Pakistan today paperazzi issue 227 jan 7th, 2018 cover mahgul

@paperazzimagazine

s aira s heik h

russia

Planes, trains & automobiles

NETFLIX & CHILL

Mahgul

the dary a collecti on s unny s ide up

Some of our favourite shows to binge on this winter!

This winter, create your own sunshine!

Issue 227, 07-13 Jan, 2018 www.paperazzi.com.pk P.26

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

cheezain etc We get up, close & personal with Mahe Zehra & Nida Mian, the duo behind Cheezain etc.

MARKET

#PaperazziEats A modern Asian experience

ready, set, style

Nayab Yousuf styles MauSummery by Huma outfits and makes them her very own.

Hotties of the week!

Find out who is on our hot radar this week!

Issue 227, 07-13 Jan, 2018 www.paperazzi.com.pk

14

20

contents 08 Foodies are us Foodies without borders 12 It's showtime folks!

Screening of Jumanji 16 Chupan Chuppai A star-studded premier of the movie 20 Cover Shoot

By Mahgul 26 Ready, Set, Style Featuring Musummery by Huma 30 Paperazzi eats Featuring Market 34 In the spotlight

By Mahe Zehra & Nida Mian

18

34 18

Publisher: Arif Nizami l Publishing Editors: Samina Khan & Meher Tareen l Contributing Editor: Ali Nizami Managing Editor: Mehak Elahi | Sub Editors: Minahil Qasim, Ramina Maripova & Anum Teli Digital Media: Nazish Sameer | Creative Director: Muhammad Asif | Marketing: Sohail Abbas 0300-4652194, Zahid Ali 0301-8479758, Muddasir Alam 0333-2282905, Zulfiqar Butt 0300-8451634, Mudassar Chuhadry 0333-8106007, Photographers: Irfan Younas & Kamran Mehdi Printed at PTPRINT Press, 4- Shaarey Fatima Jinnah Lahore. | Paperazzi is a project of Paper Magazine and Pakistan Today.

Contact Details: papermagazine2010@gmail.com

Foodies are us

Cybil Chaudhry

Neelum, Ahsan, Furqan & Masud

Foodies without borders was organised by Jbnjaws and was held at Royal Palm, Lahore.

Khalid Malik

Ahmed Ali Butt & Fatima Butt

Sarfraz Niazi & Sara Niazi 08

PAPERAZZI MAGAZINE

Anoushey Ashraf 2018

Aisha with a friend

Zeeshan, Sara Tareen & Izmeir

2017

PAPERAZZI MAGAZINE

11

Zoya Nasir

Sana Javed

Fatima & Nibras

Kashmir The Band

Seher Raheel & Anam Raheel 10

PAPERAZZI MAGAZINE

Alyzeh Gabol

Rabab Hashim 2018

Maham & Mehr Ejaz

Shaharyar Ahmed, Mishelle Hira & Shahroz Tariq

2017

PAPERAZZI MAGAZINE

11

Minahil, Sara, Vaneezae & Laila

it's showtime folks!

Bushra

Screening of Jumanji by Sufi Group of Companies was held at Cine Star Xinhua Mall Lahore. An Event by Bilal Mukhtar Events & PR.

Madiha Qaiser

Sheeza Hassan

Raffia & Hoor

Noori & Imtisal 12

PAPERAZZI MAGAZINE

2018

Natasha

2017

PAPERAZZI MAGAZINE

11

man of match

Nazia

Turab, Deepak, Mohsin Feroze, Nauman & Amna

Legends’ Cup by AJ Sports Pvt Limited hosted a friendly cricket match between celebrities and Pak cricketers, in Moin Khan Academy.

Marium Mirza

Areej Fatima & Minal Qadir

Shamayel

Maria & Hanish 14

PAPERAZZI MAGAZINE

2018

Roger Bayat & Hina Bayat

Sana Shakir, Nadia Hussain & Sabrina Furqan

2017

PAPERAZZI MAGAZINE

23

Mr & Mrs Munaf Mansoor

Chupan Chuppai

Tipu Sharif

Sonia Nazeer

The much awaited launch of the took place in Multiplex A star-studded premier of movie the movie Chupan ChuppaiKarachi was held in Karachi.

