Welcome to Threadlines
Welcome back to Threadlines, our monthly celebration of the extraordinary people who bring Mansawear to life. This month, I’m celebrating someone whose life seems to be guided by one simple but powerful idea: community.
Chetna Chandrakala is a customer, friend, community advocate, CPA/accountant, CFO/board member, wife, mother, daughter, and, as anyone who knows her will tell you, a quintessential auntie. She gives generously of her time, talent, resources, humor, and energy. For Chetna, community isn’t simply something she participates in—it is woven into who she is.
And, as I’ve gotten to know her over the years, I’ve come to admire that about her more and more.
How We Met
Our meeting was a little different from the usual way I meet my customers. In 2021, Chetna won a Mansawear garment at Geva Theatre’s annual Curtain Call Gala. It took some time before she and her husband, Abhas, were able to visit the boutique to claim her prize. When they finally came in, Chetna selected a Kelly Dress off the rack.
And the rest, as they say, is history. What began with an auction item and a dress soon became a friendship—and eventually, a beautiful connection between Chetna’s community and Mansawear.
More Than a Customer
Over the years, I have had the privilege of watching Chetna show up for the people and organizations she cares about. She is the kind of person who doesn’t simply attend an event; she helps make it happen. She has hosted political fundraisers, supported community and cultural organizations, participated in worship and service activities at her local Hindu temple, and continually finds ways to bring people together.
One of those moments stands out to me. Chetna once hosted a gathering for Mansawear and invited more than 40 women to introduce them to the brand. The group represented several generations—from young adults to women over 60.
More than 40 women!
That gathering meant so much to me because Chetna wasn’t simply telling people about Mansawear. She was opening the door to her own community and inviting them to experience something she believed in.
That is Chetna.
She connects people.
She creates community.
And she does it with generosity and joy.
A Life of Service
Chetna’s commitment to community extends deeply into her Hindu faith and temple life. She is an active member and worshiper at The Hindu Temple of Rochester, where her involvement goes well beyond attending services. For over 13 years, she has been a Treasurer, President, Board of Trustee at the temple and has helped with fundraising, participates in temple activities, and beyond such as in 2019, Chetna led her Temple to participate in the Rochester Pride parade. She even lends a hand with the less glamorous but equally important work—like helping with temple cleaning.
I love that about her.
For Chetna, service isn’t about being seen. It is about being useful. Chetna also volunteers and participates at India Community Center (ICC), one of the oldest established non-denominational center in the US that hosts several community events throughout the year and is very welcoming to the non-Indian community.
Her commitment to service also extends into Rochester’s broader cultural and nonprofit community. A trained accountant and CPA, Chetna works as the Chief Financial Officer for Anthony Jordan Community Health Center and brings those skills to her volunteer work as well.
She currently serves on the boards of United Way, YMCA, Al Sigl, EPI, CCSI and Rochester Fringe Festival, where her financial expertise becomes another way she gives back. It seems that wherever there is a need, Chetna finds a way to contribute. For Chetna, service isn’t about being seen. It is about being useful. Chetna also volunteers and participates at India Community Center (ICC), one of the oldest established non-denominational center in the US that hosts several community events throughout the year and is very welcoming to the non-Indian community.
Her commitment to service also extends into Rochester’s broader cultural and nonprofit community. A trained accountant and CPA, Chetna works as the Chief Financial Officer for Anthony Jordan Community Health Center and brings those skills to her volunteer work as well. She currently serves on the boards of United Way, YMCA, Al Sigl, EPI, CCSI and Rochester Fringe Festival, where her financial expertise becomes another way she gives back.
It seems that wherever there is a need, Chetna finds a way to contribute.
Bringing Communities Together
It should come as no surprise that Chetna has also become part of Rochester’s fashion and cultural scene.
She has walked the runway for Mansawear—not once, but twice—as part of my Customer Mash-Up runway shows. And in October 2026, she was involved in planning and producing the Bhangra show and Indian Fashion Show as part of Reimagining Rochester Fashion Week. This is another side of Chetna that I love: she understands that culture, fashion, food, music, and celebration are all powerful ways to bring people together.
She doesn’t simply support her community from the sidelines. She gets involved.
And Then There’s Family
For all the ways Chetna pours herself into the larger community, her family is clearly at the heart of her world. Her husband, Abhas, and daughter, Adya (newly married to Vishal), are two of the people who know her best—and who are lucky enough to experience the love, energy, and enthusiasm that Chetna brings to everything she does.
Chetna is the quintessential “auntie”—the one who checks in, celebrates your accomplishments, makes sure you have eaten, remembers the details, and somehow manages to make you feel that you belong.
And then there is Adya.
Watching Chetna as a mother, it is easy to see the love and pride she has poured into raising her daughter. Adya has grown into a poised, charming, and beautiful young woman, and it is clear that her mother has played an important role in shaping the person she has become. The family photos say so much without words: family, culture, celebration, and connection—all beautifully intertwined.
Chetna & Mansawear
Perhaps that is why Chetna and Mansawear have been such a natural fit.
Mansawear has always been about more than clothing for me. It is about the stories we carry, the cultures we celebrate, the people we meet, and the relationships that develop along the way. Chetna embodies that spirit.
She wears Mansawear with confidence and joy, whether she is attending a celebration, supporting a community event, walking a runway, or simply enjoying time with family and friends.
And she has even inspired a Mansawear style of her own.
Here’s to Chetna
Chetna, I am so grateful that you are part of the Mansawear journey.
Thank you for your support.
Thank you for opening your community to me and to Mansawear.
Thank you for your generosity, your friendship, your humor, your enthusiasm, and—most importantly—for the way you continually show up for the people and causes you care about. You remind me that the most meaningful relationships are often the ones that begin unexpectedly.
A raffle prize.
A dress.
A visit to a boutique.
And then, somehow, a friendship.
Here’s to you, Chetna—and to all the communities you continue to bring together.
Shop Chetna’s Favorites
Explore Chetna’s favorite Mansawear styles, including the Chetna Dress and the Kelly Dress—two styles that have become part of her Mansawear story.
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