Brought up in Switzerland, with roots originating from an eastern Asian country, Nadira was instinctively drawn towards vibrant and colourful clothes which weren’t a common sight in the winter-dominated Swiss region.
“As a child, I always dreamt of having my own designer label where I could create anything from my imagination. The years I spent in Switzerland fuelled my sense of fashion and my love for the field,” Nadira Afsana Haque, Lead Designer & Founder of Suvastraa by Nadira Haque (SNH), told Apparel Resources (AR) in an exclusive interview.
Nadira eventually moved to Bangladesh, and within a couple of years, in March 2011, created her first collection and launched her digital boutique on Facebook. At the time, she was still in the third year of business school.
Ten years have passed since.
“However, being a business student, I pursued my career in Human Resources and worked in various multinational and local companies for eight years. Besides having had a growing corporate career, I continued to bring out new collections and kept SNH running,” Nadira revealed.
A BBA graduate having a one year Diploma in Fashion Designing, Nadira studied fashion simultaneously simply out of immense curiosity and for her love of fashion.
Today, she is solely dedicated to her fashion boutique wherein she integrates her corporate knowledge in the best way possible to introduce more and more products each year.
PRODUCT CATEGORIES AND PRICING
Suvastraa caters to the womenswear market with three product categories namely: their partywear/occasionwear line which includes salwar kameez/suits/sets such as anarkalis, ghararas and angrakhas, draped as well as ethnic long gowns, ethnic lehengas, sarees and kaftans which are priced between BDT 5,500 and BDT 25,000; their casualwear line, which features outdoor centric clothing such as jumpsuits, gowns, cotis, asymmetrical tunics that are priced between BDT 3,500 to BDT 5,500; and their bridalwear/ semi-bridalwear range which offers customised gowns, lehengas, sarees and bridal dupattas which retail onwards of BDT 35,000.
The label’s target market is women aged between 16 and 55 years, who seek a masterpiece to wear to an occasion, or something flattering for a night out.
“Our ideal client is an independent woman who loves to express herself and her style through ethnic fashion and is not afraid to explore unique outfits,” Nadira stated.
BRAND USP AND SIGNATURE TECHNIQUES AND DETAILS
Suvastraa specialises in integrating multiple threads and beads using various hand embroidery techniques in a single motif, as well as utilising distinct colours and high-quality fabrics to create one-of-a-kind ensemble.
The label’s main work is based on zardozi embroidery which includes zari work, resham, spring, beads, sequence, dabka, knotting, kundan, stones, glass, gotta patti and more.
Highlighting the same, Nadira said, “Each material can be used in many ways and a single motif can be developed in several different techniques or patterns. We specialise in integrating these various patterns of sewing into a single motif using at least 5 to 7 or even 15 different items in an outfit – which, in turn, makes our products more gorgeous, unique and glamorous.”
Interestingly, Nadira is a print fanatic. Hence, it comes as no surprise that Suvastraa is also heavily influenced by prints.
“I have always loved floral prints and in every collection, we have a hint of flower or leaf,” Nadira explained, adding, “The floral and leafy prints can be usually seen in our casual outfits, whilst in our occasionwear line, floral motifs are embedded through our hand embroidery as we usually work on solid colours for partywear ensembles.”
MANUFACTURING AND SOURCING
When it first started, Suvastraa by Nadira Haque was solely run by Nadira, wherein she would design basicwear and outsource all stitching and embroidery.
It ran on a very small scale for many years. However, in the last one-and-a-half years, the brand has re-established itself as Suvastraa, and moved from basicwear to the partywear segment.
Today, the label boasts of a team of eight core people, a number that is steadily increasing owing to the great response and demand it has been receiving in the market.
The main manufacturing unit is located in Dhaka, Bangladesh, where all the creativity, hand embroidery and stitching take place.
“The production is entirely done in-house – as I like to control every detail on the garment. Every raw material and motif sample must be checked with the designer even before the production starts,” Nadira explained.
SNH outsources its orders only when they are overbooked, and that too, to a known house where all designs are kept confidential. This talented ‘house of karigars’ is located in some of the very popular areas of Dhaka-Mirpur.
