Maria B. the woman is a fine confluence of art and enterprise. Her fashion house by the same name is the only one in Pakistan that has a standardized sizing system, comes up with 5 new collections each year, exports 3 product lines, does textiles and couture bridals under one roof, markets 5 different product lines and is headed by Maria; a trained designer.
The enterprising woman knew what she wanted since the beginning. In 1994, she was offered a place at the prestigious St. Martin School of Fashion in London but chose to be at the Pakistan School of Fashion Design where she went on to top for four consecutive years. The staunch patriot defends her decision back then saying, “I wanted to stay in my country and be close to the people and fabrics I was to work with later. The PSFD was also syndicated with the La Chambre Syndicale in France which is the best fashion school in the world, so I didn’t need to go elsewhere.”
Her brilliance manifested while she was still in school. As a third year student in 1997, Maria represented Pakistan along with some of her batch mates at the prestigious ‘Les Etoiles de la mode’ – World Young Designers Award held in Belgium. Competing against 22 countries, Maria finished among the top three in the final world rankings. The five outfits she showed there were according to her a ‘symbolic representation of Pakistan’s evolution over the last few centuries’. One of the jurists who had worked with Versace had commented that ‘her portfolio was the best he had seen in years.’ The dye of her success was cast then, perhaps.
Back then Maria’s vision was ‘to become Pakistan’s first International brand in fashion’ and she had to start out in a country where her field of specialization was nascent. Her unique selling proposition and her individual philosophy has been in her words, ‘to provide high fashion with affordability’. According to her, “10 years ago fashion in Pakistan was in its infancy. I was the first graduate from a fashion school and my vision was to develop the ready-to-wear market. I wanted to make fashion accessible to women and not be a garage studio aunty designer making bridals. I graduated with honors from college and decided to make a difference. I went for daring cuts, international silhouettes and incorporated the latest trends into our traditional clothes. It was instant success mashaAllah. I became so confident that I opened my second shop in Karachi and that became a better commercial success than my first shop in Lahore. The key was to educate the clientele in Pakistan and it was not easy back then. There was no media exposure and no FTV. The biggest hurdle was to train women to look beyond embellishments and focus on trends and cuts that suited them. One success led to another and today Maria B. is the largest retailer of women’s designer wear in Pakistan.”
Her success is phenomenal from a business point of view. What started out ten years ago as a shop in Lahore with 10 employees is now a million dollar company; the only Pakistani designer label to have reached out to the maximum number of women through its diverse product range, affordable pricing and distribution across 4 cities in Pakistan with more outlets in the pipeline.
The spirited entrepreneur’s label holds the unique distinction of designing, manufacturing and retailing a wide range of prêt, couture and unstitched lawn. According to Maria her company’s production is the highest among the local fashion industry for these three lines on a monthly basis. The label is internationally stocked in Manchester, Birmingham, New Delhi, Abu Dhabi, Orlando, Washington, New York, New Jersey and Dallas. Maria B. is the only Pakistani Designer Label with a franchise and store in London making it the first Pakistani designer brand to go international. Maria B. is also the only Fashion House in Pakistan that sells online and gets shipping orders from as far as the Netherlands.
Her success can perhaps also be attributed partially to her philosophy of ‘making high fashion affordable. She recalls how she used to frequent a boutique in Karachi when she was in her teens and found the clothes very expensive. Says she, “The manager of the boutique used to treat me like a nobody because I couldn’t buy the stuff on my own. It really put me off and I used to tell my mother that I’d open a shop one day that would have clothes for everyone. That everyone would be welcome in it.” That is the culture she has tried to develop in her shops all over the country. Her reasonable price ranges have attracted women from various demographics to her clothes. In fact women from the middle income strata prefer her lawn fabric for its price and quality.
Introducing lawn and recently the voile fabric has been a wise business decision for Maria who saw it as a great way of bringing high fashion to the streets. She brought out lawns in 2006 when there were only three other designer lawns being sold. Today her prints are highly sought after despite four more competitors in the scene.
