The vault: Kanwal Hussain

Kanwal Hussain unlocks her treasure box, to talk about some of her favourite pieces

After living in Dhaka for eight years Kanwal Hussain’s love for saris only grew, so when she moved back to Karachi, she opened Bohme where she shares her love for saris. Today, she unlocks her treasure box, to talk about some of her favourite pieces

How and when did you get interested in saris?

My mother wore saris all the time while I was growing up, so my fascination with saris began at an early age. My passion grew when we moved to Dhaka, and I started donning saris on a regular basis.

What are some of your favourite saris?

That’s a tough one as I have so many that are special to me. But if I can only pick one, it would probably be a jamdani sari I have, because there are precious memories attached to it.

Where did you get it?

My very dear friend Aisha and I went on a shopping spree in Dhaka and bought each other identical jamdani saris.



Is there any sari you are emotionally attached to and why?

Yes, a block printed silk sari by Noor Jehan Bilgrami. My father bought it for my mother and she passed it down to me when I got married. So there is an emotional attachment with that one for sure.

Share a story with us about how you acquired one of your favourite saris:

I accompanied my sister Sadiqa to Dubai where she was participating in a trunk show for her brand, Tali. We came across these fabulous digital print saris by Arti Vijay Gupta and I instantly fell in love. So much so that I splurged on one right away!

Is there anything on your radar that you want to get in the future?

At this point, I don’t believe there is anything in particular that I would like to buy. Since I design saris now, I would love to create a masterpiece myself.