Khaadi
A Pakistani fashion and lifestyle brand built around handloom-inspired design, apparel, home products, and international retail.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
Khaadi is a Pakistani fashion and lifestyle brand founded by Shamoon Sultan in December 1998. Its name derives from khadi or khaddi, a South Asian term associated with handloom textiles, and the brand began with a focus on hand-woven clothing and the cultural value of textile craftsmanship. Khaadi’s first store opened in Zamzama, Karachi, in 1999, establishing a retail concept that connected traditional textile references with contemporary fashion presentation. The business expanded quickly during its early years. Within two years of its first store, Khaadi had opened additional locations and broadened its assortment. In 2002, it added women’s ready-to-wear clothing, moving beyond its original hand-woven positioning into a wider fashion-retail model. The company later introduced more specialized and adjacent categories, including Khaadi Khaas, a luxury-wear line launched in 2008. Khaadi Kids and Khaadi Home followed in the 2012–2013 period, extending the brand into children’s clothing and household products. In 2019, it entered fragrance through Khaadi Fragrances. Khaadi’s identity combines South Asian craft references with accessible, commercially scaled fashion. Its historical visual language emphasized the human labor behind textiles; the original logo’s fingers represented weavers’ hands and the work involved in producing finished fabric. Over time, the company transitioned from a primarily hand-woven clothing label into a broader fast-fashion and lifestyle retailer, offering women’s, men’s, and children’s apparel alongside accessories, home merchandise, and fragrances. International expansion began in 2010 with stores in the United Arab Emirates, initially in Dubai and subsequently in Abu Dhabi. The company then entered the United Kingdom, opening a Birmingham store in 2014 and later adding locations associated with Westfield London, Westfield Stratford City, and Highcross Leicester. In Pakistan, it continued to enlarge its store network, including a large location at Dolmen Mall Clifton in Karachi in 2015. Publicly described store figures indicate that Khaadi operated 46 stores across 17 Pakistani cities and 17 stores in the United Kingdom and GCC as of 2015; by 2022, it operated 60 stores in 30 Pakistani cities. Khaadi has also invested in experiential retail. Working with Landor and Fitch from 2020, it developed The Experience Hub, a 32,000-square-foot Karachi space that opened in December 2021 and combines retail with a café. In 2024, the company expanded its United States presence through a 5,500-square-foot Experience Store at Tysons Corner Center in Virginia. The brand has faced labor-related criticism. In May 2017, workers organized nationwide protests after 32 employees were dismissed in connection with efforts to enforce labor rights. The protests raised allegations concerning mistreatment, excessive working hours, wages below legal minimums, and unsafe working conditions. These events form an important part of Khaadi’s public history because they contrasted the brand’s craft-centered identity with scrutiny of labor practices in garment production and retail. Khaadi remains an active Pakistani-origin fashion and lifestyle business with a significant domestic store network and operations in selected international markets.
History
Khaadi was established by Shamoon Sultan in December 1998 in Pakistan. The business took its name from khadi, a term linked to handloom production, and initially presented itself as a hand-woven clothing brand. Its first store opened in Zamzama, Karachi, in 1999. The early retail concept emphasized the relationship between textile making, local craft traditions, and finished clothing. The original logo reinforced that idea by depicting fingers as a reference to the hands of weavers and the labor involved in producing textiles. Khaadi expanded its store presence within approximately two years of launch and began adding product categories. In 2002, the company entered women’s ready-to-wear, a significant shift from a narrower hand-woven offering toward a more complete fashion business. This expansion allowed Khaadi to serve customers seeking contemporary garments while retaining visual and material references to Pakistani and South Asian textile culture. In 2008, the company introduced Khaadi Khaas, a luxury-wear line that gave the brand a more elevated proposition for formal and occasion-oriented clothing. The business broadened further in the 2012–2013 period with Khaadi Kids and Khaadi Home. These launches moved the company beyond its original apparel focus into children’s fashion and household merchandise. By 2015, Khaadi had transitioned toward a fast-fashion retail model, combining frequent fashion-oriented merchandise with a growing physical-store network. The company’s expansion was reflected in reported scale: in 2015 it operated 46 stores in 17 Pakistani cities and 17 stores across the United Kingdom and GCC. A 22,000-square-foot store at Karachi’s Dolmen Mall Clifton opened in September of that year. International growth began in 2010, when Khaadi opened its first United Arab Emirates stores in Dubai and later Abu Dhabi. The company subsequently developed a United Kingdom presence. A 1,630-square-foot store opened at Birmingham’s Bullring shopping centre in 2014, followed by stores connected with Westfield London and Westfield Stratford City in East London. Khaadi also opened a Highcross Leicester location in September 2015. These moves established the brand in markets with Pakistani and South Asian diasporas while also presenting its textile-led aesthetic to a broader international customer base. Khaadi continued diversification with the launch of Khaadi Fragrances in 2019. In the following period, the company invested in a more immersive retail format. It worked with Landor and Fitch from 2020 on The Experience Hub, a 32,000-square-foot Karachi destination that opened in December 2021. The space combines retail with a café and represents an effort to make the brand’s physical environments part of the customer proposition rather than relying solely on conventional store formats. By 2022, Khaadi operated 60 stores in 30 cities within Pakistan. In 2024, it expanded its United States operations with a 5,500-square-foot Experience Store at Tysons Corner Center in Virginia. Labor relations became a major point of public controversy in May 2017. Workers organized nationwide protests after 32 employees were dismissed in circumstances associated with attempts to enforce rights under Pakistani labor law. Protesters raised allegations involving mistreatment, long working hours, payment below minimum-wage levels, and unsafe working conditions. The episode placed Khaadi within wider debates about labor standards in Pakistan’s garment sector and created a reputational tension between the brand’s celebration of textile craftsmanship and criticism of workplace conditions. Khaadi’s development therefore spans several phases: a hand-woven clothing origin, rapid domestic retail growth, expansion into ready-to-wear and luxury categories, internationalization, diversification into children’s, home, and fragrance products, and a later emphasis on experiential retail. Its current identity is that of an active Pakistani fashion and lifestyle retailer with a substantial domestic network and selected operations abroad.
