UAE-based Pakistani’s handmade journals gaining global popularity

A UAE-based Pakistani female entrepreneur’s handmade journals are gaining buyers’ overwhelming response from across the globe, especially in her homeland – Pakistan.

Hiba Creations is the brainchild of Naureen Ijaz Qazi, who started her venture in 2017 by selling self-crafted papers, gift boxes and chipboard, and her unique creations have revived the love for art journals, especially among women folk.

Naureen talking to APP via phone said: “I gradually transitioned from gift boxes and organisers to journals, as I have always loved working with fabric and now my customers from across the globe are in hundreds."

The homespun brand operates online currently, with no physical store as of yet but it was receiving majority of its orders from the United Kingdom, Pakistan and Middle Eastern countries.

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Naureen, who is determined to soon open an offline store said, “The benefit of selling online is that the world is your customer. Insha’Allah soon an offline store will be functional as the online response is encouraging.”

She said that she was eying the European market in near future, however, currently, around 80 per cent of the shoppers of her products were from her native country Pakistan and the majority of them were women buyers.

“It will be surprising to note that housewives are more enthusiast purchaser of my hand-crafted items,” Naureen remarked. All journals and accompanying stationery offered by the creative label are customised.

“The journals are made keeping the customer’s choice in mind. All parts of it- the fabric, pages and the charms are selected according to their preference. I share the picture of a sample and then they select how they want it” she added.

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“It is a very detailed, patience demanding work. It takes 12-15 hours to assemble one,” the entrepreneur explained further.

Pakistanis who are new to the world of journaling have taken a keen interest in this handmade craft, which has led this home-based business to amass over 5,000 followers on Instagram, the primary channel from where the brand operates.

Mehrbano from Faisalabad, who is a buyer of Naureen’s journals, acknowledged the quality of her work and said, “It was worth waiting to have such a beautiful and quality handmade journal like this.”

“This is probably the best purchase I have ever made. It’s really beautiful and perfectly organised. I love the material it’s made of and the additional little things make it wholesome,” expressed Hijab, a native of Mianwali.

The business that Naureen runs with her family online from UAE, ships orders to different customers in Pakistan and abroad. “It takes at least one month time for the shipment to reach Pakistan and once it arrives in the country, it further takes two to three days for the order to reach the customer," she explained.