, commitment and insane efficiency. That’s the power we bring—and I stand by it.
Q. How do you personally measure success for Ammarzo?
In India today, people often equate success with how much funding you’ve raised—“Oh, you’ve raised USD 600K? Amazing, your business is a hit.” But that’s not how I see it.
I’m a bit old school. For me, success is about building a self-sustaining business with a strong bottom line. Ammarzo isn’t just about glamour or PR—it’s about real growth, responsibility, and staying true to the values we began with. I want to build a company that’s resilient, not just trending.
Q. What’s next for Ammarzo? Are you looking at new categories or expanding globally?
We’re already present on multiple ecommerce platforms and are quite happy with how we’re growing there. Yes, we’ve received plenty of requests to go into retail, but we’re not ready for that step just yet. We want to hold off on offline expansion for at least two to three more years.
However, global expansion is very much in the pipeline. In the next 12 months, we plan to launch in the UAE and Qatar, and we’re also eyeing the UK market. The brand has always had global appeal, and we’re excited to take that next step while staying grounded in our purpose.
