What’s in store? Diva’ni opens first shop in Pakistan

Indian brand brings luxury pret from across the border


Our Correspondent August 06, 2016
The store is inspired by Yash Raj films. PHOTO: PUBLICITY

LAHORE: Earlier this month, Indian couture house Diva’ni announced its foray into Pakistani markets with a coffee table book launch, alongside a screening of the Salman Khan-starrer, Sultan.

With this the brand set a precedent for doing things differently. And so, it followed suit on the opening of its store in Lahore, shunning the hullabaloo of elaborate launch events. “We want every visit to be personalised instead of having a large, impersonal launch. That is not what couture is about for us,” said Diva’ni Creative Director Sanya Dhir.

The outlet – the brand’s first one outside India – is like walking into an extravagant Yash Raj film. Sharing the building with Damas jewellery, Dhir feels her brand has found the perfect match. The designer has gone to special lengths to get the store to look the way it does, citing the luxurious appeal of the brand as the reason. “When people invest so much in clothing or jewellery, they expect this level of personalisation.”

Diva’ni stocks a range of exquisite hand painted saris, lenghas, anarkalis and kurtas. “We don’t bring in anything that is less than the luxury pret. As I’ve been visiting Lahore often, I’ve noticed a certain sense of flamboyance here which we are catering to. In terms of silhouettes and cuts, there is a fine mix of contemporary and traditional silhouettes,” Dhir shared.

There are, however, a number of complications that may arise supply chain, pricing and other areas that Sanya and her partner in Pakistan, Shakil Zindani of Flitz Fashion are well aware of. “When we took up the expansion project, it wasn’t as a one-off thing or something to make immediate money. No one has come up with a store of this scale so that allowed us to keep the prices exactly the same as those in India.” Shakil said. “People haven’t been sorting out duties and trying to bring through different channels. We worked backwards and convinced the franchisers to lower their profit margins and we lowered ours, because they are the exact same price as Pakistan.”

Published in The Express Tribune, August 7th, 2016.

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