The sister duo Zehra and Sophia Naqvi founded the brand ShopGLO in 2014 as a holistic and ethical fashion brand focused on empowering the voices of people of color, while also supplying the girls’ desires of having a creative outlet. In this interview, we discuss CEO Zehra Naqvi’s journey through establishing a name in the fashion industry and her current goals for her brand.
Born to a Pakistani family, Zehra’s double residence in Hong Kong and New York City facilitated her push towards graphic T-shirts. According to Naqvi, GLO’s empowerment campaign became geared towards the still prevalent she and others have experienced colorism and racism in Asia. “To be quite blunt,” she said, ” Asia is quite behind in discussing issues regarding equality.” On describing her trip back to NYC, Naqvi says “It was so motivating to see the progress in awareness, activism, and discussion of certain issues but it also validated that the issues I saw in Hong Kong were also present in NYC. It definitely took my perspective of GLO from an Asian perspective to a global perspective.” Now as a sophomore at Columbia University, Zehra is more focused on bringing about social change with driven statements such as “Dark skin is not a crime” and “Decolonize your wardrobe”, a statement reproving the white majority currently ruling the fashion industry, and a fan-favorite, “MELANIN”, under the brand’s “Empowerment” campaign.
With the debate over the negative effects of fast fashion, Zehra responds “that she wished for ShopGLO “to be a brand built on ethical production to empower not only [their] customers but the people behind the product.” The young business mogul has expanded the brand’s designs to phone cases to display a more creative play on her interest in fashion.
Not only is Zehra into fashion and finance, but she dabbles in writing for the company’s blog, colloquially referred to as the Hub. The Hub serves as the go-to safe space for aspiring entrepreneurs, marketers, models and stylists who share their narratives on how to become successful while maintaining your individuality. Speaking on the Hub, she says “GLO’s foundation was built upon providing for people our age. ” In the midst of our political climate, Zehra hopes to inspire this generation to embrace themselves through fashion and become aware of the social issues plaguing their communities.
Not only is Zehra into fashion and finance, but she dabbles in writing for the company’s blog, colloquially referred to as the Hub. The Hub serves as the go-to safe space for aspiring entrepreneurs, marketers, models and stylists who share their narratives on how to become successful while maintaining your individuality. Speaking on the Hub, she says “GLO’s foundation was built upon providing for people our age. ” In the midst of our political climate, Zehra hopes to inspire this generation to embrace themselves through fashion that is spreading awareness of the social issues plaguing our communities rather than profiting off of a movement.
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