The mind behind one in all Pakistan’s most famous style manufacturers appears to be like again on 2025
Zain Ahmed. Picture: file
The ‘Rastah’ streetwear model has change into one in all Pakistan’s most well-known style homes and has appeared within the wardrobes of worldwide celebrities and risen quickly with its distinctive mix of ‘desi’ craft and Western-type aesthetics.
Its founder, Zain Ahmed, took the brand new yr as a chance to speak concerning the model’s fast progress in 2025 and the difficulties that got here together with it in a publish on the label’s Instagram account.
He stated final yr had been ‘one of many hardest years of our lives’. Ahmed stated that there have been instances when he had overlooked the very function of ‘Rastah’.
He, nevertheless, did acknowledge that the yr had been nice for enterprise, with doubled progress and month-to-month gross sales nearing one million {dollars} in November and June. He additionally launched its first showroom in Paris. Ahmed additionally stated a number of stars used his work, he collaborated with cricketer Wasim Akram, and made the ‘Gents’s Quarterly’ print version.
All of that got here with extraordinary challenges, nevertheless, because the crew bit off greater than they may chew at instances. Speaking concerning the heavy quantity of gross sales in November, he stated cracks started to appear within the system when an absence of assets and manpower hit the model and their logistics infrastructure collapsed.
“We did not ship the expertise our neighborhood deserved, and that harm,” Ahmed admitted. “There isn’t any dressing that up. We fell brief.”
The founder stated this yr reminded his crew why Rastah exists within the first place — “It is not the glamour, the headlines or the celebrities. It is sincere work, actual craft, storytelling and items that imply one thing.”
Ahmed vowed that 2026 was the yr Rastah would do higher by its supporters and put its “clients and neighborhood on the centre of every thing”. He additionally promised there would not be a repeat of final yr’s supply issues with the model’s upgraded warehousing and provide methods.
Rastah was based in 2018 in Lahore, Pakistan. The founders initially deliberate to promote Pakistani hand-woven materials underneath the Rastah model, however as a substitute turned to creating clothes that integrated Pakistani tradition into streetwear. They’ve used conventional Pakistani strategies for the creation of a few of their garments, together with utilizing Pakistani hand looms and wooden block printing. The model’s artistic director, Zain Ahmad has described town of Lahore as inspiring the designs discovered of their clothes. Ismail Ahmad got here from the advertising background, whereas Adnan Ahmad from the enterprise and finance. Aslam Mirza serves as an artisan.
In a March 2021 replace of PUBG Cellular, Rastah costumes have been launched for the gamers.[5] In 2022, Zain Ahmad was featured on Forbes 30 underneath 30 Asia record for globally illustration of the Pakistani style.[6] In 2023, Rastah turned the primary Pakistani model to be featured at London Trend Week.[7] In 2024, the model gained the Hum Type Award for Designer of the Yr — Pret Put on.
The model has been worn by worldwide celebrities as nicely,[9] together with rapper French Montana, singers Zayn Malik and Justin Bieber, actors Timothée Chalamet, Diljit Dosanjh, Iman Vellani (in an episode of Ms. Marvel[10]) Barry Keoghan, Anil Kapoor, and Riz Ahmed, filmmaker Karan Johar,[11] and wrestler Seth Rollins.
He studied political financial system on the College of British Columbia earlier than launching Rastah in 2018. In 2023, Rastah turned the primary Pakistani model to be featured at London Trend Week. It has been worn by A-list celebrities together with Zayn Malik, Timothée Chalamet, Barry Keoghan, Justin Bieber and Anil Kapoor.
Ahmad is now working in direction of the opening of a non-public showroom in Lahore. He’s additionally gearing as much as open Rastah’s debut retailer in New York at first of 2026.
