H&Z add some bling to your regular khussa
The sisters seek to attract shoe lovers who have till now preferred foreign brands over local ones.
LAHORE:
Khussas have remained eternal footwear in Pakistan for generations. A local brand, Khussa Mahal, is known to have a vast collection of khussas but with one minor setback — their designs have remained desi and traditional.
Inspired by this footwear, two sisters Hina Fatima and Zara Akhtar presented their interpretation of khussas at Fashion Pakistan Lounge (FPL) in July and are now looking forward to making their presence online to facilitate buyers. Known as H&Z, the sisters seek to attract shoe lovers who have till now preferred foreign brands over local ones by producing high-quality (traditional and modern) khussas.
“I personally love khussas,” Fatima told The Express Tribune. “They are comfortable, and for me they are wearable with eastern and western clothes.” Being taller than the average Pakistani girl, Fatima feels her options are limited when it comes to shoes and as a result, khussas (available in all sizes) become the perfect option.
When asked what inspired the duo to start designing this footwear, Fatima said: “We had a few brooches lying around in the house and one day we just randomly started playing around — fixing them on khussas, to see how they would look.” The result was satisfying and the girls decided on launching their own line.
From traditional khussas with polki and kundan brooches to modern star-studded leather ones, this collection has it all. “We have a khussa-maker at Lahori Gate, but we design the samples ourselves at home,” elaborates Fatima, on how the shoes are manufactured. “Once the design is complete on the fabric [cover of the shoe], it is then sent to the shoe-maker, who puts it all together.” In order to ensure comfort, the shoes are further lined with velvet to provide the customer a soft base.
H&Z has used commonly-available fabric in a different way to make its product unique. The line includes distinctive designs and colours; gold-plated embellishments on banarsi fabric and an interesting use of jute, being some of the original ideas. Their objective is to ultimately give their product an edge over others.
The price ranges from Rs1,600 to Rs7,000.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 8th, 2012.
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Khussas have remained eternal footwear in Pakistan for generations. A local brand, Khussa Mahal, is known to have a vast collection of khussas but with one minor setback — their designs have remained desi and traditional.
Inspired by this footwear, two sisters Hina Fatima and Zara Akhtar presented their interpretation of khussas at Fashion Pakistan Lounge (FPL) in July and are now looking forward to making their presence online to facilitate buyers. Known as H&Z, the sisters seek to attract shoe lovers who have till now preferred foreign brands over local ones by producing high-quality (traditional and modern) khussas.
“I personally love khussas,” Fatima told The Express Tribune. “They are comfortable, and for me they are wearable with eastern and western clothes.” Being taller than the average Pakistani girl, Fatima feels her options are limited when it comes to shoes and as a result, khussas (available in all sizes) become the perfect option.
When asked what inspired the duo to start designing this footwear, Fatima said: “We had a few brooches lying around in the house and one day we just randomly started playing around — fixing them on khussas, to see how they would look.” The result was satisfying and the girls decided on launching their own line.
From traditional khussas with polki and kundan brooches to modern star-studded leather ones, this collection has it all. “We have a khussa-maker at Lahori Gate, but we design the samples ourselves at home,” elaborates Fatima, on how the shoes are manufactured. “Once the design is complete on the fabric [cover of the shoe], it is then sent to the shoe-maker, who puts it all together.” In order to ensure comfort, the shoes are further lined with velvet to provide the customer a soft base.
H&Z has used commonly-available fabric in a different way to make its product unique. The line includes distinctive designs and colours; gold-plated embellishments on banarsi fabric and an interesting use of jute, being some of the original ideas. Their objective is to ultimately give their product an edge over others.
The price ranges from Rs1,600 to Rs7,000.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 8th, 2012.
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