Managing what is indisputably Pakistan’s most aspirational fashion brand, Sana Hashwani and Safinaz Muneer talk about 27 years in the business and  what it is that keeps them going from strength to strength.

Sana and Safinaz are in a pretty amazing position and they’re both pretty amazing themselves, considering the position Pakistani fashion is in these days. Let me explain. 27 years into the business, having experienced both highs and lows, they are just as excited by fashion, today, as they were when they started out. That is quite unbelievable if you think about the overcrowded marketplace designers stand and compete in today. This is a time when most of them are bored, disgruntled or struggling. It is a time when fame and fortune is favouring the commercial favourites as opposed to the creative experts. But having cracked the code for commercial success as well as creative excellence - almost a dozen Lux Style Awards sit on their desk as testament to their excellence - it is no wonder that Sana and Safinaz are still excited by fashion.

We meet at the Sana Safinaz studio on the Mai Kolachi road in Karachi; it’s a little wooden door that opens to a wonderland for women. The duo is all set to launch its first Muzlin collection of the year and their ubiquitous luxury lawn is right around the corner too. They’re all revved up for fashion week and are celebrating the inclusion of their names in the top 50 CEOS of the country. That is quite an achievement in a male dominated corporate world. They’ve broken the glass ceiling, to say the least. But it’s not just their achievements which make them so inspirational, it’s their attitude.

"We just love what we do," says Sana Hashwani, as she sits down with a cup of black coffee. "Everyday we have so many new goals and so many new challenges and so many new avenues we keep embarking on. So, you know, everything excites you."

"It’s the business of fashion that keeps driving us," Safinaz Muneer continues. They both turn up to work in their own designs, everyday, and are actually - even at their age - their own best models. Safinaz laughs when I mention that; she says she has to buy her own designs and then wait forever for the indispensable master sahib to find the time to tailor them.

"We came in as two very young girls," smiles Sana, "set up a business and we sort of led the path. We are older now but somehow we continue to be the driving force; the disruption comes from us and that makes things interesting because we’re always looking for the new thing. And the dynamic in our company is not just hers and mines but the tons of young people who are incredibly dynamic. That’s why Sana Safinaz today has a very young dynamic."

That recognition of the importance of evolution, to move on; Sana and Safinaz are cognizant of the fact that change is good and that makes their brand just as relevant, today, as it was two decades ago.

"Our finger is always on the buzzer," says Safinaz. "We’ve outgrown different phases. When we started off, we were the new kids on the block; there was Shamaeel, Rizwan and Faiza. We outgrew them. Suddenly, change came when Karma, HSY and Maria B. came on the scene. But we’re from the first generation of fashion designers and we have outgrown the third generation. We broke into different avenues and levels which is why we sustained our position."

Do they also have a succession plan in place, I ask?

"Of course we do," says Sana. "We have great resources, a great CEO, a great fashion head. Mohsin (Ali Tawasuli) is the person who passes stuff for us. The three of us sit together and we trust Mohsin because of the youth factor. Why would a young girl like Sasha or Zuwair (Safinaz and Sana’s young daughters) trust a 50-year-old? They won’t. They’re going to trust Mohsin. And after him, we will pass the baton to another person and we realize that succession plans are a key component of work. Making it into a professional business is the key."

Their position is professionally very strong. With around 30 stores nationwide and a brand that ranks in the top three in terms of ready to wear in the country, Sana Safinaz not only command respect and recognition but they keep proving themselves worthy of it. In an industry of veterans that love to ride on the coattails of past laurels, Sana Safinaz are trailblazers.

They took the concept of designer lawn to another level. I still remember the first few luxury collections that swept the nation’s women away and caused major hysteria at exhibitions and sales. There would be stampedes, all for the neatly packaged lawn outfits that came with exciting goody bags of embroidered add-ons, lace inserts, buttons and detailing that allowed women to play with. Sana and Safinaz introduced the concept of lawn as formalwear, introducing chiffon, silk and net dupattas to dress it up. And it didn’t stop there. When lawn started getting pricey, they introduced the lighter version - Muzlin - for younger women who didn’t necessarily want to dress up daily wear.

