In early 2023, Maheen had the opportunity to return to her homeland for a month-long vacation. During her first time in Karachi, she saw dozens of khussa designs, ranging from hand-embroidered, painted, plain leather, and more. She couldn’t decide between all of them, and with a scarcity mindset, she bought 10 pairs to share between herself and her two sisters. This seemed like a rare opportunity because you could not find khussas easily in the U.S.
During her shopping, she and Muhammad had a lightbulb moment that they could bring these khussas directly to the U.S. These shoes would be sold directly out of Virginia with short, inexpensive shipping costs and a promise of high quality craftsmanship that customers could trust.
We came to the brand name of “Pakeezah Paizaar” based off of two ideas. One, we wanted to maintain our Pashtun heritage, thus using the name Pashtun term for shoes (Paizaar). Second, the classic Bollywood film Pakeezah holds a special space in my heart because my late maternal grandfather, Mohabbat Bangash, was a musician and creative at heart. He adored the traditional Kathak dances in movies like Pakeezah, Mughal-e-Azam, and more. He spent hours with his headphones on, appreciating the intricate, elegant footwork of the dancers. The passing of my grandfather has left a void within our family, and so, I wished to leave this ode to him.
Pakeezah Paizaar
