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People don’t need to know about me, they need to know about my brand, says Khaadi kingpin Shamoon Sultan

People don’t need to know about me, they need to know about my brand, says Khaadi kingpin Shamoon Sultan

Homegrown, nationalistic, savvy to the core, Shamoon’s Khaadi is Pakistani fashion’s greatest success story
09 Mar, 2016

“We’re creating history,” declared Shamoon Sultan on social media, just a few days before his mega-store launch in Karachi’s Dolmen City Mall.

Spanning 22,000 square feet of quintessentially earthy wooden interiors, the store is stated to be the first of its kind. Winding through widely-spaced partitions, it encompasses the many brands that together make up Khaadi: unstitched cottons, women’s prêt, luxury-pret, menswear, children’s wear and home accessories.

Shamoon may have created history with his new store but in actuality, he has been making it for a long time now. Starting off with a single store in Zamzama way back in 1998, he now has a retail phenomenon on his hands. Internationally, he has spread his feelers to the UK, Malaysia and the UAE. Within Pakistan, he has enamored quite a clientele, paving the way for high-street fashion and taking over a huge chunk of the market. Even in cyberspace, he’s cashing in big time with the web-store slowing down to a crawling pace due to an overload of visitors every time there is a sale or a new collection launch. Today, there are a whopping 39 stores dotted about the country. The most recent one opened a day after the launch of the mega-store, in Rahim Yar Khan.

Glimpses of the Khaadi mega-store in Dolmen City Mall, Karachi
Glimpses of the Khaadi mega-store in Dolmen City Mall, Karachi

“I’m exhausted. I had been working day and night to get the Karachi store up and running. It feels incredible to walk into it now and see it filled with customers. This is only the beginning, though,” he promises, helping himself to a slice of cake — he usually refrains from eating sweets but today, he says, is an exception.

Considering that there is a Khaadi outlet at every retail hotspot in the country, are these huge stores worth the building and overhead expenses? “Yes, it is the next step for us,” he says resolutely. “It is important for our growing customer-base and for the brand.”

Brand boosting

In an industry where designers’ celebrity status often exceeds their business prowess, Shamoon stands out as a rare powerhouse. Still, he remains deliberately low-profile. You may spot him at the occasional fashion week or soiree but he’s hardly ever going to be on the cover of a glossy magazine or sit through one of those all-too-prevalent, utterly mundane TV interviews.

“It’s not necessary,” he observes. “One day I will die but the label has to live on. People don’t need to know about me; they need to know about my brand.”

A triumphant Shamoon at the launch of the Khaadi megastore
A triumphant Shamoon at the launch of the Khaadi megastore

Shamoon usually achieves whatever he sets out to do. “Khaadi will always retail under its own identity,” he had told me once. Today, he has outlets in regions where most fashion boutiques don’t venture; Mandi Bahauddin and Mirpur, for instance. Do the stores in smaller cities manage to make ends meet? “A lot of them do very well,” he says. “People have come and hugged me when I have set up a store in their city. There is a definite demand in smaller regions but it’s just that many retailers haven’t realised it yet. I don’t believe in flashy stores in urban centers and dingy store-rooms in other parts of the country. Our stores all over have similar interiors. However, we do modulate our stock. In bigger cities, prêt sells very well while in smaller regions, the demand for unstitched fabric is huge.”


People have come and hugged me when I have set up a store in their city. There is a definite demand in smaller regions but it’s just that many retailers haven’t realised it yet.


With lawn, he understands Pakistani women’s predilection for buying an unstitched suit and getting it stitched according to a design they like. It’s why he’s been placing great focus on unstitched fabric over the past few years.

To propel prêt sales, he sometimes used to hang full-sleeved tunics alongside a single sleeveless one, fashioned from the same fabric. “The full-sleeved ones sell really well,” he explains. “Most women don’t wear sleeveless but they do like the way it looks. They end up buying the full-sleeved version. It’s human nature to want something that you can’t have.”

Game-changing

What other plans does he have for the future? “I want to go back to retailing the hand loomed fabric that we started off with. I have retained our older store in Dolmen City Mall and plan to dedicate it to stitched and unstitched hand loomed cotton. I also want to place greater focus on variants for kids, men, home etc.”

In the days to come, Shamoon hopes that the luxury-wear line for women Khaadi Khaas will become more visible at red carpet affairs. “Integrating with cinema is also becoming very important,” he says.

Khaadi Khaas is showing at the upcoming PSFW, and plans to be a regular presence at fashion weeks
Khaadi Khaas is showing at the upcoming PSFW, and plans to be a regular presence at fashion weeks

Also, from now on, Khaas is going to be a regular in the fashion week spin-cycle. The brand is showcasing at the upcoming PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week as well as later, at Fashion Pakistan Week. What has made him such an avid fashion week enthusiast when earlier he had always been a sporadic attendee?


“There was a time when fashion weeks would lay emphasis on bringing in so-called international buyers. I found the notion ridiculous. We need to focus on selling to the 200 million people in our own country before we look elsewhere.”


