A Very Pakistani Shopping Spree
Published in Nov-Dec 2022
When I was 11 years old, I bought a locally made, musky cologne for my dad’s birthday, because the shopkeeper suggested it was “bohat zabardast” and, more importantly, within the budget of an 11-year-old. However, my dad later confessed he was not going to use it because it was “do number” and may contain harmful chemicals. During the same period, my mom decided that instead of Kellogg’s Froot Loops, we should try Fauji Foods’ Frootooz, a similar local cereal brand – and it was quite unpalatable from what my taste buds remember.
Following such incidents, I began to assume that other than food at restaurants and eastern wear, local products were typically low-quality and cheap. So, from a young age, I was attuned to believing that Pakistani products were inferior to imported brands.
It wasn’t until Covid-19 that I began to shop locally due to the restrictions on imported products (and sheer boredom). From skincare and clothes to candles and artificial jewellery, I indulged my compulsive shopping habit by tapping on the most random Instagram ads. And it was through this random browsing that I, and others, found topquality and desirable homegrown brands, such as Genie (for jeans) and Colish (for candles), which have ended up attracting customers due to their high-quality products, minimalist packaging and innovation. Today, there is an even higher awareness for, and an increase in the number of, smallscale local brands in the country.
So, for this issue of Aurora, and Pakistan’s 75th birth year, I decided to shop only for locally-made products. I was not disappointed.
Western Wear
Since I am always on the lookout
for breathable casual t-shirts
for Karachi weather, I gave in to
my sister-in-law’s ravings about
Khaadi’s new western wear
collection. After purchasing about
six trendy new T-shirts (over two
weeks), I have to say that not
only were the prices easy on the
wallet (Rs 990 to 1,990), but the
fabric was long-lasting and the
designs don’t shout ‘tacky’ (as
is the case with other clothing
brands that sell flimsy T-shirts
saying things like “FBI: Female
Body Inspector”). Although I
am still not a fan of Khaadi’s
eastern wear, the brand has
done a brilliant job with executing
western wear, including long
dresses and jumpsuits that are
the right mix of ‘modest’ and chic.
Skincare
Next, I was out of sunscreen and
decided to look up local skincare
brands. After a so-so experience
with Conatural’s facewash during
Covid-19, I decided to give
another local brand a try – Hira
Ali, because I kept seeing ads for
it. The store website was easy to
navigate and contained detailed
information about the products
– Sun of a Beach Sunscreen
– and it even had a smooth
application.But the volume of liquid
in the sunscreen bottle was far too
little for the cost (Rs 2,000 for 50
ml as compared to Rs 4,000 for
a 150 ml imported brand). I have
since added the sunscreen to my
cart a couple of times, but COD as
the only payment option holds me
back from tapping on ‘buy’ – not
the friendliest payment option in
today’s age.
Men’s Shoes
Other than investing time and
money in female-centric products, I
decided to explore men’s shoes for
my husband’s birthday. I decided
to skip asking a friend in the UK
to bring him slip-on formal shoes
and instead drove down to good ol’
English Boot House (EBH). While
the displays were quite ‘vintage’
(old-school glass cabinets, ‘on
sale’ shoes clumsily piled on a
table) and the store a bit grimy,
the variety of real leather shoes
available was on a par with Zara,
Dune and Next. While leaving the
store with not just a snazzy pair
of slip-on formal shoes but also
two belts, I did think about the fact
that while the older generation
is familiar with EBH (it doesn’t
advertise), how popular would the
store be for the younger generation
– if only they advertised.
In brief, I am convinced that our local clothing and skincare segments in particular are mostly up to par in terms of product quality, packaging and costeffectiveness. However, I am still on the hunt for good products in the local perfume and cereal category. Perhaps for my next shopping excursion, I will research local cereal brands and invest in a Pakistani perfume.
Comments (0) Closed