But along with their sense of evolution, it’s also their attitude that has dictated their success. Sana and Safinaz are the most non-political and pleasant people in the field. Safinaz is sitting with a young Italian girl, married to a Pakistani and hence having moved to Karachi when I walk in; she’s helping her understand the market dynamic so she can start her own label. There isn’t an iota of insecurity in what she’s doing; Safinaz is generous and is going out of her way to help. That’s rare in the cut throat industry she operates in.

"We’re not arrogant," Safinaz echoes the thought. "When you’re being humble and moving from point A to point B and you’re not jealous of others and concentrating on what you’re good at, I think that’s the reason for our success, too."

Don’t they worry about being plagiarized, as the copycat culture has snowballed in the past decade or so, with the country’s major designers worried about the lack of regulations when it comes to intellectual copyrights.

"It does, but you have to rise above it," responds Safinaz. "What are you going to do? In lawn you can take a legal route because there’s too much money involved. You have to protect your business smartly."

"Plus, we encourage young designers," Sana adds on. "We’re a population of 210 million people, you will all find your niche. You will all grow. Of course, there’s healthy competition and we’re all competing against one another but there’s also a line that you draw."

Does competition not worry you, I ask?

"It excites us, we love it," Sana is quick to respond. "The minute we don’t have it we start to get bored. There was a point when we went into a lull. We were just numb; we were just doing what we were doing. We’ve been doing that net dupatta with sequins and the silk border and we continued to do it for 10 years because it was easy. But then someone else comes in and they start to take away your business and you wake up."

What part of your business excites you the most?

"For me it used to be lawn," replies Safinaz. "That was my baby. The bridals have excited us in the last two years and we’re changing things up."

Sana says, "I am just excited by the whole thing. I am really excited by design because right now you have these tremendous school of kids coming out. You get in there; you bounce off them because they have different ideas. You’re sitting with 20 heads now that are putting in effort together, that’s very exciting. The business of fashion has become tremendously exciting because it’s highly challenging. Every day there is a new challenge and a new way to problem solving."

What helps them retain their sanity, other than having solid and well-rooted personal lives, is the fact that - as a corporation - Sana Safinaz has become very independent. From designing, printing, production, campaign planning and even marketing, it is all done in-house. They even have their own media wing, organizing exciting activities, meet-ups and promotions on a regular basis. At Sana Safinaz there is always something happening - there’s even a store raid and bloggers’ meet for their 2019 luxury lawn this week - and it happens with good taste and creativity. I would say that one secret to their success is the fact that they do everything tastefully; women of all ages look at Sana and Safinaz and want to be them.

But 27 years can’t all be smooth sailing.

"One of the recipes for success is failure as well," Sana is honest to admit. "Our first ever show was a disaster; I remember Safinaz cried after it. It was a hair show and we did the clothes for Tariq Amin and people said what are you doing? It was crass. Failure has come many times. We started retail, not knowing a thing about it."

"I couldn’t sleep for a month," Sana then recalls the many times her lawn campaigns were targeted for being elitist or racist. "I took it very seriously. The onus is on us. If we are careless as an industry, the impact is huge. So, if I was racist, the impact is massive. But I’m not. You know, one irresponsible commentator, that called me a racist is now asking me to design a wedding dress for her. Why are you asking a racist, I want to ask her?"

We steer the conversation back to fashion and the fact that they’ve just gone and revolutionized wedding wear in Pakistan by launching a range of ready to wear wedding wear.

"Ready to wear bridals is not a new concept but it’s new for us," Sana explains. "We’re changing the concept of bridal clothing in Pakistan, we’re trying to add more stuff to it and we’ve even started our own couture page for it."

"A lot of people don’t have the kind of liquid cash, of 2 lacs or more, that a customized bridal costs these days," Safinaz explains further. "And that’s actually the reason why things have taken off. The clothes are beautiful. There’s a lot of competition in the market for bridal wear and everyone is doing a really good job; that client now has got 10 people she can go to. So the price is a key point."

How much is enough, I wonder, as Sana Safinaz continue talking about their endless reservoir of ideas. Do they ever think anything is enough?

"If you want to grow, no. You have to keep on innovating," Safinaz says with absolute clarity.

"We’re already looking at perfumery, we’re looking at many avenues," Sana elaborates. "Maybe cosmetics, different things from our retail points of view because now we have a network that allows us to do more."

Here’s looking forward to it…