Jiya Ali

Neelam Muneer & Ahsan Khan

Adnan Tipu & Younus Khan 16

PAPERAZZI MAGAZINE

Shamayel 2018

Sara Razi & Areesha Razi

Arham, Waseem & Rafia

Rafya Rafiq

Nimra Khan

Mr & Mrs Adnan Jaffar

Zayed Sheikh's Father & Ray

Shazia & Wajahat Rauf

Saifee Hasan

Shanaz Ramzi & Nazneen Tariq

Ghana Ali & Hajra Yamin

Rafia & Mrs Sheikh 2018

PAPERAZZI MAGAZINE

17

h ot t i es o f

Noor Bhatti

A head turner as always in a faraz Manan lehnga choli!

Zehra Saleem Keeps it classic in red!

18

PAPERAZZI MAGAZINE

2018

f the week

Sasha Barket

when does she ever get it wrong?

hira hashmi Red hot alert

Sundas Manan

All white done all righ in a fraza manan ensemble.

2018

PAPERAZZI MAGAZINE

19

Mahgul

the dary a collecti on MAHGUL’s Darya collection embodies the spirit of the river while retaining the imaginative, yet refined aesthetic that has become synonymous with the brand. True to their tradition of pushing the envelope, MAHGUL reimagines the familiarity of age old techniques so that they flow in synchronized, seamless harmony with modern, experimental textures. By placing emphasis on breaking away from the norm and the passÊ, this season MAHGUL deconstructs and re-segments embellishments across a palette of bold, heady hues, modern silhouettes and statement pieces.

Brand: MAHGUL | Photographer: Alee Hassan | Model: Amna Baber | Makeup: Shoaib Khan | Jewelry:

BeeJewelled by BeeDazzled

18

PAPERAZZI MAGAZINE

2018

2018

PAPERAZZI MAGAZINE

19

18

PAPERAZZI MAGAZINE

2018

2018

PAPERAZZI MAGAZINE

19

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/qn26vs3f6byncdc/AACFnenmNTaSydsmTY_cmotWa/IMG_1152. jpg?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/sh/qn26vs3f6byncdc/AACxUbROsNhu3GA8QJ8t84m6a/ IMG_1154.jpg?dl=0

ready, set, style! featuring NAYAB YOUSAF nayab yo us af styles s tyles maus u m mery by Hu ma o u tfits & makes them her very own .

Florence Plum Soften geometric pattern and beautiful floral complement textured background is a must have for this winter.

26

PAPERAZZI MAGAZINE

2018

Lahore grey Victorian patterns mixed with delicate traditional embroidery captures the true essence of winter

2018

PAPERAZZI MAGAZINE

27

Make a statement with Romas Laid-back glamour. Beautiful Italian Embroidery and superior quality fabric.

28

PAPERAZZI MAGAZINE

2018

Kashmir black jacket vintage Kashmiri embroidery mixed with jacquard fabric to give it a versatile and luxurious look.

2018

PAPERAZZI MAGAZINE

29

Fried Calamari

Curry Laksa

Team paperazzi visited MarketModern Pan Asian Kitchen to experience some innovative dishes with diverse asian flavours, Took us back to our old New York days with the most authentic taste. We had yet to experience something so delicious in Karachi. Let us tell you, the kimchi fries and the laksa is to die for!!!

k the "at market, we 're tryin g to brea fering unique monotony in as ian cuisine by of yani (owner) and inn ovative dis hes " - farah va

#papera

Thai Grilled Prawns

STARTERS:

Fried Calamari Spicy Korean Wings Loaded Kimchi Fries MAIN COURSE:

Sashimi Tacos Crab Rangoon Pad Kra Pao Peking Chicken Wraps Korean Sliders Curry Laksa Thai Grilled Prawns Spicy Korean Wings 30

PAPERAZZI MAGAZINE

2018

Brilliant Ambience

Pad Kra Pao Sashimi Tacos

MARKET

azziEATS

s Crab Rangoon Peking Chicken Wrap

Pan Asian Kitchen

"We're constantly working to develop new and exciting items to our menu and have a lot more planned for the future!"- Farah Vayani (owner)

Peking Chicken Wraps

Loaded Kimchi Fries

Korean Fried Chicken Sliders 2018

PAPERAZZI MAGAZINE

31

AND CHILL some of our favourite shows to binge on this winter with a warm cup of coffee and cozy blanket.

