The Beginning
I have always believed that looking beautiful should never mean compromising on comfort.
We are often told to follow trends, fit into certain sizes, dress according to certain rules, and sometimes even change ourselves to fit into the clothes we wear.
But I believe it should be the other way around.
“We are not meant to fit into clothes. Clothes are meant to fit into us.”
I’m Hasina Layek, a fashion designer and the woman behind Kanyakunj.
And honestly, this dream began when I was just a little girl.
I have been a chubby girl since childhood, and I remember constantly looking for clothes that would make me feel beautiful, and perhaps, just for one day, keep people from commenting on how I looked.
But as I grew older, I slowly understood something that changed the way I looked at fashion:
It isn't the clothes that make us beautiful. It is the confidence and self-belief we carry in them.
That thought stayed with me.
Since Class 3, I had dreamed of becoming a fashion designer. I would sketch dresses in my notebooks and then go searching through markets, trying to find something that looked like what I had imagined.
Most of the time, I couldn't find it.
And I remember thinking, “When I grow up, I will make these clothes myself.”
Not just for myself, but for girls like me. For different bodies, different shapes, different preferences and different lives.
In Classes 9 and 10, I finally got the opportunity to study Fashion Designing. I took it with all my heart and topped my board examinations in the subject.
But life had other plans.
I chose Commerce in Classes 11 and 12 because I wanted to understand something beyond designing; I wanted to understand business, finance, marketing and economics. I wanted to know not only how to create a product, but how to build a market around it.
Then, unexpectedly, I got married.
It was much earlier than I had imagined for myself. And just as I was beginning to wonder what would happen to my dreams, the pandemic arrived. My wedding function was cancelled barely a week before it was supposed to happen.
Some people around me thought marriage meant the end of my studies and perhaps the end of my career.
But thankfully, my story didn't end there.
My husband and my in-laws believed in me and supported me in continuing my education. I joined JD Birla Institute, Kolkata, and began another chapter of my life.
Those three years were not easy.
My mother was battling a serious kidney illness and spent much of those years going in and out of hospitals. I was constantly travelling between my mother's home and my in-laws' home, trying to balance family responsibilities and my education.
But I kept going.
I completed my degree with a first class and even topped several subjects in different semesters.
Why I Started
Then came an internship at a design house, followed by my first job as a Junior Merchandiser.
Initially, I loved it.
I wanted to understand manufacturing. I wanted to learn how clothes move from an idea to a finished product. I thought this experience would eventually help me build something of my own.
And it did teach me a lot.
But somewhere along the way, I realised I was moving further and further away from the designer I had always wanted to become.
I was gathering information, passing it along, managing production and following instructions, but slowly, I felt like I was losing my own ideas.
I was losing my creativity. I was losing myself.
So one day, I made a difficult decision.
I left a good job, in a good professional environment, without knowing exactly what would come next.
All I knew was that I was giving up something stable because I believed something meaningful was waiting for me.
And then, life changed again.
I became a mother.
After four years of marriage, I finally had my baby, and motherhood brought with it a beautiful but overwhelming mix of emotions.
I loved my baby deeply.
But somewhere inside, I could hear that same little girl again.
The girl who used to sketch dresses.
The girl who wanted to create.
The designer I had always been.
I felt like I was losing her.
My days became monotonous. While I watched friends and people around me build careers and businesses, my own world had become diapers, feeding, household responsibilities and an endless routine.
I struggled deeply with that feeling of losing my individuality.
So I gave myself six months.
Six months to give my baby my complete attention.
And after those six months, I sat down with my family and said:
“I want to build something of my own.”
My family listened.
My husband believed in me.
They were understandably hesitant, especially with a young baby at home, but they still chose to support my dream.
And that's where Kanyakunj began.
I travelled to Surat and other places to understand the market, fabrics, manufacturing and pricing. Slowly, very slowly, an idea began turning into something real.
I designed. I explored fabrics. I developed products. I worked on packaging. I planned photoshoots. I touched and checked every piece.
I made mistakes, learned, started again and kept going.
And today, in 2026, Kanyakunj is finally stepping into the world.
So, what exactly is Kanyakunj?
Kanya means girl.
Kunj represents a world: a little space created especially for girls and women.
Kanyakunj is my attempt to create that world.
A world where you don't have to choose between beauty and comfort.
Where affordability doesn't mean compromising on quality.
Where an S doesn't have to mean one particular body.
Where an M doesn't have to fit only one kind of woman.
Where clothes can be easy to wash, easy to wear and easy to live in.
Where you can wear the same beautiful piece again and again without feeling like you have to constantly chase the next trend.
I think about the teenagers who want to dress beautifully without asking their parents for an unreasonable amount of money.
The young women starting their careers.
The office-goers who want comfort throughout a long day.
The women who love ethnic fashion but want something simple, modern and effortless.
The women who want festive vibes without feeling over-dressed.
And most importantly, the women who have spent years thinking that their body needs to change before they can look beautiful.
I want to change that thought.
What I want to create
I don't want Kanyakunj to be just another clothing store.
I want it to become a brand that women feel understood by.
I want beautiful silhouettes. Interesting prints. Comfortable fabrics. Thoughtful fits. Affordable prices.
And clothes that make you look in the mirror and think:
“This is me.”
Because I don't believe fashion should tell you who you need to become.
Fashion should celebrate who you already are.
In the years ahead, I hope Kanyakunj becomes a name that women recognise and trust: a brand that stands for something bigger than simply selling clothes.
A brand that believes women don't need to change their bodies, their colours, their shapes, their preferences or their comfort to feel beautiful.
They just need to be themselves.
You don't have to find the clothes.
The clothes should find you.
For Her, From Her
And if there is just one thing I want you to remember about Kanyakunj, it is this:
This brand is for you, made by me.
For every woman finding her way through the beautiful chaos of life (through marriage, motherhood, children, family, work, responsibilities, expectations and everyday life) while still trying to find that little piece of herself.
I know that journey.
Because I am on it too.
And that is why Kanyakunj is…
For Her, From Her. ❤️
Hasina Layek, Founder
