Rhea, Showik Chakraborty are turning emotional reinvention into a streetwear movement with Chapter 2 Drip

When Rhea Chakraborty wore a simple T-shirt during one of the most difficult moments of her life, she didn’t expect it would one day spark a brand. “That one T-shirt made me feel seen, heard, and empowered,” she says, seated inside the newly opened Chapter 2 Drip store in Mumbai’s Bandra. “I wanted to recreate that feeling for others—clothing that carries emotion, not just fabric.”

And, thus, began Chapter 2 Drip, a unisex streetwear label co-founded by Rhea and her brother Showik Chakraborty in August 2024—not out of a fashion dream, but as a response to emotional upheaval, public scrutiny, and the need to start over.

“We weren’t chasing fashion,” says Showik. “We were chasing healing, purpose, and a daily routine. Since we couldn’t find jobs, we created our own.”

Not just a brand, a 'second act' philosophy

Chapter 2 Drip is built around the idea of personal reinvention. It’s fashion for those navigating transitions—breakups, career shifts, grief, recovery. Each piece is an “elevated essential” designed to comfort and embolden. Think oversized fits, inclusive silhouettes, and emotionally resonant messages. “We’re not just streetwear,” Rhea clarifies. “We’re a bridge to the street. Everyday clothing that still makes you feel something.”

More than 90% of their designs are unisex, born from the siblings’ own shared wardrobe. “I used to steal her T-shirts,” laughs Showik. “One day, we met for dinner wearing the same outfit. That’s when we realised: gender-neutral fashion isn’t just possible, it’s personal.”

Building a brand on real emotion, not marketing hype

In a sea of performance metrics and growth hacks, Chapter 2 Drip’s growth has been surprisingly organic. With monthly sales of ₹1 crore and a valuation of ₹80 crore within a year, it would be tempting to chalk it up to good branding. But the siblings insist the brand’s traction is fuelled by real connection, not calculated strategy.

“Our first goal was never sales, it was to build a community,” Rhea says. “People come into our store, have coffee, talk about their breakups, or their second chances. That’s the real ROI.”

Their store in Bandra is as much a therapy space as a retail outlet—complete with coffee hangouts, artist showcases, and what they call “modular zones of transformation.” The clothes are touchpoints, not the end goal.

From pop-ups to purpose 

Despite being less than a year old, the brand has already run dozens of pop-ups across India, often tying in with personal events. “I’d go to a wedding in Jaipur and take Chapter 2 with me,” says Showik. “Just to see how people react to it in real-time.”

These offline experiments helped shape their decision to invest in physical retail early on. “When people touch the fabric, wear it, talk about their emotions, that’s when the brand comes alive.”

They’re now eyeing tier-II cities for expansion, not just because of market potential, but because that’s where their roots lie. “We grew up in army towns like Agra, Ambala, and Barakpur,” says Rhea. “There’s a hunger in these places—for new ideas, for cool brands, for being seen.”

Reinventing what a fashion startup looks like

Chapter 2 Drip defies most startup playbooks. The founders had no background in fashion or business, no pedigree investors in their pocket (initially), and no obsession with burn rates. Their seed funding came not from a pitch deck, but a podcast episode with Kishore and Ashni Biyani, when the Future Group founder and CEO joked about wanting equity in exchange for advice.

“I didn’t invite them to pitch. But when he joked, I took the leap and turned the conversation into a real ask,” says Rhea. “Sometimes, you just have to be ready to grab the moment.”

Despite Showik’s drive for rapid scaling–he wants 10 stores yesterday, according to Rhea–the brand is intentionally avoiding the burn-at-all-costs model. “We believe in fast scale, slow burn,” he says. “Aggression with sensibility.”

What’s next

For now, the brand is focussed on deepening its emotional resonance. “We don’t want to be just another cool T-shirt brand,” Rhea says. “We want to be a feeling people wear. A brand that reminds you: it’s okay to change.”

In a market where streetwear is still under 5% of fashion, and many D2C brands fade as quickly as they rise, Chapter 2 Drip is building slowly—but deliberately—on something rare: emotional currency. And for a generation embracing change, reinvention, and fluid identities, that may be the boldest fashion statement of all.