9lines is a new fashion and lifestyle brand that is making waves in Lahore for it’s cool and hip products that range from clothing to purses, stationary, interior decor items and jewellery. The style and designs are fresh and fun, perfect pieces that have a life of their own. Students, fashionistas and pop art enthusiasts can’t get enough of their custom made products.(If you haven’t already checked it out, go on www.9lines.com to see what we’re going gaga about).
The brand was launched in 2011 by two talented guys; Saad and Hassan who gave us an insight into their creative minds.Here’s their story:
How did 9 lines come into being? Tell us about the journey from where you began.
Hassan: We planned to launch some quirky items for a one-off exhibition and that however, never happened, instead we made a Facebook page for test run and put some of the products to sell there. But then we were hit by a mammoth response, and we had to pool in about 50000 Rs. each for production so we could start supplying our products to people all across Pakistan through cash on delivery with no additional delivery charges. And thereafter it’s just been rotation.
Saad: If I look back now, I can say that it was meant to be! I wanted to extend my creative forte into new mediums, into new domains, wanted to create a label that I found exciting and original, that was unique and spelt individuality. When Design and Business intertwined, 9Lines was born. In 2011, little did I know our lives would change forever! We came up with test range of products which we wanted to exhibit but instead we put them up on our Facebook page. People loved them and started suggesting products that they’d like us to make. We complied and added iPhone cases, cushion covers, mugs, bags and apparel to the existing range. In one year, our products went from being just stationery items to all 9 different categories of 9Lines, hence the name. That’s when we realized we could come up with a brand based on more universal themes so it could reach out to the average Pakistani shopper.
How has the response been so far?
Hassan: The response has been overpowering. Starting from one product to more than 500 products, it has got to be overwhelming! Every single day at 9Lines is a challenge, a challenge that is leading for us to grow personally and professionally. With growing diversity of products, rapidly expanding target audience and increasing number of cities that we are shipping is an encouraging indicator of thriving growth of 9Lines.
Saad: 9Lines has been fortunate enough to undergo a journey from one individual notebook being sold to the first customer to designing and producing for top of the line companies. Therefore, becoming not just a quirky fashion and lifestyle brand, but also emerging as a design and production house. We at 9Lines never stopped thinking about stopping, it’s all about evolution into new target markets and products. In this process of evolving we do aim at empowering the lives of the people who work with us.
What’s your educational background and how much did it contribute in deciding to launch this brand?
Hassan: A graphic designer by degree and trade, my marvels also include painting, writing, photography and marketing to the point that they can also easily be considered large pieces of my career. My first memory of being labeled artistic came from entering an art contest in elementary school which gave me my first taste of success. I graduated from National College of Arts, Lahore in 2010 with a degree in communication design, which satisfied my need for a financially sound career but also indulged my love of fine arts. From there on out like they say the rest was history.
9Lines was a product of searching for the right partner to collaborate with to create a unique, fun, quirky fashion and lifestyle label that created original art for its merchandise; a label that had popular culture influences but did not ape trends. As an artist & graphic designer who have dabbled with art, photography and design, I was eager to experiment and push my creative boundaries. Saad being my best friend for quite some time now had his own sets of credibility with marketing, finance, operations and logistics. Who better could I have teamed with?
Saad: I’d introduce myself as the entrepreneurial spark behind 9Lines. I have always been a passionate individual with an innovative hint, edgy visionary, a smart marketer, an art enthusiast & a dreamer.
I did my MBA from Cardiff University, United Kingdom in 2011. An impresario in an array of ventures, I have a keen eye for entrepreneurship and new endeavors that spans across the Financial, Marketing Consultancy, Publishing and Construction industries. I am also on the verge of finishing my PhD in Marketing.
My interests have always been diverse, ranging from being an academic to an entrepreneur with a global perspective. The idea of 9Lines emerged from a personal reason. I couldn’t find cool and quirky notebooks and journals in the market and that’s when I realized I need to give something back to the consumer like me who must be in search of something edgy and trendy and Hassan was a blessing in disguise, an epitome of creative talent.
Who are your role models from the fashion world?
Hassan:To be honest, I still don’t think I can narrow it down to just one person. I am inspired by so many people: celebrities, bloggers, and people I see on the street… But if I have to narrow it down it has to be David and Victoria Beckham. David can reflect an entire brand’s identity and Victoria’s chic style is so clean that it almost seems ridiculous how simple it really is!
Saad: Fashion… isn’t it a cliché! The word fashion adds limits to the horizon and that is what I don’t wish for. Style on the contrary, is something that inspires me. I understand the genius in style. It is unique… it is Muhammad Ali Jinnah, it is James Dean, it is Gregory Peck, it is Jared Leto, it is David Gandy and all others who dared to be different and people start knowing them not for what they are wearing but for the life they are living in those clothes.
What are your interests besides your work?
Hassan: Whenever I get free time I love to paint. I also love photography, writing, traveling and cooking.
