For years now, the Pakistani music industry has mourned the loss of ’90s pop icon NaziaHasan; no one has managed to match her magic. Except once. In 2011, a band called Club Caramel’s lead vocalist Kiran Chaudhry emerged as an answer to fill a void created by Nazia’s unpredictable and early demise.Kiran exhibited a raw versatility that is a rare find even today. She had the right amount of tongue-in-cheek in ‘Zindagi,’ she was grippingly melodramatic in ‘Tere Bin’ and downright fun in ‘Deewana’. Unfortunately, even Kiran’s musical treat was short-lived. The songstress embarkedon a whirlwind romance and tied the knot with Indian restaurateur Riyaaz Amlani, eventually shifting base to New Delhi.

Three years down the line, it seems Kiran has swapped the swoops of music for the challenges of fashion retail. She recently opened the doors of her multi-label store, Anhad, in the Indian capital; it stocks an array of Pakistani brands, both young and established.

"Over the last three years in India, I have been doing quite a few exhibitions with Pakistani designers such as FarazManan, Elan, SaniaMaskatiya, etc., in order to understand the peculiarities of the Indian market," Kiran told Instep. "And after extensive market research, at the end of October, we opened our first multi-brand store by the name of Anhad at South Delhi’s popular DLF Mall."

"Anhad is an Urdu word, meaning ‘without boundaries’ or ‘infinite’ and it’s a concept extensively used by the 14th century Sufi poet Kabir, to define all that is divine in this world," she continued. "We wanted to choose a name that ostensibly seeks to transcend borders and bring things of beauty to wherever they are most appreciated. While primarily a fashion store stocking designer clothes, we eventually hope to showcase all kinds of treasures including arts and craft, jewelry and even shoes."

Despite political odds, it is obvious that there is considerable demand for Pakistani products in India. Case in point: SaniaMaskatiya’s last exhibit at the Vogue Wedding Show and Sana Safinaz lawn making it to KanganaRanaut’s wardrobe in the film Queen. Kiran, however, feels that while there is good demand, the stuff that often makes its way to stores in India is mostly trash and unappealing. And that is exactly the drawback she wants to overcome with her foray into fashion retail - by giving special attention to concept and curation.

"Yes, there is a good demand for Pakistani products but the silhouettes, colourpalette and pricing have to really be figured out for the product to do well. The customer we are targeting in India is discerning, seeks a more refined product and retail experience, and wants something unique that isn’t already available in the market," Kiran explained. "Our main focus is on good curation. We don’t want it to be a ‘Meena Bazaar’. We have a sourcing team that is very picky and likes offbeat stuff."

She went on to add, "The Indian woman is smart. 90% of them are spending their own hard-earned money (not off of their husbands’ credit cards) so they want to make sure they get good value for money. Having said that, if they like you, then they will spend no matter what. They are sophisticated customers who understand quality and know what they want."

Kiran then makes a daring but truthful statement when comparing the markets for fashion in Indian and Pakistan – Pakistani fashion is mostly elitist. And according to her, that particular mindset is not likely to work in India, which has a thriving middle-class that drives most of the market trends.

"India is a largely a middle-class driven market and the problem is that the Pakistani fashion industry is largely catering to an elite market where designs are made mostly for society ladies and family weddings. We need to break out of this mind-set of ‘so-and-so was wearing my brand at this high profile wedding’," she asserted.

"Those who have experienced the power of lawn to build their brand now understand that there is a larger market out there even in Pakistan. Brands like Khaadi and Sapphire have understood this very well and are already big brands even in India," Kiran continued.

"Furthermore, many designers think that they can charge double the price for their product in India. This is a big misconception. Our designers are not big brands in India yet - it’s the product that sells and not the brand. Only lawn is doing well and that’s because Indian wholesalers are buying and distributing the product widely. I believe that brands like Elan, FarazManan and SaniaMaskatiya can do really well here. All they need to do is focus clearly on this market and set aside a team to develop business here."

Wanting to be more than just a one-off retailer, Kiran is helping Pakistani brands develop that relevant business in India. She is working in collaboration with some designers to develop product lines specifically for India - telling them what kind of pricing needs to be achieved, what silhouettes they need to focus on and what kind of shirt lengths are preferred. Unlike Indian retail houses that stock a handful of Pakistani designers by allotting them a rack or two, Kiran isn’t even charging rack rent in order to facilitate those that are really serious . "We are very clear that we are in the business of fashion; we need to sell clothes and we want to work with those who want to do the same. Indian multi-brand stores won’t do all this for you because, frankly, they already have their hands full with Indian designers," Kiran claimed.

With meticulous plans to expand business across multiple Indian cities and online, Kiran has undergone an intriguing evolution from an emerging musical talent to a sharp-minded entrepreneur. But does this mean she has given up on her prosperous singing career, marked by impressive compositions and international tours, completely? "I am still performing. Perhaps not as frequently, but I still do and I am not letting go of that anytime soon," Kiran assured."In Pakistan we, as Club Caramel (Kiran and songwriter/ composer/ filmmaker Adnan Sarwar), have a few things in the pipeline and we keep doing a lot of private events. We are quite happy with that because Club Caramel was conceived to cater to this niche audience. Having said that, we do have a couple of interesting projects lined up but I can’t reveal them until they are finalized."

"And now that I am based in India, I’m also setting myself up here," she added."My husband’s company, Impresario Entertainment & Hospitality, is primarily a restaurant business, but also has an entertainment section, which I handle. We have this group of amazing musicians who are also working in the company (including one of the head chefs - who is an awesome drummer!). We call ourselves "Kiran Chaudhry & The Impresarios" and play together at events at our own restaurants."

Reflecting on one of her earlier interviews, when the band was just coming into its own, we remember that Club Caramel was headed across the border to take over the music scene and explore opportunities, perhaps in Bollywood. It’s obvious that things took a different turn but Kiran revealed that she was approached to sing for Hindi films even after marriage.

"I declined those offers because the sort of songs didn’t really appeal to me," she informed. "The direction that Bollywood has taken recently with its emphasis on item numbers, I find that I don’t really connect with. That way, in Pakistan, we still have an amazing pop music scene, which Indian pop musicians really look up to as well."

As we conclude our detailed conversation, we ask Kiran about her perspective on the recent Shiv Sena controversy in hopes that she would give better insight into the prevalent mindset related to Pakistani artistes, living in the midst of it all.

"First of all, the Shiv Sena are strong mostly in Maharashtra and I feel they just get way more media time than anything else.The Shiv Sena are an interest group trying to get cheap publicity and they don’t represent the general Indian mind-set at all. The media tends to blow things out of proportion for ratings and it really isn’t a material problem in my opinion. There is more love here than hate for Pakistanis. Fawad Khan is already a huge star in India. I hear more of Atif on the radio than any other Indian artist. Audiences are glued to Zee Zindagi watching all our favourite Pakistani dramas. Our artists should just take this in their stride and continue to do what they are doing - for the love of their loyal fans in both countries - fearlessly," she said, signing off.