A Christmas Letter, Written with Love

As we enter the festive season and are nearing the end of 2025, I find myself reflecting on the year and the journey it has been  I wanted to share a few thoughts with you.

It's our tenth anniversary! When I truly reflect on it, I realise how this journey began long before those ten years. It took quite a number of years with the development of formulations, the packaging, and the ideas that took shape long before we officially launched, but I feel immensely proud that we have been selling our fragrances for over 10 years now. For me, what matters most is not the date itself, but what has been built: the brands, relationships with my partners, team, and, most importantly, the connections I have formed with you, my customers. 

Over ten years ago, I could clearly see what Chandrika Thomas would become, how the essence it carried, and the joy it would bring into people’s lives. I knew it would be realised because I had complete faith in myself, and when you truly trust yourself, you will make it happen.

It wasn't just a dream; I saw it. I believed in it and followed my vision; we did it together, you and I, and my family and inner circle. 

I have always been someone who, even when things feel difficult, looks for the positive. That mindset shaped how I worked and carried me through years of building something slowly, carefully, and with intention. I started this fragrance range all those years ago; it was rare; there were very few niche brands like ours.  Putting my head down and working hard to build this business was my only guarantee for realising my vision. We exhibited at events one after another, pouring our hearts into it, even when we only covered our costs. Still, we walked away feeling fulfilled because I knew the future of this brand was great.

I was never trying to make money quickly. From the beginning, I understood that this would be a slow and considered build, a meaningful one. Seeing the joy our work brought to even a few people made every long day worthwhile and affirmed what this journey truly meant.

Looking back now, it feels powerful and liberating, but also quietly so. That strength is not loud, because only those closest to me truly know and understand what I have been doing, what I have had to face, and how far we have come. Owning one hundred percent of my company makes me deeply proud.

Along the way, a few asked what I was doing with my business, lingered for years in hope, always saying they could help and give advice, but they were not in my field.  If you watch quietly, you can learn a lot and see hidden agendas, the likelihood that they have done this before, I learnt what had happened to an innocent business that had no idea. We also had groups, but their approach was professional and experts in building and running brands.  I guarded my business closely and carried on. It was hard. Yet now, when I look back at our customers and everything we have created together, I feel immensely empowered and deeply grateful. It was never just me on my own; we are all in this together.

That same vision is now moving in the direction it needs to be. We are stepping into the next chapter as a full lifestyle brand. I have been working tirelessly behind the scenes, designing new products, developing new fragrances, and shaping what comes next with the same care and intention that has always guided this brand.

That way of working is deeply connected to how I see life itself. Having a curious mind, I have always wondered what life is really about. Looking back now, I realise I have always been searching for flow, and this year, I returned to it. Flowing through life, through work, through change. I recognised this early on, which is why I pivoted from wedding dresses to fragrance. Earning money is important, but having flow is more important, how you settle into everyday life, the rhythm of working, designing, and creating.  It’s my beautiful dance of life, its gift when you recognise it. Slow and meaningful living was the rhythm I had been searching for. It's my ‘ikigai’, the reason I rise each morning.

From that process, a new lifestyle range has been born. It is shaped by the same idea of flow, of life, of movement, of taking time out and enjoying. That philosophy is reflected in our new collection of woodturned candlesticks and vases. Their form is designed to move gently through a space, to sit naturally rather than demand attention, and to feel at ease in everyday life. These pieces have been developed from scratch, and we have taken our time: time to test, to refine, and to allow the work to settle into what it is meant to be. Even when something looks right, it still needs careful attention.

This year, we quietly showcased the prototype at the Spirit of Christmas Fair. The response we received was genuinely heartening, and it gave us great confidence in the direction we are taking.

We refined each piece thoughtfully, and we are now working with a British manufacturer. I am incredibly proud to have kept this in the UK, British-made, while still ensuring it remains accessible for our customers. 

We look forward to launching the full range at the Chelsea Flower Show 2026, where people will be able to choose the colours, shapes, and heights that speak to them to create their own flow.

Alongside this, for a few years, I have attended Paris Packaging Week, which I have mentioned in my previous blogs, in search of refillable bottles that truly align with our commitment to sustainability. Next year, I will be going again, but this time with a huge decision that marks a clear turning point for our brand.

