by Ariba Shahid in PT Profit, Dec 26, 2020
The author is a business journalist at the publication
The winter in Pakistan is short, and the few pleasant weeks at the end of February and the beginning of March mark the small window of spring that most parts of the country receive. But spring does not just bring flowers, vacations and a small period of respite before the sun properly descends and the unforgiving summer hits.
It brings with it lawn mania. In 2016, a video went viral of a sale at Sapphire, a major women’s lawn clothing brand, in which two customers were entangled in a brawl over a lawn suit that was on sale. In places like the United Sales, mega sales and events like Black Friday make such videos commonplace. In Pakistan, most people are used to these fights happening at weddings over food or between political workers at their leaders’ birthdays over cake. This was something new, because it happened at a store that caters to the upper-middle class.
As unfortunate as the incident was, it did jolt a lot of Pakistanis into a realisation – that the lawn business is a juggernaut. Lawn has been around in Pakistan since before Partition. The cloth itself is ideal for the climate, and has over generations become the go-to material for traditional clothing. While textile manufacturers like Gul Ahmed have been around since the early 1950s, it has only been in the past two decades that branded lawn with around the year collections have become a major part of how Pakistanis shop for clothes.
Lawn is unique in this sense. It haccording tosevered for nearly a century in Pakistan but has remained a very distinctly Pakistani product. In fact, the only other country where lawn is a ‘craze’ if not a necessity (as it very much is in Pakistan), is neighbouring India. With a similar climate and general dress code, India is an obvious market for Pakistan to export a rare product that is branded, local, and a Pakistani speciality.
In the past, Pakistan has exported lawn to India. Up until 2017, Pakistani fabric and brands were showcased in India during the Alishan Pakistan fair and Indian models and actresses were often models for Pakistani lawn suits and brands. Even now, Pakistani lawn continues to be a highly desired product in India and sells well. This is all despite the fact that Pakistani lawn brands do not seem to care at all about the potentially enormous market across the border. Here is what they may be missing.
https://profit.pakistantoday.com.pk/2020/12/26/pakistani-lawns-biggest-market-could-be-in-india-but-isnt-because-we-cant-have-nice-things/
Pakistani lawn’s biggest market could be in India, but isn’t. Because we can’t have nice things
by Ariba Shahid in PT Profit, Dec 26, 2020
The author is a business journalist at the publication
The winter in Pakistan is short, and the few pleasant weeks at the end of February and the beginning of March mark the small window of spring that most parts of the country receive. But spring does not just bring flowers, vacations and a small period of respite before the sun properly descends and the unforgiving summer hits.
It brings with it lawn mania. In 2016, a video went viral of a sale at Sapphire, a major women’s lawn clothing brand, in which two customers were entangled in a brawl over a lawn suit that was on sale. In places like the United Sales, mega sales and events like Black Friday make such videos commonplace. In Pakistan, most people are used to these fights happening at weddings over food or between political workers at their leaders’ birthdays over cake. This was something new, because it happened at a store that caters to the upper-middle class.
As unfortunate as the incident was, it did jolt a lot of Pakistanis into a realisation – that the lawn business is a juggernaut. Lawn has been around in Pakistan since before Partition. The cloth itself is ideal for the climate, and has over generations become the go-to material for traditional clothing. While textile manufacturers like Gul Ahmed have been around since the early 1950s, it has only been in the past two decades that branded lawn with around the year collections have become a major part of how Pakistanis shop for clothes.
Lawn is unique in this sense. It haccording tosevered for nearly a century in Pakistan but has remained a very distinctly Pakistani product. In fact, the only other country where lawn is a ‘craze’ if not a necessity (as it very much is in Pakistan), is neighbouring India. With a similar climate and general dress code, India is an obvious market for Pakistan to export a rare product that is branded, local, and a Pakistani speciality.
In the past, Pakistan has exported lawn to India. Up until 2017, Pakistani fabric and brands were showcased in India during the Alishan Pakistan fair and Indian models and actresses were often models for Pakistani lawn suits and brands. Even now, Pakistani lawn continues to be a highly desired product in India and sells well. This is all despite the fact that Pakistani lawn brands do not seem to care at all about the potentially enormous market across the border. Here is what they may be missing.
https://profit.pakistantoday.com.pk/2020/12/26/pakistani-lawns-biggest-market-could-be-in-india-but-isnt-because-we-cant-have-nice-things/
Published in Pak Media comment and Pakistan