CHYATEE
More Than a Name
It’s really hard for me to put into words what has happened since January 7, 2022. As I write this, there’s still a large piece of me that’s trying to overcome so much, but taking it day by day.
At the end of last year, I had made numerous plans for growth, new projects, and even time to take a break from the past two years of constantly pivoting. In 2022, I finally saw a light at the end of a dark hallway, and I was excited to finally reach that point.
Let me first admit: Covid was not easy for any business owners. But, having to deal with being stranded in India for seven months during Covid-19, coming back to America to temporarily close down my first brick and mortar, and then reopening in my dream space in less than three months was a lot to happen in less than 12 months. So, more than anything, I was looking forward to some time to rest and find inspiration in my downtime. Little did I know, that would not be the case.
Within the first week of 2022, I came to find out that my business—Lush Bazaar—was dealing with a trademark infringement case that led to my website being shut down and the need to immediately find a lawyer. I had no time to rest or even think about what was actually happening, because it felt like I just got hit by a very large vehicle that plummeted me to the ground. Everything that I worked so hard to save over the course of the past two years—all I fought for to keep my dream alive—felt like it was just taken away from me. It made no sense to me, and I don’t think it ever will. But sometimes things don’t make sense when you’re in the moment. It’s when you’re looking back that you see why it all had to be the way it was.
I quickly had to get back up and try to make a plan to keep my dreams alive. After a few days of thinking up a new name, making sure it wasn’t trademarked, and bouncing the name back and forth with my team, it looked like the name that I wanted was also the one that everybody (including my lawyers and the American trademark system) agreed on.
The name is CHYATEE, which is also my middle name. After being in business for more than seven years, I felt like I was going back to the beginning. Back to the registrations, paperwork, new graphics, new logos… but an old name: CHYATEE.
At first I was hesitant to use my name in the brand—probably because of imposter syndrome—but there was a voice inside of me telling me that it was time. Time to become all that this brand was meant to be. In the midst of all of the chaos and pain, I felt peace with the new name. For the first time in weeks, the tears, frustrations, and anxiety all made sense. It was like an “aha” moment.
The origins of Chyatee (pronounced key-AH-thee) come from a Sanskrit word that means “fame, divine light, and consciousness.” It’s also a name that’s found in ancient Indian texts. My parents named me that name for a reason. They said that when I was born they knew right away I was destined to do something spectacular in the world, something that would make me famous.
So, from the beginning, my parents were my biggest fans in life. All alone, I knew what that one part of my name meant, but not the rest. When I started to dig deeper into the name Chyatee, I quickly found out that the other meanings (“divine light” and “consciousness”) were two words I constantly used in my branding for Lush Bazaar. The original logo was a lantern that symbolized spreading light and conscious fashion in our world, and the word consciousness was used almost every day in the socially-conscious brand that I was creating. As the brand started growing, so did the need to make this business my own.
For years, I was using the symbol and eclectic word “bazaar” to share all of the designs I created and the many forms of art I was able to gather and design, but—most importantly—the amazing team that I was able to create and lead.
When I think about the brand I created and what it means to me, I realize that it means everything to me. This brand represents everything I believe in and stand for. It represents uniqueness, empowerment, art, culture, natural beauty, kindness, inspiration, and creativity. This brand is me, and I am this brand. I saw this with pride and humility. I hope that with this change of name also brings an awareness to my clients and customers that they are not just buying something off the rack; instead, they are investing in a work of art I designed to create a conversation about conscious living and empowerment.
The brand I created when I was 26-years-old was Lush Bazaar. It was a brand that was new, but full of so many dreams. I look back now, and I realize all of the goals I was able to achieve. I see myself, the young woman who just wanted to make a difference—and did. She did it with grit, grind, trial, and error.
Now, looking at CHYATEE, I see a brand that has matured and become more powerful. I see a brand that will lead a new way of living: conscious living. I still have a lot of work to do, and I have many new goals and dreams, but I’m learning how to take it one day at a time. I’m learning to embrace the messiness and the unknown, even if it’s not always ideal.
If you ask me where I’ll be in five years, I hope I’ll finally be able to take that much needed break. But, perhaps more than that, I hope to have a brand that will be worn and shared all over the world.
By Timbrel Chyatee Adidala
