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Manto's Story - Manto

Manto's Story

For me Shalwar Kameez was always a dress kept exclusively for Fridays or special holidays. Back when I was in college in the UK, on a random day, I decided to wear a Kurta Shalwar instead of my western clothes. I was completely shocked by the amount of my international friends asking me what I’m wearing. I instantly replied ‘It is my national dress’. It was that moment when it hit me how just wearing my Friday clothes I was eventually representing a whole culture. If they saw anyone else wear it again – they’d recall it with the kind of a person I was & this made me act more responsibly. I had never imagined that a dress could have such an impact.

Every time I wore them; it felt cooler than before and eventually it became my identity. I'd then wear it wherever I'd go or whatever I'd do. I wore it to my presentations in England; I wore them when I was creating content; I even wore them when I was speaking to a large audience – even though
 I was the only one wearing it, I always fit in. I eventually realized my Kurta Shalwar made me standout in the crowd. It took a while but everyone started loving my unusual dress - I loved how it connected me to my cultural heritage

As I slowly transitioned to making these Shalwar Kurtas my daily wear. I also realised how helpful it has been in my morning decision making. I always knew
what I’m going to put on; as it was an appropriate dress for any occasion. With one unnecessary decision out of the way, I saw myself spending my mental space in more useful areas like creativity, critical thinking & problem solving.

 

Eventually, people started asking me where they could get them from - Since I used to get them custom made for me, it motivated me to start Manto. I spent 2 years trying to understand how I can bring a product that is minimalist and simple in design yet looks good and feels comfortable. I wanted to create something I could vouch for, so I made sure I put special focus on finesse of the product – From the thread, to the fabric, to the final cut. After going back and forth with hundreds of fabrics from the market and tens of tailors, I partnered with one of Pakistan’s leading textile manufacturer to create the BREEZE fabric with our proprietary blended material that is at the heart of Manto today. I also managed to find a specialized family of artisans who have tailoring custom Shalwar Kameez for the past 40 years.

Today, I am proud to not only create a brand that competes daily with the top high street fashion brands globally but that is also 100% Made in Pakistan. Every piece sold helps us create jobs in Pakistan, while putting Pakistan in the global fashion landscape.

Thank you for supporting Manto and being a part of our journey of creating the most comfortable eastern daily wear brand in Pakistan!

Salman Parekh

Founder

9 comments

  • Sohail Nabi

    Wishing you the very best and praying for your success, Insha’Allah.

  • WearCot

    Thanks for the information you provided in your blog. Keep doing, Nice Work and also get information at < a href = “https://wearcot.com/”> WearCot < / a>

  • Jasim Siddique

    Great story, keep it up!.
    I can see my reflection in you, when u used to wear shalwar kameez with passion my friends used pull me down but I never gave up.
    Men collection does not have Shalwar kameez and Kurta/Pyjama/trouser doesn’t give a designer look, lot of room for improvement is still there.
    Women collection is outstanding! One suggestion, if you can remove pictures from clothes as you can’t pray wearing it.

  • Reema Amin

    I ordered three scarves from Manto, absolutely love them. They are really beautiful, the delivery process was seamless, loved the gift packing and the complimentary book marks that came with the scarves. Now waiting for the odhnis that are out of stock to be available soon.
    Very impressive, great initiative 👍🏻👏🏼👌🏻

  • Randa Shoeb

    I am wearing one of your beautiful scarves now in Alexandria, Egypt! Just got it as a gift from a friend in Pakistan. It’s exquisite. Thank you.

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