Celebrating spring with ‘Shordindu’
From salwar kameez sets, panjabis, sarees to dresses and even blazers, Shordindu tries to bring a touch of folk art or folklore to everything they create
In 2016, Habiba Akter Shurovy, a second year university student, was doing tuitions to earn pocket money, but she kept looking for better alternatives.
Soon she started selling clothes, which she herself designed and dyed, and over time, her venture grew into a full-fledged brand that is now known as 'Shordindu'. After a while, one of her closest friends, who is now her husband, joined the business under a 50-50 partnership.
"Ever since we have been running the business together, we have been trying to do things with more perfection," said Habiba.
The brand is known for colourful, comfortable yet incredibly trendy clothes. From salwar kameez sets, panjabis, sarees to dresses and even blazers, Shordindu tries to bring a touch of folk art or folklore to everything they create. If customers want, they can even buy unstitched clothes or yards of printed fabric.
We asked Habiba whether there was any interesting story behind her journey into entrepreneurship, and what Shordindu focuses on and aspires to do as a brand.
She replied, "I would say that every day, in this world of entrepreneurship or start-up, is full of interesting stories. This venture of ours, this business, has been shaping our lives almost like a fairy tale. We both got a place where we could dream big, where we could challenge our own abilities, where we could interact with thousands and create job opportunities for others."
She went on, "Our main focus is 'comfort with culture'. We are mainly focused on creating comfortable clothes that represent our traditional and diverse Bengali culture, our folk art and our rich folklore. And we aim to be a global brand which truly represents Bengali art and culture."
As mentioned earlier, Habiba and her husband Tanbir Hossain Rifat co-own this brand. Rifat is the CEO and managing partner of Shordindu while Habiba is the head of design and managing partner.
They have their own manufacturing factory for printing, stitching and dyeing. There are dedicated teams for customer care management and social media marketing.
Although the brand has become quite popular within a few years, Habiba likes to stay humble. "I do not think we are that popular yet. But we are receiving tons of love and support from our audiences, our clients. They are the main reason for where we, Shordindu, stand right now, and we are really grateful to them."
She informed us that their Falgun and Valentine's Day collection was focused on folk art and the Bengali culture and they tried to keep vibrant yet soothing colour combinations.
Soft yellow, grey, green, peach, red, blue, white and many other pleasant shades have been used in this collection. Krishnachura, Kumud, Paulash, Noyontara, Gulbahar – the attires in this collection have been appropriately named keeping spring in mind.
From florals to monochromic prints, there are adorable matching sets for couples. Some of them come with matching masks. Single pieces are also available. The price range varies depending on the products.
Currently there are three outlets of Shordindu – one in Bashundhara City Shopping Mall, another in Zam Zam Tower in Uttara and the other in Dhaka New Market. Customers can also place orders in their Facebook page.