Shamoon Sultan is the Founder & CEO of Khaadi, one of Pakistan’s most successful and respected fashion retail companies. Since founding Khaadi in 1998, Shamoon has overseen a fast-growing portfolio that includes Khaadi and Chapter 2. He has won numerous industry awards including

Lux Style Award The Lux Style Awards is an award ceremony held annually in Pakistan since 2002. The awards celebrate "style" in the Pakistani entertainment industry, and it is the oldest event dedicated to cinema, television, fashion, music and film industry ...

for High Street Band thrice, Achievement in Fashion Design – Prèt award. He has also been nominated for various categories at

Lux Style Awards The Lux Style Awards is an award ceremony held annually in Pakistan since 2002. The awards celebrate "style" in the Pakistani entertainment industry, and it is the oldest event dedicated to cinema, television, fashion, music and film industry ...

Early life and education

Shamoon was born to a Muslim family and earned his undergraduate degree in Textile Design from Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture. He specialized in

Handloom A loom is a device used to weaving, weave cloth and tapestry. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold the Warp (weaving), warp threads under tension (mechanics), tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads. The precise shape o ...

and the process of

weaving Weaving is a method of textile production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. Other methods are knitting, crocheting, felting, and braiding or plaiting. The longitudin ...

Career

Khaadi

In 1997, Shamoon’s visit to India strengthened his passion for reviving the craft of handloom in Pakistan. He said, "I went to India a couple of times where I saw a lot of craft being promoted through retail. There was absolutely nothing of the sort in Pakistan so I thought let's give it a try. I didn’t know how it was going to happen, but I just had faith in the product and what I was doing." In December 1997 he opened his first shop in

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former ...

's Zamzama and received wide spread acclaim within two weeks. He told ''

Dawn News Dawn News is one of Pakistan's 24-hour Urdu news channel. Based in Karachi, the station is a subsidiary of Pakistan Herald Publications Limited (PHPL), Pakistan's largest English-language media group. The test transmission of the station occ ...

'' "We started getting feedback from day one. We were stocked out in two weeks and we had to shut down the store." Khaadi-2022

By 2002, the brand was making women’s ready to wear and soon expanded into women’s luxury wear with Khaadi Khaas in 2008. In 2012, Khaadi changed to a fast fashion retail brand, evolving with customers and introducing colourful Khaadi Fabrics. With the launch of Khaadi Kids and Khaadi Home in 2012-2013, Khaadi Accessories in 2016 and Khaadi Fragrances in 2019, Khaadi became a lifestyle brand. In 2010, ''Khaadi'' expanded internationally by opening stores in the UAE first in

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics ...

and later in Abu Dhabi. In 2013, after the global success of the brand, stores were planned in the UK. In December 2021, a massive 32,000-square-foot store called ‘The Experience Hub’ opened in Karachi’s Dolmen Mall, marking the beginning of the brand’s reinvention. In addition to his role as CEO of Khaadi, Shamoon’s industry expertise have led him to serve on the Government of Pakistan’s Advisory Committees on Heritage and the Expo 20/20.

Sustainability

In 2022, Shamoon Sultan founded Kreate Your Mark, a non-profit platform that aims to accelerate economic empowerment for women entrepreneurs in Pakistan. Women entrepreneurs will receive 100% of the sales contribution from their product line and free access to dedicated spaces at the heart of the Experience Hubs and Centers in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad.

Personal life

Shamoon Sultan is married to Saira Ruth Shamoon, whom he met at Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture. She joined Khaadi in 2002 and is now the Chief Creative Officer, leading the creative department.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sultan, Shamoon Khaadi Pakistani fashion designers Pakistani businesspeople in fashion Pakistani costume designers Muhajir people Living people Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture alumni People from Karachi Lux Style Award winners Year of birth missing (living people)