Company History

MN Shawls was first brought into existence in the year 2005 and in spite of several ups and downs in the Industry has been in business for over 15 years. Despite the saturation in the clothing industry in the past decade, coupled with increasing talent and competition along with a plethora of options, MN Shawls is still catering to people with the finest quality cloth and has remained their choice of place to shop from. One of the reasons for a strong standing of MM Shawls is the pride we take in our country, which has allowed us to be one of the handful businesses in Pakistan that get all their raw materials from the country and process them here too. We believe that the standing we have gained over the years is due to the fact that we invest in Pakistan and in return, the country invests in us. By doing so, we promote our own country’s heritage and labour and do our part in making sure the people of this country keep on going whilst providing quality products at the same time.

Another thing we are extremely proud of is the safe, healthy and rewarding environment that we have so carefully and actively built in our workplace. These are extremely talented and hardworking people who we are proud to have as members of our team and we make sure they are valued. At MN Shawls we have engineered an environment in which not only do our workers and employees feel respected but safe as well. Our workers are given utmost respect and they form a well knit team of talented, experienced and creative members. The encouraging and supportive environment means the team gels and works like a well-oiled machine. With the skills, hard work and creative talent our team possesses along  with this environment, we here at MM Shawls are able to produce beautiful, intricate as well as unique designs for our dupattas, shawls, abayas and scarves that leave you with a sense of quality, craftsmanship and design that will blow you away.

Our Values

We are here to build a long-lasting connection based on trust and quality. With our focus being on uniqueness, dependability and customer service, we have strived since years to make affordable products that are made as sustainably as possible with a high degree of premium quality our customers have come to expect of us. With the ever-changing landscape of fashion and constantly changing modern trends we aspire to provide designs that keep up with and even surpass ongoing trends while not compromising on basics such as fabric quality and stitching. We have maintained a certain level of quality for the past 15 years and intend to do so for many more upcoming years while also making sure we improve upon our strengths and go beyond expectations and always leave our customers surprised and satisfied.

History and Importance of Shawls

Shawls, dupattas, and scarfs – are different types of beautiful pieces of fabric. The real question arises; are these cultural icons or a fashion statement in today’s world? The answer is, both! These simple pieces of cloth play an important part in our culture, as symbols of modesty, dignity, and respect. However, fashion plays a major part today in the advancement of these simple clothes to be converted into attractive pieces of art and craft.

Beginning with; the words ‘shawl’ and ‘pashmina’ originated from Kashmir. Pashmina shawl weaving industry began in Ladakh, Kashmir when cashmere crafts were introduced by an Iranian Scholar, who was impressed by the soft wool produced by Kashmiri goats. Skilled craftsmen create several types of designs on these shawls by hand embroideries or the use of machines. Some types of shawls are Pashmina, Shahtoosh, knit shawls and stoles. Other than the styles and shapes, shawls have two main types; either woven and sewn together, or embroidered. In Pakistan, we have special traditional Sindhi shawls; known as ‘Ajrak’ which are block printed by using stamps.

Dupatta can also be considered a type of shawl, mostly a part of the shalwar kameez outfit in our culture; which started in the 1970’s when Zia ul Haq was the president and leader of Pakistan. It has the purpose of looking decent and covered, and also serves multiple uses. Almost all Pakistani women wear Dupatta, especially on notable events and occasions. Dupatta was originally introduced in the time of Indus valley civilisation. It also has excellent value for brides in our culture to cover their heads or faces on their wedding.

A scarf is another similar type of fabric, comparatively smaller in size than shawls and dupattas. These are also used since early times, and serve multiple purposes. In the 19^th century, these were considered to be fashionable for all genders, while in the 20^th century, these became necessary for everyone. Scarves are created in various fabrics such as cotton, silk, wool, or linen. For religious purpose, they are used to cover heads in our culture and even except that, are extremely useful for staying warm in the winters, or be used as neckties, bandanas, etc.

The main benefits of these fabrics in our culture are that they are beneficial for women to feel protected and respected and for this purpose, according to their preferences women make use of shawls, dupattas, scarves or even abayas. Moreover, these fabrics act as a shield for the skin and hair from the sun and also look very stylish. On the other hand, some use these as fashion accessories, especially the new generations. In terms of culture and clothing, Pakistan and India have many similarities and the fashion experts today have transformed this cultural value into traditional, modern pieces and offer customized options as per the likings of the customer. Those who understand the cultural values, are aware of how these fabrics act as symbols of pride and honour.