KARACHI: The Indian franchise Meena Bazar, which is also available in Islamabad and Lahore, opened its doors in Karachi late last week. Located in Clifton, the shop offers embellished saris from across the border, and launched a wedding collection (in time for the wedding season)
According to Tehmina Khaled, who was instrumental in bringing the franchise to the city, “Saris that have kora borders, aari and kat dana work and which are heavily embellished with diamantes and crystals on them are available at Meena Bazar.”
Even though saris are widely available in the city — including at Rabi Sari Emporium and Hilal Silk — there is still a demand for Indian saris. It is still a must-buy for women on shopping trips to Indian cities.
Khaled points out that there used to be limited places to buy saris from - it was either Mehboob Centre or designer outlets.
“There is obviously a gap in the market, and so there needs to be a place where the middle class can shop to their heart’s content,” Khaled said. The saris are priced from Rs12,000 to Rs50,000 whereas the bridal suits range from Rs5,000 to Rs15,000.
A number of Indian designers have a retail presence in Pakistan. Ensemble stocks designs by Fab Asia, Ritu Kumar, Tarun Tahiliani and Sabyasachi Mukherjee and Satya Paul saris are also available at Labels. But when asked about competition, Khaled says, “Satya Paul is famous for digital prints on crepe and chiffon, whereas Meena Bazar saris have embellished work on them.”
But according to Anjum Nisar, the former president of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, “The incoming Indian fabric into our market is illegal because it is usually via Dubai or Afghan Trade Transit and so our local textile industry has gravely suffered. Many textile industries in Pakistan have closed down because of this illegal trade affecting our market.” About the legality of an Indian franchise working in Pakistan, Nisar said one “has to look into the legal matters and then decide if they can function here or not.”
Published in The Express Tribune, October 4th, 2010.
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