What the Funk?

Online venture aims at making branded jeans more accessible for consumers.

KARACHI: Twenty-six years of living in Karachi taught Nimra Zaidi one thing: acquiring a pair of good, branded jeans in the city is next to impossible. “There just were no branded jeans available anywhere in the market,” she says, speaking to The Express Tribune.

“Whatever was available in the local retail outlets cost crazy amounts of money!” the young entrepreneur decided to act upon her predicament and fill the gap she had discovered in the clothing industry. And so, What the Funk was formed — an online clothing portal that connects consumers with merchandise from their favourite international brands and that too, at abated prices.

“My father was already employed in the textile business so that really help me launch the brand,” shares Nimra of her initial days as a clothing retailer. “He has actually been working in the field for nearly 25 years now.” Cashing in on his expertise and her own business acumen, Nimra launched What The Funk over Facebook in February 2015, hoping to promote branded jeans in the deprived Karachi market. “A lot of fashion is not available easily or accessible in Pakistan,” says Nimra. “I must admit that I myself was very skeptical of this venture and assumed not many people would visit my page but surprisingly, they did.”



And so, Nimra started off by offering imported jeans, blouses and trendy jewellery items for delivery across the city. Now, with 29,000 ‘fans’ of her Facebook page, she claims the business is growing steadily. “People usually underestimate the power of social media and don’t tap into it,” she says. “It is actually very, very strong. Not to mention, it doesn’t require too much investment. I believe in keeping it to the minimum initially and then, taking it further as a launching pad.”

With this philosophy, Nimra is set to take What The Funk to new heights and hopes to go international within the next five years. In the meantime, she is content with her local clientele and will be opening up an outlet in Karachi by March 2016.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 16^th, 2015.

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