3

4 1 THE OA A mystery drama series, having gone missing seven years ago, the previously blind Prairie returns home, now in her 20s with her sight restored. While many believe she is a miracle, others worry that she could be dangerous.

5 ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK A privileged New Yorker ends up in a women's prison when a past crime catches up with her in this Emmy-winning series from the creator of "Weeds.

32

PAPERAZZI MAGAZINE

2018

2 BLACK MIRROR This sci-fi anthology series explores a twisted, high-tech near-future where humanity's greatest innovations and darkest instincts collid

6 STRANGER THINGS When a young boy vanishes, a small town uncovers a mystery involving secret experiments, terrifying supernatural forces and one strange little girl!

THE CROWN A drama that follows the political rivalries and romance of Queen Elizabeth II's reign and the events that shaped the second half of the 20th century.

7 SENSE8 From the creators of "The Matrix" and "Babylon 5" comes this tense series in which eight people can telepathically experience each other's lives.

NARCOS The true story of Colombia's infamously violent and powerful drug cartels fuels this gritty gangster drama series

8 BOJACK HORSEMAN Meet the most beloved sitcom horse of the '90s, 20 years later. He's a curmudgeon with a heart of...not quite gold...but something like gold. Copper?

2017

PAPERAZZI MAGAZINE

25

4 |IN THE SPOTLIGHT

34

PAPERAZZI MAGAZINE

2018

MAHE ZEHRA & NIDA MIAN

in the spotlight

In conversation with mahe zehra & nida mian, the duo behind cheezian etc. a recently launched trendy yet affordable home accessories line.

Tell us a little about your background?

Both of us have been working in the corporate world but have always been passionate about design. In recent years we ventured into our own creative businesses, Mahe Zehra runs a craft blog and has published over a dozen books on arts and craft and Nida completed her graduate degree and started her own financial consulting and interior design company in Lahore.

erational processes and in fact we are still working on putting together efficient systems in place so that we can scale up to the level we have in mind. As one would expect, most of these fall under logistics, human resources and quality control issues.

We are still in the process of improving our services and have been working incessantly to ensure good quality products are being delivered to our customers in a timely manner with stellar customer support.

What ignited the spark in you to start Cheezain etc?

Having been exposed to the creative market in Pakistan through interior design and crafting, we realized there was a huge gap in the market for trendy yet affordable home accessories. Both of us believe that you don’t need to spend a lot of money to be able to design a “feel good” environment and felt that a beautiful home should be accessible to all and not just a niche market that is able to shop at expensive stores or buy home goods from their annual travels abroad.

What/Who was the main inspiration behind your business?

We are both obsessed with interior design and yet didn't want to let go of our numbers background. We were clear we wanted to create a beautiful brand that allows us the creative space to experiment with colours, fabrics and crafting techniques, but is not limited to just design. We both feel it is our generation’s moral obligation to be agents of change within Pakistan and we wanted to do our part by creating a venture that boosts the local economy and creates jobs by connecting makers who typically would not have access to the mainstream market.

How does Cheezain etc aim to serve its customers and the society?

The brand philosophy behind Cheezain etc. is to help create an inspiring and productive environment, be it for your home or workplace, using locally crafted products by Pakistani artisans. While we will be creating limited capsule collections inspired by our travels, since we both are travel buffs, over 90% of our products are made in Pakistan and we intend to boost our local artisanal economy by bringing locally crafted products to the market through our online platform.

Have you faced any kind of hurdles after starting Cheezain etc?

Far too many! It hasn’t been easy for us to streamline our op-

When and how did you two decide to collaborate on Cheezain etc?

We decided to start Cheezain etc last summer while sharing notes on our respective interior and crafting projects. We initially wanted to design craft projects for the home using the skillset of women supported by Alif Laila and the idea slowly expanded into a full scale online platform for home accessories.

We love the super catchy name. How did you two come up with it?

