Founded in February 2017, Monroe Khussas is the brainchild of friends turned business partners Badria Anis and Sahar Rahman.
Catering to women aged between 15 and 45, Monroe is the place to go if one is looking for unique, detailed khussas at a reasonable price. The brand not only sells juttis, but also provides a unique selection of women’s accessories including potlis, jhumkas and velvet boxes.
Co-founders Sahar Rahman and Badria Anis both graduated high school from Scholastica in Bangladesh prior to setting out to their respective universities for higher education.
Badria secured a degree in Pharmaceutical Chemistry from University of Toronto, post which she returned to Bangladesh to join her family business which specialises in footwear. Sahar on the other hand, studied Fashion Designing from Pearl Fashion Institute, Bangladesh, prior to starting her own eponymous and highly successful clothing label ‘Sahar Rahman Couture’ which has been in the market for over a decade.
“Sahar and I are best friends turned business partners who researched the Bangladesh market and discovered that there is immense demand in the region for designerwear khussas. From there, we wanted to tap on our combined passion for fashion and footwear which led to the birth of our Monroe Khussas,” Badria Anis, Co-founder of Monroe Khussas, told Apparel Resources (AR) in an exclusive interview.
The entire designing process for the juttis is conceived at the Sahar Rahman Studio where Sahar’s skilled team of karigars create the intricately detailed crafting the label is known for, on selected materials. These are then passed on to Badria, who takes up the final responsibility of manufacturing the end product at her factory.
“It’s been a fantastic three years in the jutti business,” Sahar Rahman said adding, “Our purpose was to spread the love of khussas not only in Bangladesh but also over the world. For this reason, our products are made in-house with raw materials purchased locally as well as from overseas from countries like India and China. We make every effort to manufacture the highest-quality materials available.”
Badria has had direct exposure to the shoe industry since her childhood, having grown up watching her father at the job, which made her walk away from a career in the pharmaceutical industry to pursue her passion. Sahar, on the other hand, has had a passion for design since she was a child. Monroe, hence, is the result of the union of two beautiful powerhouses.
We get candid with both the founders to understand the story behind Monroe Khussas and the reason why it is gaining popularity amongst the consumers of today, not only in Bangladesh but also worldwide.
AR: What is the USP of the products manufactured under Monroe Khussas? What are the elements/signature techniques that you work with to make your products stand out in the market?
Monroe Khussas (MK): The USP of our juttis and potlis is that these are hand-crafted by Bangladeshi karigars. We make top-notch and very limited quantities of our products as it showcases to our clients that they are not found anywhere except at Monroe.
The design elements that are handwoven into our juttis over materials such as silk, velvet, georgette, etc., stand out as the brand’s signature since each khussa is made in accordance with the timeless style the Sahar Rahman Boutique has come to be known for.
Monroe manufactures sizes 35 to 40 in footwear and the shoe design itself is of the ballerina, to ensure that it is comfortable and does not hurt the feet like traditional nagras.
What really makes Monroe Khussas stand out amongst the pool of fashion and apparel categories in the Bangladesh market is the fact that the products are unique. Traditional nagras are available aplenty in our neighbouring Asian countries but our designs are quirky, eccentric and specific to us and the Bangladeshi audience, making them truly one-of-a-kind amongst its style.
AR: What is the process undertaken by Sahar Rahman to design the products?
MK: Sahar Rahman designs the artworks detailing, and directs her karigars in terms of the various kinds of stone settings or colours which are delivered in the form of unique sketches that are specific to Sahar Rahman Couture’s designer label blueprints. All these details make these khussas one-of-a-kind covetable pieces.
AR: When was the label founded, and how big is the team at Monroe Khussas today? Where is the main manufacturing unit located?
MK: Monroe was founded in 2017 and we are a team of 20 people. Our main manufacturing unit is located at Gazipur. Our raw materials are mostly outsourced locally, but we also ship materials from Dubai, India, Pakistan and China.
We are really proud of our artisans. Our goal since the beginning, has been to empower local artisans as much as possible. Hence, all our artisans and karigars are based out of Bangladesh. We make sure that they are properly trained at our facility and carry relevant experience in the tailoring sector as our materials are dainty and need to be worked upon with utmost care.
As a brand, we believe in integrating sustainable and ethical practices at Monroe Khussas and to ensure the same, we try to source materials locally as far as possible and hire employees locally. Our crafting works are also done locally.
Team Monroe always ensures that our employees are comfortable and are treated equally and fairly at the workspace, leading to a high retention rate.
AR: Name the main materials/fabrics you work with for your shoes, bags and accessories? Where do you outsource your raw materials from in Bangladesh and internationally?
MK: The main materials or fabrics that we work with for shoes, bags and accessories primarily comprise silks and velvets for the base cloth material of the khussas or potlis, whilst in terms of the various stone settings, we work with rhinestones, pearls, beaded stones, etc.
Our products are built to international standards. The khussa itself is made using faux leather, and we also do a lot of detailed colourful thread work on our products.
In order to ensure product quality, we curate our goods based on the best quality raw materials that can be sourced. Monroe also makes an effort to get components from Bangladesh based on the quality of our goods.
AR: How do you amalgamate global trends while retaining Bangladeshi aesthetics in your products? How many collections do you come out with in a year?
MK: We create products as per the market demand but now, owing to experience, we have an idea of our market size. So, we try to launch a limited amount for each design every season, as we want to promote exclusivity amongst our products.
In terms of trends, we look into the Pantone every year to be on track with the trending colours. Since the beginning, Monroe has worked with pastel tones quite a lot. We love experimenting with stones, beads, pearls, zardozi threads, etc., which brings out the essence of local craftsmanship in our products.
Our collections are mostly season-based, wherein we have our Casual Summer, Winter Wedding, Pop Of Spring drops. We also have our limited Eid ul Fitr, Eid ul Azha, Pohela Falgun, Boishakh, Valentine’s Day editions. Sometimes we even try to do surprise drops as and when possible.
AR: What are your plans going forward?
MK: We wanted to retain everything classic under one roof for consumers to enjoy. We exist to make sure that our customers may always get the best of fashion and accessories that they would want, something that makes them truly happy.
Our objective is to reach out to the Bangladeshi people while keeping in mind global trends, as well as to reach out to an international audience in the future.
The customer is at the centre of all we do, and we’re always looking for the perfect trends in fashion for our clients. We offer to help our clients identify the perfect product best suited to their taste and style.
Monroe Khussas currently retails online via the brand’s dedicated social media handles on Facebook (Monroé) and Instagram (@monroe_khussas), with their stocks being available for clients to try at Gulshan 2, House 7, Road 77, Dhaka, Bangladesh. The brand also retails via multi-brand outlet Grand Boulevard and is working on launching its own e-commerce website soon, as it focuses towards expanding as an international brand.
