Meet Ghazala Khan of Raaz

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ghazala Khan.

Ghazala, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Raaz was started by my Mother-in-law, (more of a mom to me) Mrs. Zainab Ekbal in the 80’s as a hobby along with Sunita Kapoor (the actor Anil Kapoor’s wife) to style women of the Indian, Pakistani and also American communities in Chicago and the neighboring cities. When you ask her for the inspiration behind this early entrepreneurship, her answer will be the non-existence of such a niche concept of styling in America for the South Asian shoppers and the dearth of a variety of classy designer outfits under one roof.

Also, she has been the Good Samaritan for a lot of South Asian girls and women in America. She wanted to build employment at Raaz for women and girls who feared to step out of their homes and who wanted to become independent. It saddens her that she could not build up an Employment industry for all of the needful women. But feels satisfactory that she could help at least a few, train them to be independent and strengthen them for the rest of their lives. Her altruism was kept as a “Raaz” which means a mystery. Indeed, a mission for Women Empowerment!

Our vision for Raaz is to promote the artisans of India. We want to introduce America to the utter beauty of Indian artists’ workmanship, intricacies in prints, and embroideries, needle works and fine stitching. We believe the quality of the fabric, varieties of workmanship and the artistry of materials in India is invincible. We always believed the Western World will appreciate the skillful craftsmen duly and will admire the thought behind each work of art.

Zainab learnt that there were a couple more women who felt the same way for the Indian heritage and so began Raaz by carrying their designs implemented by the artisans of India and created a platform for the premier designers to display their craft.

I shouldered the responsibility for her and was made the new face of Raaz for the past 10 years. The inspiration continues to be the lack of a one-stop- shop for classy high-end Indian and Pakistani designer outfits.

I, being a business women by profession and nature, pursued a career in fashion and design after joining Raaz. I strive for class and quality in Raaz’s collections, customer service, events & shows, affiliations or even accessories like shopping bags.

Raaz has now become known to all the upscale segments of the country by mere word-of-mouth from existing satisfied customers for its service and products.

Only recently has Raaz showed its presence in the digital world and got an electronic facelift to cater to the requests and needs of the global audience and tech savvy customers living far from it. What makes Raaz what it is today is its lovely clientele and authenticity of designer’s products.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Nothing great comes out of an easy journey but the road appears less rocky if your heart and faith are immersed into what you do. Raaz has been fortunate enough to enjoy a luxurious life so far with much adoration and customer satisfaction. Struggles, to name a few have been:

1. To overcome the geographic limitation and to make it easier for the brides and their families who need to fly down from other states to try-on and select from our collections, wishing we could be everywhere for all.

2. To always be on our toes and to keep up with the pace of the fast changing trends in the fashion world and subsequently upgrading the stock trying to sail in the same boat.

3. To maintain our credibility in this industry.

Raaz – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Raaz is an Indian-Pakistani designer wear boutique that carries very artsy, one-of-a-kind designer clothes and jewelry, specializing in bridal wear shipped straight from the sketchbooks of the prominent names of the Asian fashion industry. Our collections are custom based and keep moving as the new season designs arrive. It has an uptown, cozy and a posh aura inside. What are we known for? I guess now people identify Raaz as a brand in itself, so they’ll know if it’s a Raaz outfit before the designer’s name.

I think I’m proud to share a relationship with my customers who believe in us.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I would say our proudest moments are when see gorgeous happy brides in our outfits, when new people come searching for Raaz after they see someone in the same event wear Raaz.

Contact Info:

• Address: 2317 W Devon Ave,
  Chicago,Illinois 60659
• Website: www.raazcouture.com
• Phone: 773-764-9501
• Email: raazinc@gmail.com
• Instagram: raazcouture
• Facebook: raazinc
• Twitter: raazcouture
• Yelp: Raaz Inc
• Other: (Snap chat) Raazcouture

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