- 2024
Experience Store opens in Virginia
[1]Khaadi expands its United States retail operations with a store at Tysons Corner Center.
- 2022
Domestic network reaches 60 stores
[1]Khaadi is reported to operate 60 stores across 30 Pakistani cities.
- 2021
The Experience Hub opens
[1]Khaadi opens a 32,000-square-foot retail and café destination in Karachi.
- 2019
Khaadi Fragrances launches
[1]The brand diversifies into fragrance products.
- 2017
Nationwide labor protests
[1]Workers protest the dismissal of 32 employees and raise concerns about labor rights and workplace conditions.
- 2015
Fast-fashion transition and major Karachi store opening
[1]Khaadi shifts toward a fast-fashion retail model and opens a 22,000-square-foot store at Dolmen Mall Clifton in Karachi.
- 2014
United Kingdom retail expansion
[1]Khaadi opens a store at Birmingham’s Bullring shopping centre and subsequently develops additional United Kingdom locations.
- 2012
Khaadi Kids and Khaadi Home are introduced
[1]The company broadens its portfolio into children’s clothing and home products during the 2012–2013 period.
- 2010
International expansion begins
[1]Khaadi opens stores in the United Arab Emirates, beginning in Dubai and later extending to Abu Dhabi.
- 2008
Khaadi Khaas launches
[1]Khaadi enters luxury and occasion-oriented womenswear through Khaadi Khaas.
Products and positioning
A culturally rooted Pakistani fashion and lifestyle retailer that translates handloom and South Asian textile traditions into contemporary, broadly accessible apparel and related products.
Apparel · 2002
Women's apparel
Women’s clothing became a central part of Khaadi’s business after the introduction of ready-to-wear in 2002. The category carries the brand’s combination of contemporary fashion, South Asian textile references, printed fabrics, and craft-inspired styling.
Luxury apparel · 2008
Khaadi Khaas
Khaadi Khaas is the brand’s luxury-wear line, introduced in 2008. It extends Khaadi’s textile and design language into more elevated clothing intended for formal, occasion, and premium fashion use.
Children's apparel · 2012
Khaadi Kids
Khaadi Kids extends the brand into children’s clothing. Its introduction formed part of the company’s early diversification away from a single hand-woven apparel proposition and toward a family-oriented fashion assortment.
Home products · 2013
Khaadi Home
Khaadi Home is the company’s home-products line, introduced during the 2012–2013 diversification period. It applies the brand’s textile-led aesthetic beyond personal apparel and into household merchandise.
Fragrance · 2019
Khaadi Fragrances
Khaadi Fragrances represents the brand’s expansion into scent and personal lifestyle products. The line was introduced in 2019 as part of the company’s broader move into adjacent consumer categories.
Controversies
2017
Labor-rights protests and workplace allegations
In May 2017, Khaadi workers organized nationwide protests after 32 employees were dismissed in circumstances linked to attempts to enforce Pakistani labor rights. Protesters alleged mistreatment, excessive working hours, pay below minimum-wage levels, and hazardous working conditions.
Brand decisions
2024
Expansion of United States retailStrategyBackground
Khaadi continued developing its international presence after establishing operations in Pakistan, the UAE, the United Kingdom, and GCC markets.
Action taken
The company opened a 5,500-square-foot Experience Store at Tysons Corner Center in Virginia.
Aftermath
The opening expanded Khaadi’s physical retail presence in the United States.
2020
Development of an experiential retail conceptStrategyBackground
Khaadi sought to develop a retail environment that went beyond conventional store merchandising.
Action taken
Working with Landor and Fitch, the company designed The Experience Hub in Karachi.
Aftermath
The 32,000-square-foot space opened in December 2021 with retail facilities and a café.
2015
Transition toward fast-fashion retailStrategyBackground
Khaadi had expanded beyond hand-woven clothing into ready-to-wear and multiple retail categories.
Action taken
The company adopted a broader fast-fashion retail model and continued enlarging its store network.
Aftermath
The brand operated a substantially larger domestic and international retail network and offered a wider range of apparel and lifestyle products.
2010
International retail expansionStrategyBackground
After developing its Pakistani store network, Khaadi pursued customers outside its home market.
Action taken
The company opened stores in the United Arab Emirates and later expanded into the United Kingdom and other international markets.
Aftermath
Khaadi established an international footprint spanning the UAE, the United Kingdom, GCC markets, and later the United States.
2002
Entry into women’s ready-to-wearProduct launchBackground
Khaadi began as a hand-woven clothing brand and sought to broaden its commercial fashion proposition.
Action taken
The company introduced women’s ready-to-wear clothing.
Aftermath
The move established women’s fashion as a major part of the brand’s subsequent assortment.
Recent events
- 2024
Khaadi expands United States retail presence[1]
Other
Khaadi opened a 5,500-square-foot Experience Store at Tysons Corner Center in Virginia, extending its international retail footprint.
- 2021
Khaadi opens The Experience Hub in Karachi[1]
Other
The brand opened a 32,000-square-foot Karachi retail and café concept developed with Landor and Fitch, marking a move toward experiential retail.
Sources2 sources
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