Maria’s consistent triumph through her career is an inspiration for both business and fashion students. She has lectured frequently on entrepreneurship at LUMS where the MBA students are required to do a case study on her. She has also conducted workshops for PSFD students besides being on PSFD’s Board of Governors and acting as Jurist for the school’s events.
Not content with lapping her prior achievements and basking in their glory, Maria keeps coming out with new brands each year. Her latest offering is the Mgirl brand for young women with a global fashion sensibility. She states, “Mgirl will be the new fun and fearless brand by Maria B. I saw the need to create a western brand within Maria B. as the younger generation is now dressing with a global sensibility, and there are no accessories available in Pakistan. Mgirl is a pioneering brand with a vast product line ranging from shoes, bags, belts, clothes, scarves and jewelry down to even rings and brooches.”
For Maria to achieve her first goal of going international has not been enough. She says, “whenever I fulfill a goal, I have 10 new goals lined up ahead. My new goal is to become a lifestyle brand within the next ten years, inshaAllah, and to retail across 5 – 6 countries in the next decade with a full line of accessories, shoes, bags, eastern and western women’s wear, menswear, children wear, home furnishings… the list goes on, and on.”
She takes a great deal of care to ensure controls with the aesthetics of her work. is concerned, for in 10 years and with a tremendous number of lines and designs being produced under her label; she still is the only one designing at Maria B. The rest are all textile designers. The 33 year old declares confidently, “I have had designers off and on for the production and pattern side but never for the creative end. I have always maintained creative control but now my systems are ready to take a new creative team of designers who can start taking control.”
“What thrills her most,” I ask, “the art or the enterprise?”
‘Actually a combination of both.’ She responds, “Allah has blessed me with a creative mind and the gut of a true entrepreneur. One cannot succeed as a designer unless you can manage the business end of your enterprise. The reason behind the success of Maria B. is the combination of a creative sense and a business acumen”.
The enterprising woman knew what she wanted since the beginning. In 1994, she was offered a place at the prestigious St. Martin School of Fashion in London but chose to be at the Pakistan School of Fashion Design where she went on to top for four consecutive years. The staunch patriot defends her decision back then saying, “I wanted to stay in my country and be close to the people and fabrics I was to work with later. The PSFD was also syndicated with the La Chambre Syndicale in France which is the best fashion school in the world, so I didn’t need to go elsewhere.”
Her brilliance manifested while she was still in school. As a third year student in 1997, Maria represented Pakistan along with some of her batch mates at the prestigious ‘Les Etoiles de la mode’ – World Young Designers Award held in Belgium. Competing against 22 countries, Maria finished among the top three in the final world rankings. The five outfits she showed there were according to her a ‘symbolic representation of Pakistan’s evolution over the last few centuries’. One of the jurists who had worked with Versace had commented that ‘her portfolio was the best he had seen in years.’ The dye of her success was cast then, perhaps.
Back then Maria’s vision was ‘to become Pakistan’s first International brand in fashion’ and she had to start out in a country where her field of specialization was nascent. Her unique selling proposition and her individual philosophy has been in her words, ‘to provide high fashion with affordability’. According to her, “10 years ago fashion in Pakistan was in its infancy. I was the first graduate from a fashion school and my vision was to develop the ready-to-wear market. I wanted to make fashion accessible to women and not be a garage studio aunty designer making bridals. I graduated with honors from college and decided to make a difference. I went for daring cuts, international silhouettes and incorporated the latest trends into our traditional clothes. It was instant success mashaAllah. I became so confident that I opened my second shop in Karachi and that became a better commercial success than my first shop in Lahore. The key was to educate the clientele in Pakistan and it was not easy back then. There was no media exposure and no FTV. The biggest hurdle was to train women to look beyond embellishments and focus on trends and cuts that suited them. One success led to another and today Maria B. is the largest retailer of women’s designer wear in Pakistan.”
Her success is phenomenal from a business point of view. What started out ten years ago as a shop in Lahore with 10 employees is now a million dollar company; the only Pakistani designer label to have reached out to the maximum number of women through its diverse product range, affordable pricing and distribution across 4 cities in Pakistan with more outlets in the pipeline.
