Maria B is one of the most talented and internationally recognised designers of Pakistan. Her extraordinary designs helped her hit the international market. Her brand Maria.B was launched 14 years ago with a vision to revolutionise and make accessible, women’s retail in the country following Maria’s graduation from the prestigious Pakistan Institute of Fashion Design (PIFD) where she was the school’s first Valedictorian in 1998. Indeed since its inception, the Maria.B brand continues to encapsulate designer sensibilities within an affordable label.
Having first started with one small stitching unit in Lahore, today, Maria.B is Pakistan’s most diverse designer fashion brand with prêt a porter, couture, formal wear, lawn, embroidered fabrics and cottons all within one affordable label. Maria. B also has one of Pakistan’s most extensive retail networks with 25 standalone outlets in 12 different cities across the country, while also exporting to 6 international destinations including India, UK, USA, Bangladesh, UAE and Qatar. According to her, her company is exporting for the last 15 years. She opened Maria B store in London in 2003. Since then there has been no looking back. Maria B lawn is manufactured in India and her presence is there in 25 cities.
With quality, design, innovation and affordability as the key brand ethos, the label’s eight brands include: Maria.B Cotton, Mgirl, Maria.B Evening Wear, Maria.B Lawn, Maria.B Linen, MKids, Maria.B Brides and Mbroidered Fabrics. The brand’s vast repertoire of fashion also includes a range of accessories such as totes, clutches, earrings, rings, bangles, bracelets and necklaces.
Maria.B herself continues to play a pioneering role within the fashion and retail landscape. To this end, she currently serves as a definitive member of the board at PIFD, at Aik Hunar Aik Nagar (AHAN) and the Pakistan Fashion Design Council (PFDC). In addition to her contributions to the fashion industry, the designer also lends her strong support to different social causes including Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital, SOS Villages, Mother and Child Foundation and the Dimensions School for Special Children among others. In an exclusive interview with Sunday Plus she talks about her brand, personal life and future aspirations. Followinf are the excerpts of her interview:
Q: How do you feel when people and kids become crazy about your dresses?
A. It's a wonderfully fulfilling and humbling feeling. One that reminds you of all the blessings God has bestowed on you.
Q: Do you take any inspiration from any international designer? Who are your favourite designers?
A. I look at collections at fashion weeks more than individual designers, but generally Dolce and Gabbana and Tom Ford are brilliant.
Q: How does it feel when some designer copies your designs? A lot of new designers have come in the field. Some of them are copying international designers. How do you see the situation? What can be done to stop this practice?
A. Unfortunately there is no reliable copyright protection anywhere in Pakistan, so we now take it in our stride when we see copies of our lawn or bridals hanging in the streets of other stores in Pakistan. The key is to keep on innovating, which extremely important for both young designers and veteran designers alike if they plan to stay ahead of the game.
Q: When it comes to design, what are the limitations you work with?
A. Maria.B is a retail giant now and when you deal with thousands of women and their own specific preferences and demands, you begin to realise what sells and what doesn’t and how to work with people’s sensitivities, which is particularly important in a conservative society such as our own. The challenge is to design wearable and affordable clothes that are trendy yet modest. I feel our brand has done well in this regard!
Q: How do you take criticism?
A. I learn from my critics, and not the fake fashion critics who don't have their finger on the pulse of retail in Pakistan, but my family, friends and design team. I like evolving and learning on a daily basis and learning from constructive criticism is one way to improve yourself positively.
Q: You are one of the big success stories in the fashion industry. What’s the key to your success? Suggest some tips for young designers.
A. We’ve travelled a long road to get to where we are today, a journey which has been more than 15 years in the making. For me it’s always been work, work and more work! No parties or drugs or alcohol. Dedication to your field and a passion for creativity are the key ingredients for success. Practicing and perfecting your craft is the only true way to achieve your long term goals and milestones.
Q: What attracts women and children to buy Maria B?
A. From feedback received from our clients, we’ve been told that our designing, affordability, cuts and our signature Maria.B style are the key factors which bring our customers back to our stores over and over again. Our brand has always been about providing good quality designer wear at affordable prices, no matter how diverse the needs and preferences of our patrons.
Q: What designers do you enjoy wearing and why?
A. Locally, I prefer to wear my own brand, but internationally Zara is a favourite.
Q: On average, how much time do you spend dressing up?