We are having our own bespoke bottles made because I couldn’t find a refillable one that truly represented our brand. That frustration led me to the realisation that I needed to create it myself. As a small brand, this is a big step for us. I never imagined I would be in a position to have our own bottles made. I have one go at this, and I am taking it to the next level.

I am truly looking forward to offering our customers refillable bottles, allowing them to purchase larger refills and reuse their bottles over time. It feels like a meaningful step forward, both in terms of sustainability and in staying true to what we believe in.

It was not a quick or easy decision, but one made with care and conviction. I returned to the same people who supported me when I was just starting out, and we have now taken concrete steps to begin the process. 

As we move into this next chapter, I will also be designing and making our own new boxes. You will begin to see new gift boxes that feel luxurious yet intentional, thoughtful, purposeful, and never overstated. I have designed them to be reused. I can't wait to show you.

I genuinely believe that if something isn’t accessible, you have to find a way to make it happen, even if that means creating it yourself.

As this next chapter unfolds, my focus has returned to the body and the everyday rituals that shape our days. Many of you shared a desire for something to use daily, something to pair or layer and live with. I took the time to listen and to create something considered and true to that need.

I have been working quietly on a spa range, lotions, and shower gels, allowing them the time they needed to develop properly. For me, listening is only meaningful when it is followed by intention. I would rather wait than release something that does not feel right. 

For a small brand, these are significant steps. They are not the result of anything done overnight, but of a process shaped quietly and patiently over many years. As the year ahead unfolds, you will begin to see this next chapter take shape, and I believe it will be a special one. I hope you will continue the journey with us and be part of what comes next.

As those developments were taking shape, this year asked something different of me.

Healing has come, slowly, and I am still here, still showing up. For years, I stood up quietly and felt alone. But this year, I realised that my struggles were not mine alone. Women were standing beside me, speaking quietly too.

If what I did created even the smallest sense of courage, hope, or possibility for someone else, then every moment of difficulty was worth it. My effort was not wasted. And knowing what I know now, I would still choose this path again, without hesitation.

Despite the natural downturn in the world, you continued to support us, and because of that, we were able to keep going. I am deeply grateful to those of you who allowed me the freedom to be myself and to grow at my own pace. That trust gave me the time and space to create and design in the way I know best. Your support was never something I took for granted. It arrived quietly, consistently, and often at moments when it mattered most.

I want to thank you for becoming ambassadors of the brand, for sharing the magic of our perfumes with the world, for sharing your stories, and for carrying our fragrances into your everyday moments. Seeing how they become part of your memories and rituals is something I never take lightly. It has shown me that our perfumes are no longer simply a luxury, but something essential, a familiar ritual that has found its place in your life.

Chandrika Thomas does not belong to me alone. It belongs to all of you, the people who wear it, live with it, and make it part of your lives. The stories and memories created through our fragrances are yours, shaped by your moments, your routines, your celebrations, and your quiet days. Our perfumes are not ours to claim; they are yours, because you have given them meaning beyond what I could ever design alone. I carry that responsibility with great respect, and it guides every decision I make as I move forward.

With all of that in mind, I found myself returning to a simple image.

This Easter, I consciously put a stone down, a deliberate moment of pause and reflection, of choosing to look honestly at where I stood. It was not about walking away from the journey behind me, but about placing that stone differently, with greater clarity and intention.

Since then, through everything that followed, that stone has been worked, shaped, and faceted, not over time, but through experience. Each facet exists because of what it has already been through. Nothing has been erased, and nothing has been abandoned.

Because of that, it has now turned. It is facing a new direction, as I am. The path itself has not changed, but my understanding of it has deepened. And with that quiet shift, I move forward with clarity, purpose, and respect for everything that has brought me here, ready for what comes next.

As I bring this reflection to a close, I want to thank you, sincerely, for being part of this journey. Your support, your trust, and the way you have welcomed our work into your lives have meant more to me than I can easily express. 

I wish you and your loved ones a peaceful Christmas, filled with warmth, stillness, and moments to savour. And as we step into the New Year, I send every good wish for clarity, balance, and quiet joy in all that lies ahead.

With Love,

Chandrika X