One On One: RISCH

Ribqa Jawed and Shanzeh Najam- two friends who saw a gap in the market for a minimalistic, street-style and affordable clothing line that is also rooted fundamentally in the inception of Pakistan, established RISCH- an apparel and clothing company. With products ranging from T-shirt’s, knitwear and eco-friendly totes, the brand provides street-style based on concepts that adapt with each collection, with a core value of using the best available fit and fabric.

Ribqa has a background in Data Analytics and Economics and Shanzeh has excelled in Communication Design and Fine Art and with a combination of diverse experiences, they were able to form the perfect dream team to create a holistic brand with multiple apparel products. TEdit chatted with two best friends about all things eco friendly street style.

What inspired you to start RISCH?

RISCH was a fun project we started during Ramazan in 2021, as two best friends, ideating together and seeing what we could come up with for our own clothing brand. We started out restricting ourselves to simple monochromatic t-shirts, having no idea we would eventually be expanding to other forms of apparel. We wanted to create designs inspired by Pakistani culture and aesthetics that were easy to wear and cool. The sort of subtle pieces you could gift overseas Pakistanis/non-Pakistanis, or also wear while travelling to represent your country.

What do you love most about creating your products?

What we love most is that it allows us to get creative in the preproduction process, such as the moodboards and aesthetic, as well as in post-production i.e. editing pictures, planning the shoots and choosing the right team to work with. We love collaborating with each other, strengthening our bond as friends and putting our brains together to create the perfect products for RISCH.

Some of your products are eco-friendly. Do you plan to become an entirely eco-friendly company?

Post Covid-19, the fashion industry has shifted towards making the industry environmentally friendly to avoid wastefulness. As a brand, RISCH aspires to reduce its carbon footprint and is against the use of single use plastic, which is why we made our packaging reusable. Our tote bags are made of 100% recycled cotton, which prevents additional textile waste and is a great sustainable alternative.

What are some of the biggest challenges you and your business face?

The biggest challenge we face is coming up with new ideas and concepts that stand out, from a now very saturated market. We try to have a unique and fresh perspective, while striking that balance of subtlety and minimalism in our designs. Innovating, as well as keeping what makes RISCH special and well-loved intact.

What are the latest street- style trends for 2022 in your opinion?

History has taught us that people’s tastes fluctuate as a reaction to the times they live in. Keeping the rise of remote working in mind, today’s street style is comfort wear that can be worn daily; so over-sized, loose clothing such as wide leg jeans and flares, paired with tees and sweatshirts. Other trends we have noticed is a shift towards block prints, Urdu calligraphy and utilising handiwork. In terms of colour palettes, neutrals like muted beige and effortless grays are very much on trend as alternatives to basic black.

Do you feel there is a style difference between Lahore and Karachi market?

We get orders from all over Pakistan, particularly from Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad. Our patriotic green, Made in Pakistan tee is very popular in Lahore and Karachi! Some of our favourite influencers to collaborate with are from Lahore, such as Mehek Saeed, Zarminay Haq and Sophiya Salim Khan. Also, Sasha Raja, Sona Rafiq and Fatima Hasan being our favourites from Karachi. We do feel as if there is a difference in style when comparing both cities. Karachiites tend to make minimalistic and neutral choices with RISCH products, which is why they gravitate towards our Nine Two collection. Lahoris experiment with their bold colours and styling choices, and like making a statement with our colorful, Six Tokens tee.

What tips would you offer to beginners starting a small business?

Tips we would offer beginners would be to firstly, invest wisely and not to spend unnecessarily. To create a product that has a unique selling point and stands out from the rest of the market. To keep at it and let the business grow slowly, as starting a business is not for those who expect immediate gratification. Secondly, we would recommend taking opinions from family and friends who may have experience within the market as it increases your industry knowledge. It’s always good to reach out to different people as it exposes you to different perspectives and ideas that you can learn from.

Which products do you find are the most popular with your customers?

Our most popular product is our best selling Nine-two tee. It has been worn by celebrities like Mahira Khan and represents the essence of RISCH. The +92PAK emblem incorporates our country calling code, and is quintessentially Pakistani. The design was so big that we expanded the design into our Winter Edit collection, which was equally popular.

What are your future plans?

We want RISCH to experiment with other forms of apparel and be able to release more collections. We’re looking for opportunities to collaborate and learn from more creative innovators in this industry, preferably small business owners like ourselves. Additionally, we’re hoping to expand into the international market such as the UK, especially to international Pakistanis who want a token that keeps them close to home.