“I’m not a planner in life. I take impulsive decisions and I believe in taking risks.”
“The strength of the wolf is in the pack,” Hina Butt says. We are sitting at her expansive studio in Lahore’s posh Gulberg area and talking about, among other things, the importance of cultivating a strong support system in one’s life. It is these relationships that keep one afloat when the chips are down. “I often tell women that they should be supportive of each other and avoid succumbing to petty jealousy. Not only will you be happier, you’ll also achieve so much more in the long run.”
Hina Butt has plenty of reasons to smile these days – the last three years have been fantastic for the tall and svelte high achiever, and she has been able to strike just the right balance between her personal and professional life. Things are certainly on the up and up in her career.
“Last year she was selected as a Young Global Leader (YGL) by the World Economic Forum. In 2016, only 11 people from the entire South Asian region made the cut, and Hina Butt was one of the two individuals selected from Pakistan.”
“I feel very honoured to be a part of YGL. Our first MENA meeting was in Dubai and I was fortunate to meet all the members; there were people from Sri Lanka, Tunisia, Egypt, and Morocco. They are doing amazing work and their achievements spur you on to do more. Interacting with them made me think, I should be doing so much more to make a positive difference to the world.”
She continues, “As an honouree, I have been invited to become an active community member of the Forum of Young Global Leaders for a period of five years. The community forms a global network of peers from diverse backgrounds, and provides an opportunity to shape the global agenda.”
Last month, she was invited to attend Harvard Kennedy School’s Executive Education module, ‘Global Leadership and Public Policy for the 21st Century’, which was conducted in Cambridge, USA from 21-31 March, 2017. The schedule was intensive and Hina Butt was able to shine in the inspiring and challenging learning environment.
Back home, she has revamped her fashion label, Hina Butt and taken it to new heights of popularity. Her social media following has also grown exponentially, allowing her to reach out to fans all over the globe. Her chic and trendy designs have garnered much praise from clients, and such is the demand for her prêt line that she regularly has to replenish her stock at Lahore’s PFDC store.
What does she attribute her label’s burgeoning success to? “We offer innovative designs and quality products at affordable prices,” she explains. “Initially we came up with the rack concept – trendy, affordable clothes off the rack. Obviously now there is a lot of competition in the market and one needs to keep coming up with new designs in order to survive.” Innovation is, in fact, one of the key strengths of her brand, and Hina Butt is particular about incorporating contemporary design elements in her work in order to reinvent her label constantly.
“What happens is that every time you come up with a new collection, you focus on giving the customer different cuts and design elements at a reasonable price. And this applies to customised orders as well as RTW and that’s a bit difficult sometimes. It’s very easy to cater to orders, but it’s much more challenging when you have to put a new collection on the rack every month.”
Her prêt collection has done remarkably well this year, becoming a huge hit with students as well as fashionistas and high society ladies, an indication of the eclectic nature of her brand’s clientele. “True,” she avers. “Our brand appeals to women of all ages and from all walks of life.”
As her assistant displays the various garments from the collection, I remark on the soft colour palette and the diversity of the motifs. “Nature was the inspiration behind it,” remarks Hina Butt. She picks up the pièce de résistance of the collection, turning it over in her hands. It is a beautiful, flowy chiffon drape in white. “We used a lot of pastel shades in this collection and added pearls and stitching details,” she says. “Overall the collection has an ethereal feel and I’ve kept it all very close to nature. With our exciting new Spring/Summer collection, we’re back to the basics! We played with pearl white organzas and nets, adding fun, swirly cuts and feisty, bold and colourful embroideries. The collection is feminine, fresh and exudes luxury. It captures the powerful style and individuality of the Hina Butt woman.”
Passionate about fashion design, she is particular about being hands on with the planning and work involved in putting out a new collection. Reminiscing about the early days of her career, she elaborates: “I always wanted to be an entrepreneur and launched my brand right after I completed my MBA from LUMS. I was accepted into a prestigious medical college but left it midway and joined LUMS instead because I wanted to be an entrepreneur. And I loved my experience there! My business venture eventually put my degree and training from LUMS plus my talent at fashion design to good use. I won the Dean’s Honours List award in my Bachelors as well as MBA programmes, and graduated with a GPA of 3.9 throughout.”
