Pakistani-American entrepreneur collaborates with Selena Gomez

Another international feat for Pakistani women! Shiza Shahid, a Pakistani-American social entrepreneur, has collaborated with American singer-cum-actor Selena Gomez for her cooking venture called Our Place. The cookware business, owned and run by women, aims to inspire more people to reconnect with their heritage, food systems, and one another by cooking and sharing food. For Shahid, collaborating with Gomez was a “dream come true.”

Our Place’s official Instagram handle introduced Gomez’s cookware line by sharing why they chose the Monte Carlo actor. “When we think of cooking joyfully, Selena Gomez immediately comes to mind. We’re so thrilled to partner with her to bring joy, warmth, and (re)connection with our whole selves back into our cooking practice.”

They further added, “For us, cooking can be a form of therapy and a catalyst for connection. Selena’s work in mental health and her joyful, authentic (and often very funny!) journey to home cooking couldn’t be more reflective of what Our Place stands for.”

Gomez also took to the media sharing app to announce the news. She wrote, “Finally I can share my collection with Our Place!” The collection is a “celebration of all ways we cook- as beginners or experts, perfectly or imperfectly, messily and joyously. Our Place is immigrant and women-owned, rooted in building a bigger table.”

The company claims to donate 10% of every purchase to the Rare Impact Fund of Gomez’s makeup line, Rare Beauty, to “expand mental health services for young people.”

Shahid is also known for co-founding the Malala Fund and later becoming the CEO of a non-profit organisation that promoted education for girls.