Re: Designers and Negative Criticism
Ideas by Gul Ahmed : Karachi
GA started this store some years ago, which I came across on a shopping spree during my holidays in America. Now being a fairly simple girl, I dress simply. I probably should put more effort into my make-up and hair, but when you’re travelling and running a tight schedule and shopping in a short period of time, I personally dont’ have time to sit in a parlor every day before my shopping spree. So, yes, I will enter your boutique with a pair of chappals, a simple shalwaar kameez and my hair tied up in a bun. I shop looking like a rat in America, and still get good customer service, so if you’re going to charge me 6000 ruppees for a jora my maasi can make, you better give me good customer service.
So, I walk into Ideas, and my experience was fairly pleasant. The business is run by a family long entrenched in the textile business. Fashion, for them, is a business as well as an art, just as it is for a number of other worldly designers. The folks at Gul Ahmed not only have experience, but they hire trained stylists and businessmen who know how to sell their art.
Not surprisingly, when I walked into Ideas, the entire set-up was made to…well… sell.
I was not mistreated by staff. They were very helpful, despite my shabby appearance. They had a variety of designs and the quality of their cloth and embroidery was fantastic. No sequins hanging out of place. No loose stitches. No tugging at the seam lines. Arrangements were available for alterations without additional charge.
Their garments were spaced out well, so you could walk around without feeling like you were in a cramped space. They had accessories on sale, which were manufactured in-house. They also had a pleasant array of bed-ware, all made from their own textile mills.
All in all, the experience of shopping at Ideas is fantastic. I only wish they had a fitting room and a website that works, for international shoppers.
Website: http://www.ideas.com.pk