A. I really don’t take too long to get ready. Usually 10 to 15 minutes is all I need to look my best!
Q: Tell us about your shoe collection?
A. Hopeless. I have a hundred shoes which are never worn, have too many to count! I end up wearing the 5 or 6 comfortable ones on a regular basis!
Q: Does being in the fashion world put extra pressure on you to look great all the time?
A. It is pretty tough... The pressure for perfection at home and at work ... but I'm a bit of an introvert when it comes to the fashion world, so it doesn't get to me as much.
Q: What do you like to wear? Which designer’s dress do you prefer to buy?
A. As I mentioned previously, I love to wear my own brand. I also admire Bunto Kazmi for her timeless elegance and fashion.
Q: What do you think Pakistani fashion has advantage over other fashion capitals of the world?
A. I'm not sure I can say we are at an advantage, but our industry is slowly and steadily developing. There still our many factors such as energy woes, shortage of skilled labour and the prevailing security situation which are impeding the growth of industry and I still feel that we have a long way to go. But our industry is growing well in the right direction and we have the potential of becoming truly competitive on a global scale.
Q: You have local and international clientele. How do you differentiate between the two in designing?
A. I don't. From experience with dealing with both local and international clientele, we keep our design aesthetic the same for both audiences as international audiences usually wants what's currently in vogue locally in Pakistan.
Q: What is the one change fashion industry needs?
A. Education is one area where our industry is severely lacking. Especially technical education for skilled and specialist workers. I feel that more technical schools for the training of stitchers and production managers is a dire need of the industry and is something that can truly benefit all stakeholders of our industry.
Q: What is the most important thing you have learnt from fashion industry?
A. Keep doing what you do and never bother to look back at people. Your destiny is your own.
Q: How do you see your brand evolving in the future?
A. I see the brand going from strength to strength. Not only do we have vast retail network of more than 25 stores in Pakistan we are establishing a presence for the brand abroad in countries such as India well. We already have a presence in the key distribution markets in India and we have started producing exclusive collections for the Indian market, which have been very successful so far. We are also expanding product lines within Pakistan and are innovating to provide our patrons with trendy and practical clothing at affordable prices. I see our retail network growing much bigger in the future!
Q: Pakistani Fashion is finally going global. How do you see the situation in the near future?
A. It's promising, but there a lot of little steps that need to be taken before we truly become global. We still have a long way to go!
Q: You are among the designers who have carved a place in the Indian fashion industry. How did it happen? Can you explain the inroads that you have made in the Indian market?
A. We are now working on our third collection for the Indian market. We have had a distribution network which is present in over 25 cities and the Maria.B brand name is growing stronger! It was a sheer coincidence that a group from Surat landed at our factory in Lahore through a friend and they saw our designs and aesthetics and wanted us to design collections for them in India, produced in India. It was unheard of and I loved the challenge. We are doing extremely well in a market where most Pakistani designers still haven’t managed to make any noticeable impact. I feel totally blessed!
Q: How do you see the growth of Pakistan fashion industry? Are we heading for saturation?
A. Well in a manner, yes. There are too many brands who are doing the same things. It’s going to be a rough road ahead for those who cannot innovate and cannot differentiate from other brands.
Q: You have an extensive retail network. How do you manage demand and supply?
A. My brother handles the finance and retail sector. We have a competent team who handle retail, production and supplies. We work as a well-oiled machine, and market research and customer feedback allows us to manage demand and supply effectively.
Q: You have showcased at fashion events around the world. What is kept in mind while participating in these events?
A. I always show what sells. Drama was good when we were kids and young designer. Now it’s all about sellability. You need to showcase a collection which looks good, which will sell well and which is available in your retail stores after your showcase at a fashion event.
RAPID FIRE
Your biggest asset:
My spirituality
You wish you could:
Exercise regularly!
One person you would love to dine out with:
Malcolm X or Imam al Ghazali
Your worst nightmare:
Being spiritually dead...
One thing you hate about yourself:
My quest to please the world
Something you would like to remember:
My road to self-discovery
Your strength:
Imagination
Your weakness:
I'm totally undiplomatic and bad at small talk
Something that you are strongly possessive about:
My daughter and family
Where do you generally shop?
Anywhere abroad
When feeling low you prefer:
To eat dessert!
Your message:
Do not walk haughtily on this earth; this is just a test to see your personal growth and humanity!
