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American fashion designer Sidrah Rauf aims to showcase her Pakistani roots through her collection of colourfully crafted clothing.
The 32-year-old founder of Foxy by Sidrah started her career in retail banking in New York before moving to the kingdom to become a managing consultant. However, her true passion has always been fashion.
She said: “Fashion has been an integral part of my life for as far as I can recall. In my house, we never needed an occasion to dress up.
“Growing up, I watched my mum customise her outfits all the time. She ensured that I too was dressed in the latest designs available. I feel she involuntarily ingrained in me a sense of style and passion for fashion, as well as inspired me to share this passion with the world.”
In 2018, she stepped off the banking career ladder and during a trip to Lahore in 2019 she took the plunge to pursue her love for design.
“Pakistan is filled with incredible ability when it comes to fabric making and textile design techniques,” said the bright business management and economic graduate from Empire State College in New York.
“During a visit to Liberty Market, which is dedicated to women’s clothing, I decided I would take on a mission to fulfil my desire of showcasing Pakistan’s excellence to the world. Believe it or not, it was a decision made on spot; in that place and at that mo-ment.
“My vision for Foxy was to pick up a very ethnic design pallet and customise it to ap-peal to my target market. As a designer I will let the designs speak for themselves.
“Through Foxy, I want to achieve more. I want to tell women that they are strong and that they are fire!”
In March 2020, her brand was born. As Sidrah describes it, she is providing fierce women with bold, statement pieces in hopes of awakening ‘foxys’ all over the world. She also has a collection for children.
Most articles are limited pieces and include intricate design techniques such as block printing, beading, mirror work and embroidery. Of course, all of this is done while main-taining a very lightweight end piece bearing in mind the Middle East’s humid conditions.
She is currently in the process of launching her third collection called Shajar, which means ‘trees’, and is design planning her fourth line.
She said: “When someone places an order with me, I stay connected with them and do not consider it a closed sale until they have confirmed that they are in love with their dress.
“I also sincerely hope my customers will enjoy flaunting the outfits as much as I enjoy creating them.
“I have a desire to reveal Pakistan’s unique fashion to the Middle East and other countries. Furthermore, I can also create revenue streams for the deserving craftsmen and women. I’m scouting talent in the villages of Pakistan to ensure the underprivileged can benefit from my initiative.”
For details, follow @foxy.bysidrah on Instrgram, Facebook and TikTok.
