Gullak: Taking the world by t-shirts

Ammara Gul Aga and Sadaf Baloch t-shirt line has managed to garner a fair amount of buzz.

Ammara Gul Aga and Sadaf Baloch began the Gullak t-shirt line in March,2010. Even though it was only marketed through Facebook, the catchy slogans and designs on the t-shirts managed to garner it a fair amount of buzz.

One of the brand’s most popular designs is the ‘Cha Gae Meera’ t-shirt, a play on the popular ‘Che Guevara’ t-shirt. In an interview with The Express Tribune earlier this year, Sadaf Baloch said, “Meera was everywhere, on TV, in newspapers, even on Facebook, week after week. The next thing we know, Ammara comes up with ‘Cha Gae Meera’ which was an obvious hit.” Aga declared, “Meera is the only genuine diva we have in Pakistan.”

The t-shirt managed to make its way to its muse recently. Meera presented the t-shirt to fellow presenter Sami Shah at the Lux Style Awards this year. In an e-mail interview with The Express Tribune, Aga described the brand’s future plans.

How do you feel about the t-shirt being shown at the Lux Style Awards?

It feels really good. Especially since Gullak has only been around for less than a year. ‘Cha Gae Meera’ in the hands of Meera, what an awesome way to end the year!

What’s next for the brand? Will you be using this publicity push to take the brand forward?

Well we have already started stocking at a multi-brand store (Studio S) and are working out the details for going international. We are also looking into doing casual printed kurtis sometime in the near future. Let’s see what the reaction is once ‘Cha Gae Meera’ hits television. A simple answer to your question would be yes! We are looking forward to Gullak hitting the red carpet next year.

How has the response been since Gullak launched?

Since our launch in March earlier this year, Gullak has developed somewhat of a cult following. Our fans are as crazy as we are and it feels like Gullak is the mother ship that unites us. We have been getting orders from as far as Quetta, Rawalpindi, Islamabad and Hyderabad, which is great since our marketing has been exclusively through Facebook and word of mouth only. At this rate, it won’t be long before we take over the world!

Published in The Express Tribune, November 22^nd, 2010.