From a small room to a thriving boutique, the journey of Naira Noor, who has battled challenges, gained expertise and provided employment, inspires aspiring entrepreneurs.
Naira Noor, an entrepreneur from Sopore, has now become one of the most famous names in the town of Sopore. She has registered her name and left a mark in the fashion design industry. She owns a very successful boutique and has created a niche for herself through her design style. Naira has been determined, resilient, and constantly learning on her road to success, and now, she inspires others to take the step and start their own business. Naira has completed her BSc in Fashion Designing and also has an ITI diploma in the same area. She is proud of the fact that she is the first person from Sopore who has acquired a BSc in Fashion Designing. She is now an inspiration to many aspiring entrepreneurs in the region. Having begun with a small boutique, Naira did not have an easy ride. She began with one room in her house and said, “I began crying initially because I used to not be able to handle the clients.” Then it was her brother, who kept her motivated all along. “He says, ‘You can do it,’ and those words themselves gave me the strength.”‘. And soon, with time, good comments from the customers were motivating her to take the next level of business. Naira, in her story, has crossed several hurdles. Like most of entrepreneurs, she also had experienced quite several problems starting off her boutique and admits, ‘Challenges are an innate part of every new business.” “Challenges are a part of life, especially when you are starting something new,” she says. Naira has learned to embrace these challenges and make them stepping stones for growth in her personal and professional life. “With time, I gained experience and I learned a lot about the industry and my field,” she adds. Fashion designing, Naira explains, is an ever-evolving field where one can continuously learn and experiment. “Every day, there’s something new to learn about fashion designing. It is not about just making clothes; it is about how to handle fabrics and some techniques that enhance designs. Tailoring is very important; however, it does not require the same creativity as innovation,” she explains. This helps Naira be different with her boutique by attracting different customers who would want something different. Naira began the business from scratch and is very determined to achieve her dream. In raising the finances for the business, she applied for a loan under the KVI scheme. This is an initiative taken by the government to support starters in that region. She adds this scheme helped her substantially to establish her boutique off the ground, providing her with the much-needed finance that had become necessary for her to expand the business. “The KVI scheme was a great help. It gave me the financial backing to expand my boutique and take it to the next level,” she shares. One of Naira’s long-held dreams has been to start her own business and provide employment opportunities to others. Today, she is not only running her boutique successfully but also providing jobs to many girls who work with her, helping them earn their livelihood. “I always dreamed of having my own business, and now, I’m able to employ others. It’s very rewarding to see my team thrive and grow with me, she says with pride. Naira appreciates the role of social media in promoting her work in the digital age. She uses Instagram and Facebook to promote her designs and attract clients. “Social media is a powerful tool.”. It helps my work get the visibility it deserves and brings in clients from different places, she says. Naira’s boutique has attracted a loyal following of customers who appreciate her unique designs and techniques due to her online presence. Her clients come to her because they know they will get something special. “I give them fresh designs and innovative techniques that they cannot find elsewhere.”. She says, “I believe in giving something new and unique to my customers.” She stands out through her commitment to quality and creativity as one of the region’s top fashion designers. She is eagerly looking forward to further expansion of her boutique and inspiring people to take the entrepreneurial road. “I believe in learning, evolving, and constantly pushing the boundaries of what I can do. Fashion designing is my dream, and I want to keep learning and creating for as long as I can,” she says. Naira Noor’s story is a great example of persistence and a powerful vision, anyone can defeat all challenges and achieve success in the competitive business world. She has become a beacon of hope and inspiration for aspiring entrepreneurs in Sopore and beyond
