Dynasty had a whole new feel to it Saturday evening, done up in vibrant shades of pink, it was festive and flamboyant. It was surely one visually pleasing sight.
The event was Elan Women’s Social Club, celebrating Women of Talent, hosted by the club’s president Erum Munir; who initiated this club three years ago, partnered with her friend Erum Zehra. However, the latter moved to Canada and now Munir is the sole runner of the show.
When asked if the name Elan has anything to do with the fashion designer Khadija Shah, Munir answered: “No, when we named it this, we had simply thought it to be an exclusive club named for women who feel inspired.”
At the Women of Talent, there were several vendors; among several others there was Meraki by Marvi silver jewellery designs, Ala Mode Bags by Aamena Nasir, Javeria Riaz and Zehra Riaz, Xeecrafts exhibited their handbags, Branded Collection by Sumaiya Haseeb included some funky trinkets, Nissa Yasir’s footwear and bags and Hat Quarters by Uzma Faisal who does themed birthday parties.
Uzma Faisal, who said, “I love to do themed birthday parties for the young ones,” has her utmost support coming from her husband Faisal Khurshid, who too was present at the stall. Khurshid said, “This business of hers motivates her to do things in a better manner and I completely support her in it.”
Similarly, Munir feels that women need not be in isolation; she had a strong desire to form a network for women and hence, this entire set-up. “We never wanted to do a small-scale exhibition. We wanted a certain type of a set-up, and there was a budget we were looking at,” she said.
But on Saturday, the festival managed to pull as many as 113 stalls and over 5,000 visitors flocking in and out of the venue within a span of eight hours. “The traffic kept flowing in… we had to stop people from coming in,” said Munir.
Nissa Yasir has been making footwear for three years now. She too believes: “Women entrepreneurship should be encouraged. This is a great way to promote small cottage enterprises.”
“A lot of families don’t allow their women to work, some women have issues at home, but when they finally make it here and earn something, they garner support from their families. Exposure makes a lot of a difference, but for those few whose business makes no headway, they are certainly not supported by their families,” said Munir
“The crowd was different; the exposure we got was different. I support women entrepreneurs. This was a platform from where a clear-cut point was made that women, too, can do good business,” said Aamena Nasir from Ala Mode Bags.
Later, in the food court area, there was a plethora of food and women were seen devouring the delicious edibles. A stall with sandwiches, kebabs and chaat was put up by Mummy Yummies and sweet-tooth offerings by Nibbles. A lot of food stall owners soon found themselves out of stock and had to replenish their inventory.
It was a highly enjoyable experience, with great ambiance and brilliant set-up. From the vendors to the visitors, everyone had positive feedback to give.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 5th, 2014.
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