In business, success is often measured in numbers. But for Sheela Kochouseph Chittilappilly, the foundation of success has always been something quieter; an eye for detail, a love for creating with care, and a deep sense of responsibility toward the people she works with.
As the founder of V-Star Creations, she transformed an innerwear brand into a ₹100-crore enterprise, and in the process, quietly rewrote the rules of women’s entrepreneurship. Her approach to business grew naturally from that space of order and beauty. She did not chase trends, instead, she observed gaps and what was missing in the market. She did not plan to disrupt; she planned to improve. And above all, she wove dignity and class into the design of her products.
Sheela was once a homemaker, someone with a strong creative instinct. She found happiness in painting, cooking, sewing, and tending to her garden. Little did she realise that she would bring the same creative energy and focus to V-Star Creations. In many ways, her journey is proof that creativity and discipline are not opposites; they are Yin and Yang, complementing each other. And that entrepreneurship, at its best, is not just about building something new, but building it with meaning.
Early Years
Sheela Kochouseph Chittilappilly grew up in a large, close-knit family in Thrissur, Kerala, as the eleventh of twelve children. She is a member of the Alappat Palathingal family from Kattor. Her father was a textile and jewellery merchant. Her childhood was shaped by a home run by discipline, resourcefulness, and simplicity. When her father passed away during her teenage years, Sheela stepped up to support her mother and younger siblings, an experience that shaped her independence, resilience and unassuming leadership. She watched her mother manage the household with measured strength and precision. Sheela thus imbibed a deep respect for structure and self-reliance.
She earned a B.Sc. in Home Science from Vimala College and trained in dress-making, skills that later formed the foundation of her entrepreneurial journey. Even as a young girl, Sheela showed a flair for the creative. She learned sewing early, enjoyed painting, and took pride in crafting things with care and elegance. She was active in school and played university-level hockey. She is also trained in Carnatic music. But more than accolades, what stayed with her was confidence, an inner knowing that she did not need to chase attention to prove her worth.
After her marriage at the age of 23 to Kochouseph Chittilappilly, life remained modest. The couple began their journey in a small rented apartment in Ernakulam, commuting on a scooter even as V-Guard was beginning to grow. Those years grounded Sheela in practicality. She continued managing the household on her own with cooking, cleaning, and caring for their two children, long before she took her first steps into business. Looking back, she credits her large family and early responsibilities for giving her the courage to interact with anyone and the clarity to make firm decisions.
The Rise of V Star Creations
Sheela’s entry into entrepreneurship came from a firm decision to create something of her own, after years of focusing on family. In 1995, she launched V-Star Creations with a small loan and a rented office, starting out with a modest team and a simple product line: churidars and salwar kameez sets. Sales picked up gradually, and the garments had an appeal for their quality and design. But as the business scaled, the charm of mass production began to wear off. She faced growing challenges like scarcity of skilled labour, rising production costs, low margins, and the unreliable quality of locally available raw materials.
These limitations forced her to slow down and reassess. Around the same time, she noticed a rising demand for well-made innerwear, an unspoken need that few Indian brands were addressing. With a conviction that innerwear was not just a product but a basic necessity for women, Sheela made the bold decision to launch her own line. The move was met with criticism; some questioned the appropriateness of a woman promoting lingerie, especially in a conservative business environment. But Sheela did not waver. She believed in the importance of comfort, dignity, and quality for every woman and chose to stay the course. It took nearly a decade of market research, product development, and slow but steady brand-building to make V-Star a trusted name in innerwear.
A Model Rooted in Purpose
As V-Star’s innerwear line began to grow, Sheela knew that quality and consistency had to be non-negotiable. But setting up large-scale manufacturing units came with its own set of challenges. For instance, labour unrest, high operational costs, and an unpredictable work environment, especially in Kerala’s industrial climate. So Sheela turned to a model that was both practical and deeply aligned with her values. She partnered with convents and women’s self-help groups across the state, creating stitching units in quiet, disciplined spaces where women, many of them from underprivileged backgrounds, could work in dignity and peace.
This decentralised production model became one of V-Star’s biggest strengths. It allowed Sheela to maintain high quality while offering employment to over a thousand women who might otherwise have remained outside the workforce. The convent-based units provided a reliable environment and enabled women to earn a steady income close to home.
Redesigning Class and Comfort
As Sheela turned her focus to innerwear, she noticed that there were barely one or two modest brands available, and even those offered only the most basic designs. The bras available were few, uninspiring, and ill-fitting and often based on outdated designs. Sheela introduced rounded-cup models better suited to Indian preferences. Especially as women increasingly turned to outfits like the modern kurtis and churidars, which ditched the dupatta. Her products offered superior comfort, fit, and durability. The customers noticed this, quickly turning into a quiet revolution in Kerala’s lingerie market. Despite the initial resistance, magazines refusing ads, and hoardings being vandalised, Sheela remained unfazed. She reached her audience through local cable networks. The response was positive, marking a significant turning point for the brand.
Sheela would travel abroad, twice a year and return with different styles, fabrics, and ideas. This led to the production of different items, using novel materials and blends, from modal to microfiber. V-Star’s product range expanded to include sports bras, starter bras, nursing bras, T-shirt bras, salwar bras, and wired options, catering to the diverse needs of the modern Indian woman. Even in her 60s, Sheela continues to study the preferences of the younger generation. One such offering is the stretchable saree blouses made from viscose-elastane blends, available in multiple colours. More recently, innovations like saree shapewear and lifestyle wear such as leggings, nightwear, and capris have further broadened V-Star’s reach. As the innerwear market shifts from basic necessity to fashion-forward expression, Sheela’s brand continues to evolve.
Leadership by Doing
Sheela’s leadership is defined by her relentless involvement and hands-on ethos. She reviews fabric samples personally, guides design adjustments, and regularly visits stitching units. She functions as a working leader and deeply engages in every aspect of the business. For Sheela, leadership has never been about commanding from above, it has always been about showing up, learning, and doing the work.
Her disciplined, active approach is reflected in her routines. Even as V-Star grew into a ₹100-crore enterprise, Sheela’s daily routine remained grounded. She begins each day at 5 a.m. with exercise, then makes coffee, cooks for her family, and tends to household chores herself. She follows this with painting sessions in her informal home studio or tending bonsai. She spends at least three hours daily at the V-Star office overseeing packaging, promotion, and quality control. As she succinctly put it: Even when the company grew, I never saw myself as the boss,” she once said. “I just saw work that needed to be done.”
Looking Ahead
As V-Star continues to grow, Sheela Kochouseph Chittilappilly remains focused on thoughtful expansion. From exploring new categories like sportswear and everyday fashion to adopting sustainable fabrics and strengthening digital-first retail. Her vision is clear, to evolve with the times without compromising on values. Yet, for Sheela, innovation isn’t just about products or markets, it is about creating lasting impact for the people behind the brand. Whether it is about empowering women through employment or ensuring comfort and dignity for customers, sustainability for her starts with creativity and goodwill.
In an era where business success is often equated with speed and disruption, Sheela Kochouseph Chittilappilly presents a different kind of blueprint, one built on consistency, long-term thinking, and purposeful growth. Her journey is not marked by overnight milestones but by steady progress rooted in care and conviction. She has become a symbol of what it means to lead with both strength and humility, serving as a role model for women choosing to define success on their own terms.
