Meher Najeeb branches out
Stylist talks about her latest salon and how business will take a new dimension with her daughters coming on board
Models styled by Meher Najeeb at the salon launch. PHOTOS: PUBLICITY
KARACHI:
The terrific trio of well known stylist Meher Najeeb and her two daughters, launched their much anticipated new salon on Thursday, amidst much flare and celebration. It has been designed by the renowned Najmi Bilgrami Corporate Limited to resemble a high-end loft in New York City — a concept never seen in Pakistan before.
And with the new outlet comes a new business model as well: Meher has made the first one into a hair-care facility offering hair treatments of various kinds. She hopes that one day, this branch can serve as a training academy for those eager to learn about the craft. The second outlet, on the other hand, will be the centre for hair, makeup and grooming services like massages, facials and nail-care.
As for Meher herself, she is more inclined towards her hairstyling and admits she would choose it over makeup any time. “It is always a pleasure to cut and colour hair,” she says. “I believe colours are a reflection of my personality. If you see someone with a hair colour given by me, you will notice the change and my subtle touch in it,” she tells The Express Tribune.
Read: Pakistani designer Ali Xeeshan to dress Rihanna
Meher remembers her days as an aspiring stylist clearly, when she was younger and ever so eager to do makeup on anyone and everyone. “I would go into it hoping that they will look lovely,” she reminisces fondly. “My first guinea pig was a cousin whose hair I blow-dried. Since then, there has been no looking back.”
With this desire to make everyone look good, Meher set out to London back in 1995 and enrolled in the Toni & Guy training institute there. “I distinctly recall being all shaky on the very first day of class,” says Meher, laughing. “But, by the end of the year-long course, I realised it had been an excellent experience. I taught myself little things related to the art of hairstyling, such as how to hold scissors and move your posture when cutting hair.”
Nonetheless, Meher’s true calling lay in Pakistan and she return home immediately — this time as a certified coiffeur. After spending the next two years practicing on her two daughters and other loved ones, Meher decided to take up hairstyling professionally and joined her friend, local hairstyling guru, Nina Lotia at her salon. Between 1999 and 2002, Meher practiced and honed all that she had learnt over the years but eventually, decided that the friendship she shared with Nina should not be interposed. By the end of 2005, this talented stylist had become an entrepreneur, having opened up her first namesake salon on Zamzama in Karachi.
Read: T-Diaries: Redah Misbah
But now, the two little ones Meher once practiced on have grown up and are eager to follow in their mother’s footsteps. And so, this terrific trio decided to expand their operations and open up a second outlet on Khayaban-e-Shahbaz. “When my daughters returned from foreign universities, holding their degrees and boasting of the short makeup courses they had undertaken, I knew it was time to branch out,” she explains. “Both Mahin and Iman are true professionals,” says Meher of her two new business partners. “Although it has only been two days, they have been coping very well. They plan well and are organised.”
Published in The Express Tribune, August 9th, 2015.
The terrific trio of well known stylist Meher Najeeb and her two daughters, launched their much anticipated new salon on Thursday, amidst much flare and celebration. It has been designed by the renowned Najmi Bilgrami Corporate Limited to resemble a high-end loft in New York City — a concept never seen in Pakistan before.
And with the new outlet comes a new business model as well: Meher has made the first one into a hair-care facility offering hair treatments of various kinds. She hopes that one day, this branch can serve as a training academy for those eager to learn about the craft. The second outlet, on the other hand, will be the centre for hair, makeup and grooming services like massages, facials and nail-care.
As for Meher herself, she is more inclined towards her hairstyling and admits she would choose it over makeup any time. “It is always a pleasure to cut and colour hair,” she says. “I believe colours are a reflection of my personality. If you see someone with a hair colour given by me, you will notice the change and my subtle touch in it,” she tells The Express Tribune.
Read: Pakistani designer Ali Xeeshan to dress Rihanna
Meher remembers her days as an aspiring stylist clearly, when she was younger and ever so eager to do makeup on anyone and everyone. “I would go into it hoping that they will look lovely,” she reminisces fondly. “My first guinea pig was a cousin whose hair I blow-dried. Since then, there has been no looking back.”
With this desire to make everyone look good, Meher set out to London back in 1995 and enrolled in the Toni & Guy training institute there. “I distinctly recall being all shaky on the very first day of class,” says Meher, laughing. “But, by the end of the year-long course, I realised it had been an excellent experience. I taught myself little things related to the art of hairstyling, such as how to hold scissors and move your posture when cutting hair.”
Nonetheless, Meher’s true calling lay in Pakistan and she return home immediately — this time as a certified coiffeur. After spending the next two years practicing on her two daughters and other loved ones, Meher decided to take up hairstyling professionally and joined her friend, local hairstyling guru, Nina Lotia at her salon. Between 1999 and 2002, Meher practiced and honed all that she had learnt over the years but eventually, decided that the friendship she shared with Nina should not be interposed. By the end of 2005, this talented stylist had become an entrepreneur, having opened up her first namesake salon on Zamzama in Karachi.
Read: T-Diaries: Redah Misbah
But now, the two little ones Meher once practiced on have grown up and are eager to follow in their mother’s footsteps. And so, this terrific trio decided to expand their operations and open up a second outlet on Khayaban-e-Shahbaz. “When my daughters returned from foreign universities, holding their degrees and boasting of the short makeup courses they had undertaken, I knew it was time to branch out,” she explains. “Both Mahin and Iman are true professionals,” says Meher of her two new business partners. “Although it has only been two days, they have been coping very well. They plan well and are organised.”
Published in The Express Tribune, August 9th, 2015.