The new age of Kashmiri women designers and entrepreneurs has seen them utilize their abilities and knowledge of the field to the best of use.
Gaining a sizeable income while at the same time creating a recognizable brand.
One such aspiring lady is Hummera from Srinagar who has come up with her own clothing brand titled ‘Label Hummera’.
With this Hummera aims to bring unique designs and cultures from all over the world to people in Kashmir.
Speaking at the opening of her boutique Hummera said it was her childhood passion to create clothing designs that satisfy her heart.
‘Ever since I was a kid I wanted to create designs and manufacture, that was the dream from the get go’, she said.
The opening of Label Hummera was attended by influencers like Sardar Nasir Ali Khan aka Rj Nasir, Insha Qazi, Director SSM School Of Design, Mohmad Munawar Khan Entrepreneur and Host of famous Kashmiri Talk Show ‘Taarukk‘ among others.
A few years ago it was difficult to fathom and even a rarity that a woman would successfully own and run a business on her own. But now this is slowly becoming the norm.
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Recently many boutiques like ‘La Dida’, ‘Tul Palaw’ and other ventures like cafes have become successful women owned brands who have made a name for themselves.
For Hummera her dreams of being a designer and creating her own manufacturing unit hit a snag with her parents insisting on a different career choice.
A B.A English Honours student she then found support for her ideas in her husband, Imran who she says is her backbone in this venture.
Hummera insists that she and her husband are both involved in this start up and it would be difficult for her to start out this on her own.
Despite having no prior experience as a designer she said her fashion choices and taste in clothes impressed her friends who pushed her to do something with the gift she possessed.
Now it was her turn to learn about the craft and it’s intricate details which included knowledge of thread, types of embroidery and cloth and much more.
Being passionate about designing clothes and having an interest in manufacturing, she began visiting many manufacturing units and vendors learning about the craft.
In process she gained valuable knowledge about clothing and design necessary for her own brand.
Dissatisfied with the designs on offer in the market Hummera alongside her husband was motivated to finally launch a brand of her own.
The aim she says is to bring taste different design patterns across the world and infuse them with the existing Kashmiri clothing culture.
‘Label Hummera’ wants to bring unique designs, cultures to Kashmir and give people a massive catalog to choose from’, Hummera says explaining her vision.
But the 32-year old lady doesn’t wants to stop here.
Dreaming big she says she wants to take her product outside Kashmir and have her brand recognized pan India as well.
Not only that, she has set plans for ‘Label Hummera’ to be a big manufacturing unit going forward essentially making it a one stop shop for clothing be it casual, bridal or party or occasion.
Her passion for designing knows no bounds as she amusingly mentions even in her sleep she is thinking about her clothing designs and how to make the final product perfect.
‘Sometimes even in my sleep I am muttering about designs and correcting them’, she points out.
One of the issues in going with modern designs could be a clash with modesty usually associated with dressing in Kashmir.
Hummera, however, is ready to blend modernity with modesty and give people the best of both worlds.
Addressing this Hummera says that’ People all over the world take to Kashmiri culture our clothing and other things and beautifully blend it with their own so why can’t we when we have our culture right here’.