In terms of fabrics, SNH works with the popular Rajshahi silk muslin and silk, dupion silk, raw silk, georgette, velvet, and net.
All these fabrics and raw materials are sourced locally.
Commenting on the same, Nadira said, “We are currently sourcing and purchasing all our materials and fabrics locally. Zardozi materials are best found in Mirpur and the best fabric hubs in Dhaka are New Market and Islampur – old Dhaka. However, we source certain luxury items such as silk and muslin directly from Rajshahi.”
SNH comes out with 3 to 4 collections in a year, which are usually season- and occasion- based. They have two Eid collections, an Autumn/Winter collection and a Summer collection.
Most designs are manufactured in three to four units only and SNH does not stock too many pieces in order to maintain exclusivity.
“All designs have one sample and we encourage clients to order online where we customise the outfits specific to their perfect fit,” Nadira highlighted.
UPLIFTING LOCAL ARTISANS AND CRAFT
In the heart of the Dhaka Mirpur area, certain groups of karigars (hand embroidery craftsmen) specialising in hand embroidery and zardozi, along with their entire families are located, and who work in the same industry. This is a minority group striving to survive amidst all the competition coming from the international market.
SNH has worked very closely with these talented groups of craftsmen by employing some of the best karigars in its factory and also outsourcing certain work to the houses as and when required.
“Each material can be used in many ways and a single motif can be developed in several different techniques or patterns. We specialise in integrating these various patterns of sewing into a single motif using at least 5 to 7 or even 15 different items in an outfit,” – Nadira Afsana Haque, Lead Designer & Founder of Suvastraa by Nadira Haque (SNH)
BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE, ETHICAL BRAND
“I believe in art; it’s never too late and at SNH, we upcycle our previously unsold products. Some trends go away and I am not ashamed to say that sometimes an item is simply not a hit. So we create that item into a different pattern and it often turns out to be a hit!” Nadira stated.
As a brand, SNH does not believe in wastage and the production house is structured in such a way that no piece of cloth goes to waste before its potential use has been verified and vetted – even if it’s only half a yard of cloth!
The brand also stands for transparency with both its clients and workers in every step of communication.
BESTSELLING STYLES
Whereas in the earlier years, SNH was known for their jumpsuits and single kurtis, today it is known for its partywear gowns and kameez.
Commenting on the same, Nadira said, “The cowl system, or the draped gown as we call it, was a BIG hit last year. Clients are always looking for innovative and different patterns when it comes to high fashion.”
She then further stated, “Our other bestselling items are the exquisite two-piece gowns that are embellished with our signature style zardozi work consisting of various patterns, into a single ensemble.”
AR: What is driving consumption in fashion and apparel categories in the Bangladesh market?
NAH: Clients are always looking for the best quality and innovation or one-of-a-kind outfit.
They want to stand out from the crowd. It’s always the unique items that they crave for. While comfort is granted, the uniqueness of an outfit is what everybody looks for when it comes to luxury clothing.
AR: What do consumers look for in a brand today? How can brands build loyalty?
NAH: Every client looks for quality and the very definition of a ‘brand’ to them is a certain kind of quality – be it the product itself or ‘after sales service’ – which is a very important component in every business to build transparency and trust with their clients.
You can only build loyalty through trust which comes from your after sales service and the quality of the product itself.
AR: What are some of the steps taken by SNH to initiate retail and stay afloat during COVID-19?
NAH: While the COVID-19 pandemic hit everyone, SNH trimmed down its operations from the retail outlet to online-only in 2021.
The brand has gone completely digital on Facebook and Instagram and plans to have its own e-commerce store in near future.
Commenting on the same, Nadira said, “Last year was very difficult as we definitely saw a downfall in orders; however, we could still keep all our workers and continue operation via online sales.”
“We had also organised a digital fashion show (amidst proper safety guidelines) so our clients could get the next best to touch and feel experience via the digital show,” she added.
Available for purchase via its official Facebook and Instagram handles – @SuvastraaByNadiraHaque, Suvastraa by Nadira Haque will soon be available via its own e-commerce channel as they plan to bring in a wider range of womenswear products as well as dive into the menswear segment in the near future.
The brand plans to go global and introduce intricacies of Bangladeshi designs and craftsmanship for the world to witness.