The spirited entrepreneur’s label holds the unique distinction of designing, manufacturing and retailing a wide range of prêt, couture and unstitched lawn. According to Maria her company’s production is the highest among the local fashion industry for these three lines on a monthly basis. The label is internationally stocked in Manchester, Birmingham, New Delhi, Abu Dhabi, Orlando, Washington, New York, New Jersey and Dallas. Maria B. is the only Pakistani Designer Label with a franchise and store in London making it the first Pakistani designer brand to go international. Maria B. is also the only Fashion House in Pakistan that sells online and gets shipping orders from as far as the Netherlands.
Her success can perhaps also be attributed partially to her philosophy of ‘making high fashion affordable. She recalls how she used to frequent a boutique in Karachi when she was in her teens and found the clothes very expensive. Says she, “The manager of the boutique used to treat me like a nobody because I couldn’t buy the stuff on my own. It really put me off and I used to tell my mother that I’d open a shop one day that would have clothes for everyone. That everyone would be welcome in it.” That is the culture she has tried to develop in her shops all over the country. Her reasonable price ranges have attracted women from various demographics to her clothes. In fact women from the middle income strata prefer her lawn fabric for its price and quality.
Introducing lawn and recently the voile fabric has been a wise business decision for Maria who saw it as a great way of bringing high fashion to the streets. She brought out lawns in 2006 when there were only three other designer lawns being sold. Today her prints are highly sought after despite four more competitors in the scene.
Maria’s consistent triumph through her career is an inspiration for both business and fashion students. She has lectured frequently on entrepreneurship at LUMS where the MBA students are required to do a case study on her. She has also conducted workshops for PSFD students besides being on PSFD’s Board of Governors and acting as Jurist for the school’s events.
Not content with lapping her prior achievements and basking in their glory, Maria keeps coming out with new brands each year. Her latest offering is the Mgirl brand for young women with a global fashion sensibility. She states, “Mgirl will be the new fun and fearless brand by Maria B. I saw the need to create a western brand within Maria B. as the younger generation is now dressing with a global sensibility, and there are no accessories available in Pakistan. Mgirl is a pioneering brand with a vast product line ranging from shoes, bags, belts, clothes, scarves and jewelry down to even rings and brooches.”
For Maria to achieve her first goal of going international has not been enough. She says, “whenever I fulfill a goal, I have 10 new goals lined up ahead. My new goal is to become a lifestyle brand within the next ten years, inshaAllah, and to retail across 5 – 6 countries in the next decade with a full line of accessories, shoes, bags, eastern and western women’s wear, menswear, children wear, home furnishings… the list goes on, and on.”She takes a great deal of care to ensure controls with the aesthetics of her work. is concerned, for in 10 years and with a tremendous number of lines and designs being produced under her label; she still is the only one designing at Maria B. The rest are all textile designers. The 33 year old declares confidently, “I have had designers off and on for the production and pattern side but never for the creative end. I have always maintained creative control but now my systems are ready to take a new creative team of designers who can start taking control.”
“What thrills her most,” I ask, “the art or the enterprise?”
‘Actually a combination of both.’ She responds, “Allah has blessed me with a creative mind and the gut of a true entrepreneur. One cannot succeed as a designer unless you can manage the business end of your enterprise. The reason behind the success of Maria B. is the combination of a creative sense and a business acumen”.
A staunch patriot, Maria is actively involved in streamlining the procedures for the Pakistani fashion industry and wants to see its structure and approach changed for the better. She says, “We have to wake up from our egoistical slumber”, she states emphatically, “we stand no where in the international scene. We are a divided lot and if it were not the Pakistan Fashion Design Council, I would see no hope for fashion in Pakistan. But the council is the best thing that happened to the industry. I’m one of the founding members of the Council and we are all working to make fashion an industry, and promote the business of fashion in Pakistan".
The edited version of this article was published in Libas International Magazine Vol. 3 2008.
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