When Shubinak Islamabad opens its up-cycled 18th century front door to the public, it will be a gracious welcome reminiscent of old world charm; rife with poignant memories of an era gone by. An era which has contributed to our firm foundation, our national pride and our inherent values. A period of time we must reinstate today.
By adhering to our philosophy of providing sustainable income and unique products without compromising values and cultural obligations, we have traveled on the rugged terrain of process development, scaled the sheer face of people-training, and faced intense challenges and obstacles while trying to journey ahead.
Impediments such as language barriers, long learning curves pertaining to embroidery quality, consistency, delay in delivery as well as extreme weather conditions and unforeseen logistical issues are all dealt with by a dedicated and loyal team of people based in Lahore, Chitral, and Canada. Their personal sacrifice, patience and tolerance in these matters is an immense contribution to the success Shubinak has seen today. They persevere in the face of adversity with the hope that the product speaks volumes about the intense effort put into every aspect of its creation, and accept that natural flaws add to its novelty and charm.
Two and a half years ago, Shubinak embarked on its retail odyssey from the ancient city of Lahore, with a promise to continuously improve in all areas of this unique and challenging supply chain. Next came the Canadian retail operations set up and success; followed by the extensive Shubinak Chitral shop expansion and renovation; the implementation of the e-commerce website catering to a worldwide clientele; and now we have reached the milestone of the Islamabad shop launch!
Shubinak Islamabad is a work of art created using antique elements which have been re-purposed to function as contemporary pieces. A melding of the old world and the new; the shop proudly displays doors, posts, pipes, railings, and all sorts of odds and ends that have been rejuvenated. It is not only about reducing, reusing, and recycling, but for Shubinak, it is also about renewing, restoring and revitalizing. By engaging almost 700 dedicated artisans on a continuous basis, committing to skill development, and actively addressing environmental concerns; Shubinak has created purpose to fashion.
Our collaboration with Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital is a self-initiated and unconditional agreement which donates Rs. 300 per sale of a hand-woven scarf to the hospital for the treatment of those in need.
Specialized product lines such as the “Char Laga te Aik Gira” scheme teaches customers about the hazards of deforestation and what they can do to repair it. Our preference to regenerate fuels our initiation of activism for reforestation; for which Shubinak is in collaboration with CHEPS, having planted 30,000 trees in the last two years; with a target to plant 50,000 this year, and an aim to substantially increase this number each year.
The “Jhanda Basta” product line stands for pride, unity and faith in Pakistan. The value of “green” is apparent in all our merchandise! Shubinak is currently in consultation with SKMCH for the creation of T-shirts and scarves to be used in fundraising for the Pink Ribbon women’s breast cancer awareness campaign.
All Shubinak products strongly state “I am aware”; and we hope to spread that knowledge and insight amongst all levels of society. We sincerely hope that you can join us on our quest for enlightenment!”
