There isn’t much Sapphire requires by way of introduction despite being a fairly new brand, considering the scheme of things. Its success can be judged by its popularity, the viral videos of women fighting each other during its sales, customers waiting in line outside for hours to get in and even from the number of other brands that have been inspired by its business model to create their own spin-offs.
Jehanzeb Amin, Khadijah Shah, Kulsum and brand director of Sapphire Nabeel Abdullah pose for the shutterbugs at the launch of their concept store in Lahore.
INSTEPREPORT
Sapphire offers its customers an elevated retail experience with this new, concept store at the Emporium Mall.
Lahore: There isn’t much Sapphire requires by way of introduction despite being a fairly new brand, considering the scheme of things. Its success can be judged by its popularity, the viral videos of women fighting each other during its sales, customers waiting in line outside for hours to get in and even from the number of other brands that have been inspired by its business model to create their own spin-offs.
But the team behind Sapphire isn’t just content with being the best. To quote Nabeel Abdullah, the brand’s director, “We have always wanted to be cutting edge. The idea is to be the trend-setter, evolving each year.” Sapphire’s only competition is itself, their quest to be better (and bigger) each year.
With the launch of their concept store in Lahore’s sprawling Emporium Mall, the brand proves just that. The store houses a café and a children’s play section; the first retailer to offer amenities that elevate it’s shopping experience from a simple fashion to a proper lifestyle store. The kids play area sounds like a simple addition but is probably a godsend for mothers and the central patio café will most certainly be an oasis of relief for those accompanying the shoppers.
Come to think of it the additions are pretty basic for a mall; in fact the mall housing the store has a dedicated food court and a play area but the novelty of finding it all under one roof is what makes Sapphire’s concept a success. The store itself is pristine white with the clothes providing the injection of colour and potted plants that to the serenity of the architecture itself.
Speaking to Yousaf Shahbaz, the architect and executor of the brand’s ethos into its interior, one learns that there’s much more to the store than meets the eye. “It’s been a very special project that I’ve been keeping mum about for nearly nine months. The store is special all the more because Khadija and I have wanted to work on a project together for a while now so to have it culminate into something like this has been phenomenal. The store projects both; what Sapphire is right now and what it aims to be 10 years down the road.
Everything you see in the store is an original design. We’ve taken the hummingbird from Sapphire’s logo (Sapphire itself is a type of a hummingbird) and turned it into a unifying motif all over the store. Even the flamingoes you find placed around the store have been custom designed because it’s a recurring feature in their clothes as well. The wallpaper, every piece of furniture, the artwork – it’s all original and created for the first time for this store. And they’re all inspired by the brand’s aesthetic, which is retaining very Eastern roots (and I don’t mean just Pakistan and India, think greater East like Morroco, UAE, etc.) and then still having the very resort vibe to their clothes; effortless elegance basically,” Shahbaz elaborates.
Coming to the fashion you realize there’s a much greater variety presented in the store in terms of cut and print. It isn’t just a cosmetic lift but an upgradation of the quality of fashion proffered as well. They’ve made new additions to their existing accessories line; a massive selection of jewellery is available along with a newly introduced line of menswear shoes that certainly tie in with Sapphire’s repute for being trendy.
The café is run in collaboration with Delish Bakery. Having sampled Delish’s products at the Lahore Eat food festival earlier in the year, Instep can vouch for the quality of the food. The mini cupcakes in chocolate and red velvet available to sample only strengthened our earlier judgment. The cupcake itself was moist but not crumbly and the butter cream frosting was delicious.
It is safe to say that Sapphire is steadily setting itself up as the industry leader and with innovation like this being offered to the audience, it isn’t hard to imagine competition balking at the standard that’s been set.