Saad: Crazy amount of travelling, academic teaching, academic and applied research and constructive socializing.
What’s the inspiration behind your quirky designs?
Hassan: Having studied and lived in Lahore, South Asian art, artists and Pop Culture became strong influences in my design education. Graphic Design was definitely a dominant influence in my education. Pop art, Andy Warhol, the 60’s era, vintage photographs and Pakistani truck and rickshaw art are my main inspirations for designs.
One always sees a riot of colors, patterns, textures and kitsch elements. We also love Hindi/Urdu movies and Saad is a diehard fan of Bollywood, whereas I’d prefer to focus on Lollywood/Hollywood in my designs. I often find inspiration in yesteryear silver screen icons, retro blockbusters, famous on-screen couples, cheeky dialogues and the extinct art of poster painting.
Saad: We at 9Lines are inspired by our experiences. And our experiences change every day and we allow that to reflect in our design. We are creating what we enjoy, what we find fun. Our biggest inspiration is our country. Pakistan traditionally has a huge database for design, clothing, food, architecture, home décor, transport, festivals and weddings. Having travelled all over Pakistan and abroad extensively helped us rediscover it. There’s an organized chaos that we love to capture. The very Pakistani-ness or desi-pann is immensely inspiring.
What does success mean to you?
Hassan:To me, success means working toward my dreams. As long as I keep moving in the right direction I feel successful.
Saad: Success is the ability to do what you love every day. This may sound simple but what you love changes over time and having the ability to change what you are doing to match your passion is true success. This has nothing to do with money, wealth or status as each person has different passions and loves. Success is contentment coming to life!
What differentiates your brand from others?
Hassan:There are other similar labels each with their own design sensibility which probably got redundant over time. Our Unique Selling Point is our strong understanding of design, fashion, trends and our inherent traits of wanting to create something original each time. We are not aping trends, even though our work has a very strong Pop Art essence, we are neither imitating designs, nor finding inspiration from style trends or ‘what’s popular now’, we are constantly striving to create innovative art that spells individuality.
Saad: Everything about our brand is creatively positioned. We own up to our innovative designs and production capability. Everything about 9Lines is unique; starting from our target audience to the choice of product range being offered. There one thing that I would like to mention for sure, our respect and honor for our customer. We live for them and they have made us 9Lines!
Do you plan on expanding the brand further down the road?
HASSAN: The next thing we have in mind is to start a clothing line for women and men. People love our aesthetics and we strongly feel we should include this in our product category, to make our brand more versatile. We are also developing a high end collection with different fabrics and materials.
SAAD: We also want to evolve 9Lines into other categories like cutlery, footwear, rugs, bed spreads, curtains, furniture, tunics, eastern wear and even sarees! We are also planning to heavily target companies and help them corporate memorabilia and design direction.We are also planning to introduce a much larger collection of products and designs. And perhaps pay more attention to our packaging design.
What have you learned by being in this business?
HASSAN: Well, you learn something new every day from this industry pretty much. That always keeps you on your toes. The design aspect is actually a smaller aspect of the business, which is something I think a lot of people don’t realize. It’s also, there’s a certain sense of accomplishment, you know? Like, every 6 months we have to start again, right? So every 6 months we have to reinvent ourselves but still stay true to what we do. There’s always a challenge in that, there’s always a challenge in pushing forward and growing and not staying the same soyour line doesn’t become stagnant and boring.
SAAD: I get a real dose of surprise when the production staff majorly messes up and then try to convince us of it not being a big deal! Seriously! Since our company is in its initial stages, we are juggling all aspects of the business ourselves (sourcing, marketing, PR, accounting, production, design etc…) as well as working full time jobs. It can get pretty overwhelming especially with the speed of the fashion trends changing as quickly as it does there never seems to be any down time!
Describe your personal style.
HASSAN: My personal style is inconsistent as it is based on my mood and the weather, which are ever changing. However, I do have some signature styles I am known for such as: archival leather boots, hats, mixed neon accessories, skinny denim, quirky sunglasses, and local collectibles from my international travels. I like to experiment with different looks. Boho, quirky, vintage, neon; but the constant factors being layering, statement accessories, and an unexplained fascination for graphic tees.
SAAD: My most prized and cherishable part of my life is my global wardrobe. Immaculate and period collectables from auctions around the world; tie pins, bow ties, ties, man bags, exquisite accessories, brooches, suspenders, clothing items, cowboy boots and much more. My style, however, is contingent on how I feel and what role I have to play. Sometimes I wear suits other times it’s a casual case with statement making accessories. But every day as a challenge and as a day to reinvent myself. I feel my style is eclectic as well as creative and it goes as far as I want to take it and it truly has a sense of approachability.Moreover, my style is a reflection of my personality which is all but one sided.
Contributed by Yumnah Fatimah a student of mass communication and aspiring writer.
Leave a Reply