Sania Maskatiya completes five years of ruling over fashion industry

Ace designer says journey was difficult yet memorable

KARACHI:

Sania Maskatiya’s penchant for art and design has always shone through. Even during her school days, Maskatiya would often spend hours drawing on painting her ideas into reality. “As a child, most of my fondest memories are of the times I spent working on my art,” she shares, speaking to The Express Tribune. “I have always been intrigued by different colours and patterns. Studying art as a subject during my O levels and A levels only pulled me in further, so much so that I eventually opted to pursue a professional degree in design.”

As destiny would have it, the countless hours Maskatiya spent locked up with her pencils and brushes did not prove futile. In the few years since her graduation, Maskatiya’s impeccable design aesthetics have moulded her from yet another eager beaver art graduate into one of the forerunners of the Pakistani fashion. In fact, one could say she has singlehandedly sparked a revolution within the industry, offering a unique mix of Eastern and Western cuts and colours never seen before.



This February marks the fifth anniversary of Maskatiya’s brand and, much like a mother on the birthday of her child, she seems both happy and sad simultaneously. “You know, for any business to run successfully, it has to be difficult but very rewarding,” she says. “Each and every project that we have undertaken as a brand has helped us grow, evolve and change for the better, both personally and professionally.” Maskatiya cites teamwork as a major factor in her design house’s success. “It is the core mantra at Sania Maskatiya. The very virtue is the binding force that has held us together at all times.”



Today, Maskatiya boasts of multiple clothing lines and accessories like pret, luxury pret, bridals and even unstitched lawn collections. “We follow the philosophy of being ‘glocal’ and seek inspiration from travel, books and different cultures of different regions around the world,” she explains. When asked which line she holds closest to heart, Maskatiya quickly picks luxury pret. “This is the closest as it is what I began with in the first place,” she admits. “When we first started, we noticed a gap in the market and focused our initial collections on filling that gap. Over time, we’ve branched into other lines. Now, I take pride in how far we have come from where we used to be.”

Although few people would know this, clothing is not the only area Maskatiya and her team focuses on. They are equally eager to give back to the society by regularly collaborating on different charity ventures. “For me, charity begins at home. We work with our employees to make their lives better first; they are the top priority,” says Maskatiya.

“In addition to this, we have worked on numerous charity projects as well, such as making scarves and kurtas for LRBT and breast cancer awareness. We take part in all charity sales and auctions very actively.”





For this year, Maskatiya plans to take her brand even higher, with a new outlet opening in Lahore soon. “We have another store opening there around midyear,” she reveals. But when questioned about expanding internationally, she refused to give anything away. “We are definitely planning to expand our stockists internationally and have a few very exciting projects in the pipeline. However, we will disclose them along the course of the year,” says Maskatiya. “In the meantime, we will bring new designs across all of our lines, with a fresh approach to print and embroidery, coupled with our signature aesthetics.”

Published in The Express Tribune, February 19^th,  2016.

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