“There was a time when fashion weeks would lay emphasis on bringing in so-called international buyers who were expected to miraculously place orders and improve export. I found the notion ridiculous. We need to focus on selling to the 200 million people in our own country before we look elsewhere. Now, at least, fashion weeks have become more business-oriented, following an intrinsic approach rather than looking outwards.”

He isn’t entirely satisfied though. “I hope to bring about changes so that there is just one fashion week per season. It could be divided into two days for Karachi and Lahore respectively, with different people handling the shows for either city. There should also be better content, with great fashion on the catwalk rather than the run-of-the-mill. Thirty days before the show, designers should be called in to share their collections and even if an established atelier presents something mundane, it should be rejected. At recent fashion weeks, I have sat through days when there are one or two line-ups that are great while the rest are barely tolerable.”

Testing the competition

Does he feel the same way about the burgeoning milieu of high-street brands, many of them keenly trying to replicate his brand’s desi-chic vibe? “There are some that are great. In the big cities, I think Sapphire and Sana Safinaz have made a promising start,” he says.

In the lawn market, the Khaadi label has snowballed into a powerful force
In the lawn market, the Khaadi label has snowballed into a powerful force

In the market for lawn, where his label has snowballed into a powerful force, he considers that his main competition comes from textile mills. “They are lawn pioneers and have decades of experience — although we’re doing pretty well too,” Shamoon smiles.

It is the label’s sheer output and sales that jostled the brand out of the ‘designer-wear’ bracket in the nominations at last year’s Lux Style Awards. It was a first for the brand that had won 10 years in a row in the ‘High Street’ category. “We’re not a mill at all,” he protests. “We source our fabric. My team comes from a design background. If one has to define us, I’d say that we’re entrepreneurs. I do think that we should have been nominated. The LSAs are important; for furthering the business of fashion and improving brand image.”

LSAs or not, the brand’s doing just fine. Homegrown, nationalistic, savvy to the core, it is Pakistani fashion’s greatest success story.


Originally published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, March 6th, 2016

Comments

Shahid Niaz Mar 09, 2016 01:11pm
He is the face of a hard-working and vibrant Pakistani. Keep it up! We are proud of you.
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Adab Mar 09, 2016 01:19pm
Sounds like a genuine entrepreneur and not the present day talkers who even before achieving real success start acting big. There is no reason why he cannot become a Pakistani brand as big as Zara or Next. Wish you all the best.
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wellwisher Mar 09, 2016 01:46pm
what is khadi.Is it hand spun cloth or just a name
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Umer Mar 09, 2016 02:16pm
He is an inspiration for me..
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ZEPHYR Mar 09, 2016 02:27pm
@wellwisher Just a name!
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Zak Mar 09, 2016 02:36pm
In the Dubai store, local arab and foreigners are regulars in the shop. They should open in New York , London and Paris.
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K Mar 09, 2016 03:05pm
I like his genuineness and his realistic approach. A true entrepreneur
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Adeel Hashmi Mar 09, 2016 04:14pm
Fantastic. A true example of hardwork, focus, dedication, vision and being Human. I would just like to add that Khaadi is not only the biggest Fashion Brand out of Pakistan but on various benchmarks it is THE biggest brand of Pakistan. Khaadi is also special because its not backed by a big business group, but a 100% one man startup that has turned into a monster brand. Lastly, but most importantly, Shamoon as an individual and Khaadi as a business have no negative frills or reputation issues. Its a clean genuine business which has the potential to become much much bigger, InshAllah.
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No Mar 09, 2016 04:37pm
I always imagined Khaadi owner was a woman...
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Amer Rao Mar 09, 2016 04:51pm
I like it, its classic. Warm best wishes from Canada.
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Shayan Javed Mar 09, 2016 05:14pm
A marvelous success story, hard to replicate.
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khurram Mar 09, 2016 05:16pm
@Zak is already in London Westgate shopping centre
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Khaadi zabardast Mar 09, 2016 07:06pm
Yes please bring the original hand spun cloth back again! It's beautiful and long lasting !!
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KnowTheTruth Mar 09, 2016 07:17pm
I applaud his entrepreneurial spirit,
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Waseem Mar 09, 2016 08:35pm
I will suggest that you should try Oman for PAk dresses and for Arabian dresses. Here we have a huge potential. All you find is either very high priced but western style or ver cheap quality with high cost dresses from neighbours. Think of this area aswell. Happy women day.
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Kamila Nuha Mar 09, 2016 11:40pm
You have done well, Shamoon. However, you must make these clothes, stitched as well as unstitched, more affordable for your customer base in Pakistan. People may be buying, but for a large handful who wish to wear Khaadi in Pakistan, most items are far too expensive and out of reach. Keep your prices as low as you can and maintain quality. That will be the true test of a great entrepreneur.
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Masood Mar 10, 2016 12:02am
My suggestion. Open a store under the original name in Houston, Dallas, Phoenix, Miami and LA. These are warm and humid cities, where cotton is king, much appreciated and with designs like yours, would do very well. Do not supply to the fabric stores, because they will ruin the brand.
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Asif Mar 12, 2016 04:36am
Always loved Khadi shops.
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