Ready, set and go: Nishat Linen CEO pleased with 22% growth as fashion sector blossoms

Naz Mansha says pret wear is gaining traction, retail is leading the charge

LAHORE: It’s a fast-paced world. There isn’t much time to select clothes, go to your tailor and then put up with his or her shenanigans on missing the deadline. Some choose not to go through what could be an ordeal at times.

With pret or ready-to-wear gaining traction and improvising through better designs and competitive prices, many textile groups and fashion designers have experienced phenomenal growth in the retail sector.

Despite the competition, there is a big enough market for players to not only survive, but expand as well.

Nishat Linen is one such name that has experienced growth consistently with its CEO saying that the company saw sales grow by almost 22% this year.

The brand, which started its journey back in 1989 from a home linen factory in Lahore, is now one of the most prominent names in the fashion industry.

While its success can partially be attributed to the size and financial muscle of its parent company, Nishat Group, Nishat Linen CEO Naz Mansha believes a keen understanding of the ever-changing global fashion trends is what helped her firm’s expansion.

“I believe retail is the only sector that is currently outpacing other sectors in Pakistan’s economy,” Mansha told The Express Tribune.

“Most commercial construction activities are driven by retail sector’s demand for visible and presentable outlets,” she said, adding that increased fashion awareness is in turn propelling the retail sector as well.



Mansha said the company’s success story started in the mid-1990s when she decided to print women’s fabrics. The market at that time was dominated by a few prominent brand names including Alkaram and Gul Ahmed that were offering printed lawns to customers, she said.

“My first collection was sold out completely,” Mansha recalled. “This encouraged me to focus more on the printed clothing line which soon took off exponentially, to the detriment of our home linen product line which was eventually spaced out.”

Currently, the company boasts an extensive product line ranging from ready-to-wear to unstitched fabrics and from men/kids wear to different accessories. Its most profitable segment, however, is still unstitched fabric that comprises around 40% of the total sales of the company. Prêt, or ready-to-wear, clothes make up 35%-40% of total sales while the rest comes from different accessories in which the company is the sole agent of two international brands.

“Every fashion brand will tell you that it is one of the top five brands in the market, however, there is no reliable data source to verify the claims,” she said.



“We gauge our success in the market through our sales,” she said. While avoiding sharing official numbers, she said that “the company is doing well and generating handsome profits”.

Talking about her company’s marketing strategy, Mansha said rising consumerism has helped sales as well.

“Previously, there were two seasons to make the most sales. New trends such as Valentine’s Day and Black Friday celebrations are opening new avenues for marketing products more aggressively,” she said. “Such events normally give the brands a chance to clear their left-over stock through discounts.”

Published in The Express Tribune, September 24^th, 2017.

Like Business on Facebook, follow @TribuneBiz on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.