Meet the woman entrepreneur who started Kashmir’s first online fashion store

In 2015, Iqra Ahmad

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decided to start her own store specialising in traditional Kashmiri clothing. A fashion aficionado, she decided to go the online route, by starting the first in the Valley.

Iqra, who hails from Sanat Nagar area of Srinagar, started Tulpalav to introduce Kashmir’s finest weaves and designs.

“During those days, there was no online business in Kashmir and I started my online business with just Rs 10,000 in 2015 without taking any loan,” Iqra tells HerStory.

Today, Tulpalav is a thriving online business with customers all over the world. She has a strong presence on Instagram with over 37,000 followers.

From pherans, kurtas, pleated skirts to wedding dresses, Tulpalav offers a wide range of clothing designed to blend modern fashion with theKashmiri culture. Iqra puts in a lot of thought at every step right from procuring the material to designing, stitching and embroidery.

“While using Kashmiri embellishments on our clothes we do the designing, stitching and embroidery according to the latest trends. I aim to mix contemporary trends with traditional Kashmiri designs. My team tries to make something unique each time by experimenting with materials, cuts and silhouettes, a process that over the years has become very popular,” Iqra says.

“Our most popular product is a custom-made Tlla-work Pheran that has gained a lot of attention among customers,” she adds.

Tilla is gold or silver thread embroidery, with its origins in Iran’s Zari village, a craft imported to Kashmir by the 14th century saint, Mir Syed Ali Hamdani (popularly known as Shah-e-Hamdan), when he migrated to Kashmir with a group of craftsmen.

Iqra says she always wanted to become a fashion designer but since Kashmir has no fashion schools, she decided to study other subjects.

“After studying economics and psychology, and later linguistics from the University of Kashmir, I moved from pillar to post to get a job but ultimately I decided to create my own space,” she says.

A blend of the traditional and modern

She receives over 100 orders every month from around the world and business is booming.

“I created an Instagram page for Tulpalav to showcase our range and this has helped me reach out to customers, interact with them and know their tastes and preferences,” Iqra says.

Till August 2019, she had 50,000 Instagram followers but after using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to access the internet, she lost her followers and account in a snap, Iqra recalls.

“While the online store has been successful I have plans to open a physical store soon. My plans to scale the business received a setback due to the persistent lockdowns in Kashmir. Hopefully, with things improving in the Valley, I can open one soon,” she says.

“I am striving hard to keep Kashmiri traditions alive. As a group of 10, we are working with determination to revive Kashmiri art, culture and heritage to prevent its extinction,” she concludes.