Aesthetically familial

Umair Tabani and Nubain Ali share what it’s like to manage their designer sisters, Sania Maskatiya and Wardha Saleem.

KARACHI:

Sibling rivalry is universal but so is sibling adoration. And when this bond extends to the professional space, things get more exciting. Two such individuals in the fashion industry who are supporting their sisters’ enterprises are Umair Tabani, chief executive officer for the brand Sania Maskatiya and Nubain Ali, who is the business partner for the brand Wardha Saleem.

Before amalgamating with his sister on a business front, Tabani had a completely diverse career path, he notifies, “By degree, I am a chartered accountant. Before we set up Sania Maskatiya, I had worked for Price Waterhouse Coopers in London where I worked as an auditor for four years. Then later, I was involved within the family business of manufacturing garments for export.”



However, he changed direction and considered picking up his sister’s career forward. “After Sania graduated, we mutually decided upon creating a brand and setting up a business,” he shares. Partnering with my sister seemed to have occured naturally, he says, “She was talented, however, had no expertise in business management and we both felt it would be an ideal situation to set up a business where the two of us could use our talent to the maximum. We had a vision to set up a widely accessible brand and felt it would be the perfect opportunity to utilise our expertise.”

Similarly, Nubain Ali had an expertise that helped him gel with his sister’s company. “I am a Marketing Professional and have been working in the advertising industry for the past 10 years. Before partnering with Wardha, I was working as a brand manager for L’Oreal Paris Pakistan.” Currently, Ali is the business partner at Wardha Saleem and also running his own marketing consultancy; providing services to various brands.

Tabani reveals that the Sania Maskatiya brand has evolved deeply over time, and so has his function in it: “When we started with a team of 20 people four years ago, things were a lot different. Literally, we built this business brick by brick — today my role is a lot different from what it was four years ago.”

Ali, on the other hand, has officially coupled with his sister’s brand, a little time back. “The brand has developed greatly and so have the expectations. I have just joined in officially and working on the strategies and setting yearly goals for the brand. We are working on setting up a studio and e-commerce portal at the moment which is very exciting.”

Nubain Ali with sister Wardha Saleem

Getting his sister’s company in motion isn’t his only aspiration, Ali shares, “I always wanted to start my own business and get into an entrepreneurship role eventually. When I saw Wardha’s hard work, passion and sincerity towards her products was earnest to the core, I began believing in her brand.” Deciding to bring forth his own skills to task, he partnered up with his sister. “Family always comes first,” he added, smiling.

There is no denying that looking after a business requires a lot of drudgery, and the upkeep of it requires serious endeavour. On that, Ali remarks, “No doubt the fashion industry has grown exponentially and has become extremely competitive in the past four years. To survive in this business, you need to run it like a proper organisation and take care of different aspects — from logistics, pricing and product positioning to business development, marketing and PR.”

For Tabani, it has been a smooth sail. “To date, they openly appreciate our work and we are truly grateful to them for their support and guidance. I believe that if one works hard and passionately no one can harm you.”

Alongside business, there are always brotherly instincts coming to play. “As a brother, being protective comes naturally towards my sister. There are good and bad people in every industry.  Keeping the potential of the brand in mind, it is my responsibility to put my experience in the brand and take care of all the business aspects,” says Ali.

Tabani concludes, “We still fight a lot and argue ... But luckily our work roles are quite independent and we respect each other’s opinion.”

Published in The Express Tribune, January 19^th,  2015.

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