IN DEMAND: Some of the finished products that were designed by Shazia Shaikh. Right: A model wears Shazia Shaikh’s jewellery at the recent Pakistan Fashion Week.
By Anand Holla
Around four years back, Indian expat Shazia Shaikh returned to Doha from a vacation back home and discovered a businesswoman-cum-designer in her.
“I have a lot of Pakistani friends here who would ask me to get some artificial jewellery whenever I would go on a holiday to Mumbai. Pakistanis love Indian jewellery,” Shaikh says, “So it all started with me getting a box full of finger rings, ear rings, and studs. Everybody liked it a lot.”
So much so that Shaikh’s friends had her sell the pieces to their friends as well for a small profit and soon Shaikh’s batch of artificial jewellery became a certified hit. “I began taking it seriously,” Shaikh says, “Soon my friends and I would host exhibitions featuring these and clothes at homes and the word caught on.”
With the demand for custom-made artificial jewellery soaring among her lady acquaintances, Shaikh plunged into the business. After establishing contact with artificial jewellery manufacturers in Mumbai during her vacations, Shaikh started placing hefty orders after sending them her designs.
“Since women want specific styles, colours, designs and combinations of jewellery based on the dresses they want to pair it with, I began custom-making designs, adding or removing elements, changing colours and placement of crystals before placing my orders over Whatsapp with the manufacturers in Mumbai,” Shaikh says of her brand Saheli – My Best Friend.
Things are easier as everything operates on Whatsapp. “I have eight groups on Whatsapp where I keep posting for the ladies the designs of the jewellery that has gone into production. Based on their requirements such as one may want a pendant to go with the set while the other may want an additional ring in the same style, I tweak the design, add a jhumki or bigger crystals maybe, sketch it out on paper, provide photos and message it to the factories. They then make it on AutoCAD and Whatsapp me back for confirmation before producing it,” explains Shaikh, whose background in fashion designing may come in handy.
Some of the Saheli’s collections on offer are Peacock, American Diamond, Kundan, Polki, Divine, and Bridal. While the base is usually made of oxidised metal, brass, and copper, a wide variety of eye-catching crystals put the sparkle into the piece and are sourced from China. Shaikh visits Mumbai once in three months to ensure that her business runs smoothly.
“At exhibitions, people would ask me if I have a shop as they would express interest to visit and buy more,” Shaikh says, “So we bought a shop in Al Watan Centre.” Unfortunately, the owner suffered some personal losses and Shaikh had to shut shop within three months. “I was heartbroken. I had to allocate a room of our house to store all the materials. Thankfully, last month, we opened a new shop on the Old Airport Road.”
Shaikh prides on the quality of her line of jewellery and also the ability to provide ornament sets that few in Doha can provide. “Nobody in Doha sells the complete Bharatanatyam jewellery set or a specific type of Kundan or bridal jewellery — only I do. My customers trust my brand,” she says.
The organisers of the Pakistan Fashion Week, for instance, had no hesitation in hiring Saheli to accessorise their models for the show, earlier this year. Shaikh, who is a member of Indian Women’s Association, is as much at ease with ladies from Pakistan Women’s Association — the PWA President Rahat Mansoor is also a patron of Saheli.
Shaikh’s husband Farhan, whom she credits with being a great support throughout, admits that they initially had difficulties. “The customs wouldn’t allow parcels to come in. We suffered some losses too. Then, we opened our company and things have been fine ever since,” he says, “Our customers have always encouraged us to keep going. We thank them for that.”
When Shaikh isn’t working on Saheli, she is either at office — she works as a secretary in a FMCG company — or handling their three children; Sufya 9, Safaa 5, and Ibrahim 4. “I love doing this. So this never feels like work anyway,” she says.