Cheezain etcetera (most people leave out the etc. much to 2018

PAPERAZZI MAGAZINE

35

our dismay!) came about more as a result of wanting to keep our brand name as open ended as possible since we plan to venture beyond home accessories into clothing and jewelry. Embarrassingly enough there was not much thought behind it as long as two parameters were met: We were clear we wanted an Urdu name as we are targeting the mass market and we wanted to keep it as vague as possible so we can expand our product base in the future!

Describe your creative process for us?

We both sit and discuss the overarching design concept and then either design/paint ourselves (this being truly the fun part) or go together to the market to source the appropriate raw materials. However, we wish we had more time to focus on our creative process and hope to take more time out for it for our second collection. Our first collection was a trial and error process of testing out a diverse set of products and varying design aesthetics as we ourselves had to learn about consumer tastes and behavior. We have tried to introduce a variety of designs rather than sticking to a theme so we can gather as much market intelligence for future collections.

For a startup that’s mainly based online, how difficult is it to build a successful customer base?

It’s actually easier to build a customer base online given the current Pakistani retail market. A lot of people are moving to online selling and this is becoming the norm. With online sales and customer acquisition you also have the added benefit of being able to capture data and analytics. This can in turn help to create intelligent marketing strategies that are based on actual facts and data instead of a hunch. Knowing which designs sold the most or which region brings us the most buyers will all help and inform our future marketing campaigns and design collections.

That said, building and retaining any kind of customer base, online or offline, requires putting the customer first and investing in very good customer support, both things we intend to keep at the heart of our brand.

As you work with local artisans, how do you monitor and control the quality of your products?

This is by far the most difficult and frustrating process! Product development and prototyping requires a lot of investment of our time, money and effort. It has been an iterative process, and we have also had to go through many artisans to find the right ones. We are aware this will be an ongoing issue but we really do hope to get to a stable supply chain management system where we create an ecosystem of reliable, talented artisans that can benefit from the smart and efficient systems we create for them rather than 36

PAPERAZZI MAGAZINE

2018

the archaic ones they have been accustomed too. And so we invest in training them to improve their own creative process so that they are able to improve not just their efficacy but overall personal growth.

How has the customer response been ever since your launch?

Thus far we have been positively overwhelmed by the customer response. Keeping our price points low enough so that we can call women of all income brackets our customers has been our biggest win. We have been pleasantly surprised since our online customers have ordered our products from various cities and small towns in all four provinces including Balochistan, KPK, and interior Sindh. It makes us feel truly connected to not just the elite of major cities but exactly the mass market we intended to target.

With your prices being super affordable, how do you manage to keep the business running along with keeping the local artisans satisfied?

First off, we opted to keep our overheads low and decided to go for an online platform rather than a traditional retail bricks and mortar model. We have also intentionally kept a no frills packaging system and will instead opt for innovative, below the line activities and educational workshops to connect with our customers as part of our marketing strategy.

We have tried to create a zero wastage policy where we not only optimize on all our raw materials but also end up reverse engineering some products designs to keep our costs low. All these strategies have helped us create a smart business where we don’t compromise on quality and ensure our artisans are getting paid as per market rates.

es. We simply resolve any design related conflicts by allowing each other one design even if the other doesn’t like it. With operational decisions, we end up meeting a middle ground that actually works out for the better! Nida tends to be the perfectionist/OCD one who lingers over details whereas Mahe Zehra believes in progress not perfection. So when operational decisions surface, we both balance each other out as we don’t end up compromising on micro details while retaining an overall fast and efficient workflow.

What is the future of Cheezain etc?

Though we are only 6 months old, we have already charted out both a short term and long term vision for the brand. If all goes well (fingers crossed!) we plan to scale up the business to create an impactful e-commerce venture that leverages on a rapidly urbanizing emerging market. We would love to expand beyond Pakistan and cater to a regional market while creating a supply side that taps into the local skillset of Pakistani artisans, particularly women, so that we can create jobs and change their lives in a more sustainable manner.

Tell us about a time when you both disagreed over something. How did you handle it?

Luckily enough we have not had that “one big fight” as yet but we tend to disagree at times on either design decisions or when we need to make a call on our operational process2018

PAPERAZZI MAGAZINE

37