Studio Uran: Ethical, environmental and eclectic fashion
Uran not only has an eye for fashion, artistry and trend setting, but they are also one of the few Bangalee fashion houses that are keenly keeping the rich traditions of our clothing heritage alive
Studio Uran is one of the few fashion brands in the country that are championing ethical workforce practices, a fully domestic supply chain and the advocation of corporate and consumer responsibility.
It almost certainly helps that their fashion lines are the very best of Haute Couture and can compete with the quality and styles of leading subcontinental brands.
The UN designated sustainable development goal 12 (responsible consumption and production) is something that has yet to take hold in our domestic industries. The need to compete with the offerings of the modern world leads many business entities towards cost-effective measures, which invariably affect the environment negatively.
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The reason is simple: waste disposal, recycling and upcycling, all just add to the manufacturing cost. The cumulative impact of this will be a debt that our younger generations must bear on their shoulders.
Uran's goals can be described both as lofty and simple. They want to make sure our culture propagated through local craftsmen and designers is not lost in the shuffle of modern consumerism.
Founded by Shafia Shama in 2020, the business has weathered the pandemic without losing sight of its ethics and commitment. Uran studio actually flourished during the closure of the world.
It is a testament to Shama's business acumen that the design house turned a brutal turn of the global status quo into a consumerist force for good.
If you visit their Facebook page, where most of their sales and customer service are handled, you will see a manifesto of the company's commitment to quality, ethics and environmentalism.
This becomes particularly easy to do when you see that Uran not only has an eye for fashion, artistry and trend setting, but they are also one of the few Bangalee fashion houses that are keenly keeping the rich traditions of our clothing heritage alive.
When workers and designers are compensated properly it only naturally follows that the products you reap will have a bespoke authenticity about them.
"I never wear foreign brands or clothing," Shama claimed with a hint of pride in her voice, adding, "we are the textile capital of the world, more than half of the international brands people buy are sourced from here."
She is often the best dressed person in the room and is case in point for the appeal of her fashion brand.
"Shopping tourism is a huge thing for a certain class of people. It is slightly baffling since we clearly have the capability to produce and keep up with both high and fast fashion brands," she said.
Shama added, "This is where the SDG-12 angle is important to our ethos. Both consumers and manufacturers must foster a social contract to value our environment and ourselves as much as we value international brands."
Uran drops seasonal lines whenever it can and it is artist and environment driven. "My favourite outfits from the latest drop are not even published online yet," she asserts with a wry smile.
Business must surely be booming as Shama has clearly managed to do the impossible; align communal good with individual gain, this is the idealism of philosophical textbooks made manifest.
Their entire catalogue can be easily perused on Facebook and orders are delivered directly to your doorstep with solid return policies, top-tier quality control and of course, minimal environmental impact.
