A LETTER FROM THE FOUNDER

I founded SHEWORKS out of an interest in the people, skills and traditions that still exist across Pakistan.

I am a police officer by profession. My work has taken me to different parts of the country and has given me the opportunity to see Pakistan beyond its cities.

I started noticing crafts in these places. How people weave. How they embroider. How they print fabric. How certain techniques are known only within a family or a small community.

That interested me.

I wanted to know who was still doing this work, how it was being done, and whether these skills would still exist twenty years from now.

That thinking became part of SHEWORKS.

We go into the field. We meet artisans. We ask questions. We learn about techniques, materials and processes. We document what we find and then explore how that knowledge can become part of clothing, home textiles and other products for today.

For me, SHEWORKS is not about claiming a craft or changing it until its origin disappears.

It is about understanding it first.

Who makes it?
Where does it come from?
How is it traditionally done?
How can we work with it responsibly today?

There is much more to build.

Pakistan has an extraordinary depth of craft, and we have only begun to explore what SHEWORKS can become. There are more regions to visit, more artisans to work with, more techniques to document and many more possibilities beyond what we are doing today.

I believe SHEWORKS has the potential to grow far beyond what it is today, while remaining true to this philosophy.

We are willing to work with artisans, designers, researchers, institutions and partners who believe in the same idea—respect the craft, respect the process and respect the people behind it.

There is still a great deal to learn, explore and build.

And we are just getting started.

SHOAIB
Founder • Creative Head • R&D Lead
SHEWORKS