Fashion means business
Designer Hammad Sarfaraz teams up with entrepreneurs Shad Mustafa and Amna Zaidi for brand Morri
The trio have recently launched a collection titled ‘The Seven Steps to Baltiyul’ featuring kimonos, tail coats, crop jackets and flared skirts with cutwork. PHOTO: PUBLICITY
LAHORE:
Creative wizards who synergise with business moguls have borne results in the fashion industry. Take Faryal Aftab and Moeed Yousaf of Muse, Sania Maskatiya and Umair Tabani of Sania Maskatiya, and Shehla and Salim Chatoor of Shehla Chatoor, for instance. They have built fashion empires while keeping the design and business elements of their ventures separate. Morri, a new brand from Lahore, deriving its title from a silkworm named Bombyx mori, has begun operations in a similar fashion.
Channeling his design knowhow, Hammad Sadiq, a Pakistan Institute of Fashion and Design (PIFD) alumnus, has teamed up with entrepreneurs Shad Mustafa and Amna Zaidi, who bring to the collaboration 10 years of experience in the yarn and fabric industry. “I have been looking at product development for the past 20 years, and now that our research about yarn and fabric was complete, we wanted to delve into the garment end of it, boiling it down to high-end luxury wear,” said Amna.
The trio recently launched a collection titled ‘The Seven Steps to Baltiyul’ which comprises interesting silhouettes ranging from kimonos, tunics and tail coats to crop jackets and flared skirts with cutwork. Morri has been divided into three lines: ‘prime’ (basic evening-wear) that ranges between Rs15,000 and Rs40,000, ‘plus’ luxury prêt priced between Rs50,000 and Rs150,000, and ‘pure’ couture that goes up to Rs300,000. They have their own studio in Lahore and are contemplating stocking at multi-brand stores in Lahore and Karachi.
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Amna realises the market is currently saturated, so a brand would have to come up with something unique to stand out. She feels the way of going about it is to “enter the market with a purely aesthetic-based product and couple it with excellent branding.” Speaking about the product, she shared, “There is a lot of saturation and it’s a tough market to enter, but we wanted to be strong on the product. We want to keep it original with each garment and design developed in-house.”
Hammad, who looks over the creative end, stated each design is unique if one puts one’s unique experiences into it and if it is original. Both Hammad and Amna refer to their product as ‘art’, with the latter adding, “Clothing is a piece of art and we want it to be a collector’s item and passed down from generation to generation.” Since many may argue art cannot be replicated, it would be unfair to make more than one piece of a single outfit. Amna explains, “We are calling our product ‘art’, so we are not making too many pieces of each design. If someone wants to pay a premium for it, we can make it customer-friendly and we are doing that for some clients at the moment.”
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Hammad graduated from PIFD in 2013 and his thesis collection was showcased at the graduate fashion week in London by Hilary Alexander of the Daily Telegraph. The collection was derived from the famous 13th-century poet Jalaluddin Rumi’s life and a take on spiritual enlightenment in four stages. He also showcased his collection at PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week last year in the ‘Rising Talent’ section. He worked under his own name before joining forces with Morri.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 23rd, 2015.
Creative wizards who synergise with business moguls have borne results in the fashion industry. Take Faryal Aftab and Moeed Yousaf of Muse, Sania Maskatiya and Umair Tabani of Sania Maskatiya, and Shehla and Salim Chatoor of Shehla Chatoor, for instance. They have built fashion empires while keeping the design and business elements of their ventures separate. Morri, a new brand from Lahore, deriving its title from a silkworm named Bombyx mori, has begun operations in a similar fashion.
Channeling his design knowhow, Hammad Sadiq, a Pakistan Institute of Fashion and Design (PIFD) alumnus, has teamed up with entrepreneurs Shad Mustafa and Amna Zaidi, who bring to the collaboration 10 years of experience in the yarn and fabric industry. “I have been looking at product development for the past 20 years, and now that our research about yarn and fabric was complete, we wanted to delve into the garment end of it, boiling it down to high-end luxury wear,” said Amna.
The trio recently launched a collection titled ‘The Seven Steps to Baltiyul’ which comprises interesting silhouettes ranging from kimonos, tunics and tail coats to crop jackets and flared skirts with cutwork. Morri has been divided into three lines: ‘prime’ (basic evening-wear) that ranges between Rs15,000 and Rs40,000, ‘plus’ luxury prêt priced between Rs50,000 and Rs150,000, and ‘pure’ couture that goes up to Rs300,000. They have their own studio in Lahore and are contemplating stocking at multi-brand stores in Lahore and Karachi.
Sana Safinaz far from wrapping up in India
Amna realises the market is currently saturated, so a brand would have to come up with something unique to stand out. She feels the way of going about it is to “enter the market with a purely aesthetic-based product and couple it with excellent branding.” Speaking about the product, she shared, “There is a lot of saturation and it’s a tough market to enter, but we wanted to be strong on the product. We want to keep it original with each garment and design developed in-house.”
Hammad, who looks over the creative end, stated each design is unique if one puts one’s unique experiences into it and if it is original. Both Hammad and Amna refer to their product as ‘art’, with the latter adding, “Clothing is a piece of art and we want it to be a collector’s item and passed down from generation to generation.” Since many may argue art cannot be replicated, it would be unfair to make more than one piece of a single outfit. Amna explains, “We are calling our product ‘art’, so we are not making too many pieces of each design. If someone wants to pay a premium for it, we can make it customer-friendly and we are doing that for some clients at the moment.”
Designer Mariyam Rizwan launches first-ever outlet
Hammad graduated from PIFD in 2013 and his thesis collection was showcased at the graduate fashion week in London by Hilary Alexander of the Daily Telegraph. The collection was derived from the famous 13th-century poet Jalaluddin Rumi’s life and a take on spiritual enlightenment in four stages. He also showcased his collection at PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week last year in the ‘Rising Talent’ section. He worked under his own name before joining forces with Morri.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 23rd, 2015.