“Now we have traveled a great distance.”
Among the many flood of shisha locations, coffees, eating places and carry meals is a unpretentious boutique clothes retailer within the nook of Curry Mile. Abayas Boutique in Grandale Road is barely small, however its attain is huge.
With prospects who come from so far as Saudi Arabia, New Zealand, South Africa and Australia, it is without doubt one of the locations for ladies seeking to purchase elegant however modest garments.
The shop is a creation of Altof Chaudhury and his spouse Shahida, who put in Abayas within the 90s. Altaf, a former designer, started to make a modest put on of ladies on the request of Shahida.
“There was no place to grow to be easy, purposeful however elegant abayas that would resist the onerous winters of the UK,” Shahida mentioned.
“He mentioned that as a substitute of the standard Asian fashion, I wanted somebody who might mix the standard and designs of locations like Chanel or Versace with modest clothes.” Altof defined.
“We make stunning attire that anybody can put on, Muslim women, Jehovah’s Witnesses, the wives of the Rastafares, anybody who says they need modest garments.”
Earlier than Abayas Boutique Altaf had already constructed a profitable style profession. Within the 90s he directed a retailer referred to as Black and White that was frequented by dancers, musicians and actors on the lookout for “one thing distinctive” to make use of.
Throughout these nascent years, Altaf managed to get nice places, creating stage costumes for gamers reminiscent of Michael Jackson, Prince and Manchester native musicians as Lisa Stansfield.
“It was a really busy and fashionable place, anybody who needed one thing distinctive used to return there and that’s the place we met individuals like Lisa Stansfield.” Altof instructed males
“She got here to purchase an outfit and used it on the high of the pops that very same week. That is how we obtained to know dancers and tv actors who needed to make use of one thing distinctive.
“There was a Manchester dancer and used to bounce with the Jackson with our garments. They inform my youngsters on a regular basis, however they can’t think about that their dad and mom do issues like this.”
Within the mid -90s, the attractiveness of the present started to lower for Altof and each he and Shahida rediscovered his religion in Islam. With a brand new goal discovered, the couple determined to work collectively to design modest garments for ladies.
With the closure of black and white, Operation Abayas started from the lounge of Chaudhary’s home, reusing his stitching and materials machines.
“At first, he was only a handful of associates who positioned orders. However the voice prolonged,” Shahida mentioned. “Earlier than we understand, we had a ready checklist of anxious individuals to have our designs of their palms.”
For 2009, the corporate had grown exponentially, which induced a web-based motion that allowed them to acquire a bonus over doable opponents. After extra years of success, the household returned to the principle road with a flagship retailer in Cheetham Hill beneath the shadow of the Area Area, however with little or no footprint in that space, they relocated the shop within the bustling Wilmslow Street that has been at house for nearly a decade.
Altaf and Shahida are nonetheless very concerned, however the keys have additionally been delivered to their daughter Ammatullah, who’s accountable for the rising presence of the corporate’s social networks that has seen them stay a pillar within the rising business.
“Now we have traveled a great distance.” Ammatullah mentioned. “However we’re solely beginning. The style world is evolving, and modest style is not a distinct segment, it’s typical. We’re main the load, creating kinds that stand out and practice girls to really feel secure, stunning and modest on the identical time.”