LAHORE: For all the Shopaholics, there is a new multi-brand store in town, namely J&H: The Fashion Store. Located in DHA Phase 5, this new concept store is going to be the next big thing when it comes to shopping and relaxing.
Founded by the dynamic couple Jamal and Hina (J & H), the shop-cum-café is all set to enhance your shopping experience in the near future. The homelike ambience as soon as you enter the store makes you want to just sit and hang out there.
Furthermore, the idea of the café is a plus point for Shopaholic mothers to get a break from their children as they sit the kids down with food while they go shopping.
The café has a set menu and ‘everyday specials’ including chillers and mocktails which they also specialise in , apart from that the ‘special’ menu includes one savoury/day.
The colour palette for the furniture placed at the café, along with the wooden textures of tables with a contemporary/fusion decor within that area is what catches your eye as soon as you enter and gives one a homelike feeling. This is because the store is not catering to a specific category of people, rather it’s for everyone. So, whoever walks in through the door gets the same vibe.
Besides the café in the store which is a considerably new idea in the country, the all-in-one store has everything you need from clothes to accessories and so much more. Not only that, another interesting thing one notices in the store is that they display work of upcoming designers.
Despite the presence of multi-brand stores within the country, there are barely any that highlight the work of hidden talent within the industry, who find it difficult to start their businesses.
We have seen all the well-established names who had their time under the spotlight, but it is also time to explore new things in the field and give the new generation a platform to kick start their business; J&H does just that.
“The reason why I wanted to start my own business was that I have seen how the upcoming designers struggle to start their business in this industry,” said Jamal of J&H while talking to Pakistan Today at his store.
“The whole point is not to project the already popular designers; I want to create new monsters for the industry,” he added.
Jamal says that the entire idea is for people to shop and then sit and chill with a cup of coffee. Moreover, the ultimate goal is for this store to be the hub for all the fashionista’s out there.
“In a year’s time, I want all the fashionistas to come here, sit and discuss the future of the industry.”
Jamal said that it took them 20 days to set the store up and the café was functional within 10 days.
“We are the kind of people that when we start something, we just want to get it over with.”
The benefit that the duo had was that in some way or the other they knew how they wanted to set the place, including the colour schemes, interior and so forth.
As we took the tour of the store we noticed that J&H has brands like Shiza Hassan, Hira Ali, MBM etc on display, to which Jamal said, “The already established designers have their own flagship stores, they have participated in fashion shows and people know them.”
“This place is specifically for those people who are struggling,” he added.
Having said that, these designers do not get to display everything they make. The J&H duo has been in the field for some time, which gives them the edge that they know what appeals to the customers in terms of materials, designs, cuts, the finish, the work, craftsmanship and so on.
“We try to filter out the designers and their work, keeping in mind what the customer wants,” said Jamal.
“However, we have designers with a few good pieces, so we try to help them by advising them different ways to make their designs more appealing and sellable.”
Additionally, the racks also have a range of unstitched embroidered, Kamdaani clothes from interior Punjab.
“The artisans sit in clusters within different regions including KPK, Balochistan and it rounds up to around 278 craft clusters around the country,” Jamal said.
“I am also trying to get these artisans in the mainstream business, whose talents would otherwise remain hidden.”
J&H has two jewellery brands on board and Jamal, himself is all set to introduce contemporary jewellery in the store via 3D printing, which is a fairly new concept in the country. Hence, its first piece is being manufactured in Austria; this will then be mass produced in Pakistan.
The inspiration is taken from the Victorian era, and in all honesty, Jamal says that he was personally inspired by Game of Thrones, so everything is going to be inspired from there, which will later be diversified.
“I have been researching into their miniatures like birds; butterflies used by them and incorporate those concepts into jewellery.”
In addition to that, the duo is also introducing home fashion to their store including hand-knotted kilims and rugs.
The jewellery line is expected to launch at the end of next month, whereas the store itself is officially opening its door to customers on 29th July 2017.
Don’t forget to stop by.