Conversation rolls around to her new bridal line. “Overall, the collection has a very royal vibe,” she explains. “The collection features seven exquisite bridal dresses in a vibrant colour palette – I’ve used copper, gold, silver and jewel shades. The theme is inspired by the Mughal era and the cuts include peplum tops paired with tulip shalwars and flared pants, jackets and lehnga cholis draped in a modern style. The fabric is tissue, which is in vogue again and adds a lot of glamour to the collection.”
Hina is currently in Lahore on a visit from Dubai, where she has made her home with her husband Samar Hayat and her adorable son. “Over there it feels as if I am on vacation all the time,” she laughs. “I’m loving it!”
“The market in Dubai is very good,” she adds. “We’ve done three exhibitions there recently, at Ensemble, Collage and with Alina Asif at Carnival and we got a great response! The people there are really fashion forward and they help you improve your work. The Emirati crowd is there, plus there are people from Karachi, so the clientele is diverse and their requirements help us add to our repertoire, for instance we recently came up with a Kaftan collection.”
Armed with indefatigable energy, Hina comes across as the quintessential workaholic. She is also mindful of her corporate social responsibilities and espouses several philanthropic projects. At present, she is working in collaboration with the NGO, Faces Pakistan, and has launched a brand of sandals inspired by the culture of Rajasthan and Chitral. The collaboration has enabled rural women selected by Faces Pakistan to work on Hina Butt’s designs, and these home-based entrepreneurs in turn receive 100 per cent of the profit from the sale of the finished products.
“The collaboration [with the NGO, Faces Pakistan] will help rural women realise their potential, promote the culture of women entrepreneurship, and uplift the rural cottage industry.”
As a vociferous advocate for women’s rights, Hina is also working closely with the government to bring in legislation to empower women. In her capacity as a Member of Punjab’s Provincial Assembly, Hina gets to meet women from all avenues of life and is keen to make a significant difference to their plight and ameliorate their living conditions. “As the secretary of the women caucus, I am responsible for legislation to uphold and promote women’s rights. I want to get domestic workers and home-based workers recognised as the labour force as this will help them get their rights.”
Doesn’t it get a bit hectic juggling two entirely different careers? “I’m passionate about both,” she says emphatically. She is also a Managing Director at Waves Cool Industries, but for now she has taken a sabbatical from the family business to focus on her personal ventures. “I make it a point to be present for the Punjab Assembly sessions and proceedings. I’m there from 9 am to 2 pm, after which I come down to my studio and finalise creative designs with my team. After that I delegate and trust my team with production. On a typical day, I’m at work from 9 to 6, after which I spend time with my family and friends.”
With so much on her plate, where does she envision herself a couple of years down the line? Hina is pensive for a moment, and then says, “I see myself as a full time activist working for women’s rights. My priority would be to get legislation for the rights of home-based workers passed in this government’s tenure. I also want to see my fashion label grow to have an international profile. I’ve recently started stocking in Dubai and am looking forward to expanding in other countries.”
She continues quietly, “You know, I’m not a planner in life. I believe in taking risks and I take impulsive decisions. I’m a very staunch believer in destiny and fate; you can think and plan all you want but God is the Master Planner and creates the best path in life for you. We don’t even know what’s going to happen the next day let alone the next year, then why do we make such elaborate plans? God has made the best plan for us, and we should have faith that everything will work out fine. Just keep working hard with honesty and sincerity.”
“Last year she was selected as a Young Global Leader (YGL) by the World Economic Forum. In 2016, only 11 people from the entire South Asian region made the cut, and Hina Butt was one of the two individuals selected from Pakistan.”
INTERVIEW: SARA AMIR TURAB
PHOTOGRAPHS: COURTESY HINA BUTT
