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MoneySense talks to the busy entrepreneurs and sisters-in-law about fashion design, growing the family business, and season three of their hit CBC series.
If you’ve ever strolled or driven through Toronto’s Little India neighbourhood, you’ve likely spotted Chandan Fashion, the hot-pink, three-storey bridal fashion emporium run by the Singh family for over four decades. Over the past couple of years, Canadians from coast to coast have come to know and love the Singhs—dad Kuki, mom Sarab, daughter Chandni, son Chandan and daughter-in-law Roop—through their popular CBC docu-series, Bollywed.
The show follows the challenges and rewards of running (and expanding) an intergenerational business. It also offers a peek into the joyful and glamorous world of South Asian weddings. In season three, the Singhs embark on a life-changing trip to India—where the family and their business have deep roota—with plenty of surprises along the way.
When Bollywed premiered on CBC back in 2023, Kuki and Chandan answered our My MoneySense questionnaire. This time, to mark season three’s release on Fuse TV in the U.S., I talked to Chandni and Roop about their evolving role in the family business. Bollywed is streaming on CBC Gem and Fuse TV.
Chandni Singh: Designing and fashion has always been part of us. It’s in our blood, especially being born in the business and following our family’s dreams. So, we’ve always had this real thirst and passion to design fashion. But what brings us to the next generation is merging the two cultures. We’re Canadian-born, but we’re also very Brown, so we love the Indian fashion, the embroidery, the fabrics. But how do we blend the two together? We really love that next level of creativity, and making it come alive was super-special.
Roop Singh: We said, “Why not leverage something that comes so naturally to us and create a line that we’re really excited about and that we want to rock ourselves?” It’s been quite the journey, and it’s so nice to have these pieces that are such a departure from everything else we carry in-store. Actually, the miniskirt we created in season two, we just sold it. So the couture line is doing well—the majority of that first rendition has sold out.
Roop: I think the coolest thing about season three and the trip to India is that, so far, you’ve seen us talking about the designs here in Canada and having them arrive from India fully made. For the first time, [in season three], we get a glimpse into the backend, the process in between—the embroideries, the dyeing of the fabrics. That’s such a unique lens, and it was only possible because we could go to India and have it on TV. Now you get the full picture of how a garment is designed, produced and brought here.
Chandni: We’re also designing with a fashion show in mind, in the heart of Mumbai, so the stakes were high. We had to impress a hard crowd. It’s kind of like being in Paris, with Paris Fashion Week, or New York. [Mumbai] is where fashion evolves, and to create something that’s not just on the surface, we really had to push the boundaries, being from Canada and then, obviously, two girls. So there’s a lot of layers embedded in this. I think we pulled it off and really taken it to the next level. In season two, we’re just kind of dipping our toes. In season three, we’ve really upped the fashion. And it screams couture.
Roop: We’ve seen fusion [fashion] our whole lives being created within India, by somebody who only has the lens of what they’ve seen in India. Our fusion line is more representative of what foreign or Canadian clients want. I’ve wanted to purchase fusion from India, but it’s always left something to be desired—it’s a little too Eastern, or it’s imagining what Western clients would want, which is really not the case, or maybe it was 10 years ago. I love what we’ve done.
Roop: For me, super-exciting, even more than fashion, believe it or not. I’m a numbers girl. I love numbers. I love profit margins. I love analyzing what’s been profitable, what’s not worked out. Getting to dip our toes into that back end of things, and having more control of what our profit margins look like and what we can then allocate towards marketing, etc.—that world is so fascinating to me, and it gives us a little more control and autonomy on how everything unravels.
Chandni: Roop creates systems and has brought them into the family, which is much needed. Growing up, we’ve always seen Mom and Dad make those financial decisions, but with the immigrant mindset—you know, like we have to play it safe, we have to have a reserve. Risk-taking, I think, comes with our generation. You have to analyze things, but you also have to take some risks. [You have to be] very wise and make sure the numbers add up, but also take that leap of faith. Finding the balance can be tricky, but that’s where Roop comes in—she’s got her Excel sheets. Business is trial and error. If something didn’t work, we go back to the drawing board. Let’s crunch the numbers again. Where can we tweak things? It’s just a learning process.
Roop: I take advice from people that have actually seen actionable results. I lean toward my close circle. You know how they say you’re made up of the five people closest to you? I’ve seen that to be very true. So, be very cautious with who you spend the predominance of your time with. I’ve been very lucky to have friends and mentors really close to me that can guide me.
Chandni: Yeah, I agree. When expanding a business, you come across so many hurdles. We’ve got a lot of great family friends that are great mentors, so we turn to them.
Roop: Chandan is also a big inspiration, getting us to take those leaps of faith and put our money on something that’s risky. He’s always there to push this along.
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Roop: Budgeting. It’s important to set budgets. Chandan and I sit down and set them on a monthly basis, because needs and expenses change on a monthly basis. And I would even say that’s the biggest advice to couples: it’s important to talk about money, before even getting married. A lot of people forget or skip having those awkward conversations, but they’re really pivotal in your long-term success. So, yeah, me and Chandan, we sit down at least once a month and talk money. It’s not always exciting for him, but I enjoy it, and it helps us set goals and track them and be accountable.
Chandni: That’s a great one. Something I’ve always learned from Mom, as well, is [the importance of] having that rainy-day fund. Unexpected things can happen in business and in our personal lives. But in business, it’s even more important, because you’ve got so many other people depending on you, people at the back end of things—suppliers, and staff that are your extended family. With a small business, who are you going to turn to? That can be challenging. So that gives having the rainy-day fund another meaning. When you’re expanding, you never know when you’re going to need it. So, that’s something that I love that Mom’s definitely taught us over the years.
Chandni: With all the stuff that’s been going on, I think Roop and I are ready to check out for a vacation!
Roop: Some ocean, sun, beach, pina coladas. We’re good to go.
This interview was edited for length and clarity.
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