The Woman Behind HiLiHiF

Swati Davawala

Founder and Creative Director · Pune, India

Hi, I'm Swati, the founder of HiLiHiF. For years, I was a Chartered Accountant, living a life that looked settled and successful from the outside. But inside me, there was always another calling — a love for design, handwoven fabrics, textures and craftsmanship that had stayed with me since I was a teenager. Eventually, I listened. I left my career, studied design, and began building a life that felt more like me. And then, life paused me. A sudden accident left me bedridden for months. I couldn't move the way I wanted to. I lost my independence, my confidence. I couldn't be there for my five-year-old in the way a mother wants to be. And slowly, something else began to disappear. The woman I recognised in myself. Some days were painful. Some days felt powerless. And there were days when I wondered if my old life — my independence, my normal — would ever come back. When all hopes of normalcy had faded, something shifted. I began to rebuild. Slowly. Quietly. From within. And somewhere in that process, I looked at myself differently. I saw vulnerability, but I also saw strength. That's when I realised: How I Look Is (actually) How I Feel. Those words felt like a calling. That calling became a name. And that name became HiLiHiF. I realised I didn't simply want to design clothes. I wanted to create a feeling – a feeling of comfort, confidence & resilience. That's what I want every HiLiHiF woman to feel. Because clothes don't just dress us. They can remind us of who we are. HiLiHiF is for the woman who has lived, fallen, risen and rebuilt — and still chooses softness. Sometimes, getting dressed isn't about becoming someone else. It's about coming back to yourself. With warmth and truth, Swati Founder, HiLiHiF