Undoing stitches from multi-brand stores

Zara Shahjahan opens doors to first flagship store in Islamabad and removes stocks from multi-label outlets in city

ISLAMABAD:

The national capital is gradually becoming central to the country’s fashion scene as more and more designers are marking their presence there. The latest to pivot towards Islamabad is Lahore-based designer Zara Shahjahan, who has launched her eponymous, luxury-wear brand’s flagship store in the city’s Centaurus Mall. Housing prêt and luxury prêt collections and high-street wear available under Coco by Zara Shahjahan, the designer’s second label, the outlet opened doors on Friday but without the usual launch event.

Shahjahan’s partner in life and in business, Saif Rehman, was present at the store opening. He is the CEO of the umbrella company, Fast Apparel, which heads the brand’s Zara Shahjahan and Coco by Zara Shahjahan, which is her high-street wear label. Rehman shares foraying into the Islamabad market was marked by a growing demand for their brand among Islooites. “The data available showed us clients from Islamabad and Rawalpindi are on the rise. We wanted to provide them with the chance to shop at Zara Shahjahan and Coco by Zara Shahjahan in their own city.”



The medium-sized store offers ready-to-wear kurtas, tunics, shirts, organza jackets and trousers in cotton and silk. The kurtas feature Shahjahan’s signature feminine floral prints in a colour palette that mostly comprises pastels. The semi-formal jackets in organza are intricately embellished with pearls and bird motifs. The trousers, which are in hues such as white, black and other earthy tones with embellishments on the hem, can be bought individually.

The Coco line features casual and comfortable Eastern-wear with funky, pop art-centred prints for the younger age bracket. The store does not offer wedding- or bridal-wear, which the designer caters to in a personalised experience. The prices at Zara Shahjahan range from Rs15,000 to Rs30,000, and designs at Coco are priced between Rs1,500 and Rs4,000.

Previously, the brand’s products were stocked at multi-brand stores Labels, L’atelier and Mélange in Islamabad. The brand decided to unstock these stores and set up an independent outlet. “We believe that the trend for multi-brand stores is dying out. Also, having a company-operated store is better for branding and overall business,” said Rehman.

With over 60 women’s-wear stores at Centaurus Mall, the Zara Shahjahan brand faces stiff competition from labels such as Sana Safinaz, Agha Noor and Gul Ahmad in the realm of luxury-wear, and Limelight, Ego, Khaadi and BeechTree in terms of high-street wear. “The luxury brand Zara Shahjahan competes with all luxury brands. The high-street brand Coco by Zara Shahjahan competes with all other high-street brands,” Rehman explained. “But we cater to a different tier as compared to the other brands.”



Zara graduated from the National College of Arts in 2004. Her study of miniature arts honed her skills and helped her develop an eye for detail in terms of making patterns. Her distinct design aesthetics have won her a dedicated clientele over the years. The brand flourished after launching its first outlet in Lahore in 2012. Today, it has a total of six flagship stores in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad, and the team now plans on opening a store in Rawalpindi as well as stock internationally. The brand also intends on simultaneously exhibiting the same prêt collections in all stores across the country. The designer is currently working on her lawn collection, which will be offered at the Islamabad store during summer.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 10^th, 2016.

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