The Delhi-based fashion influencer was studying to become a CA, but found her calling in fashion blogging. Known for her bold and unconventional style, she is now one of the most popular content creators in India
On July 14, 2021, Komal Pandey was crying on her Instagram story—tears of joy—for reaching a massive milestone: 1 million followers. “If you told a 19-year-old me that I would have a million followers, I would never believe you,” Pandey tells Forbes India. “I was crying because in that moment it felt like everything I had gone through was worth it.”
A topper in school, Pandey was all set to become a chartered accountant (CA). When she was pursuing her bachelor’s in commerce from Delhi University, she realised that wasn’t her calling. “I failed my last semester, which meant I had a year’s gap. That’s when I thought I could give fashion blogging a shot,” she recalls. But back in 2015, fashion blogging as a serious career was an alien concept. “I sat my parents down and told them to give me a year. If I couldn’t make a living out of this, I promised them I’ll clear my backlogs and continue pursuing CA,” says Pandey, who was born in Ranchi, but whose family has lived in Delhi for close to 18 years.
(This story appears in the 29 July, 2022 issue of Forbes India. To visit our Archives, click here.)