P R O F I L E
Mahnoor predicts that champagne blonde is going to be hair colour trend this season, even though the trends keep changing, this is
something she’s looking forward to.
She aims to make Mizka a name in every household when it comes to hair and beauty.
CoNatural
Another brand that has been making waves is CoNatural. A
brand that is all about going natural was founded by sisters
Rema Taseer and Myra Qureshi. They wanted to develop a
skin and hair care brand that uses natural and fresh ingredients
sourced from organic and fair trade suppliers. Not only that,
CoNatural ensures women enjoy soft, supple skin that glows
with natural health and all the confidence that comes with it!
“The market in Pakistan needed an awareness of organic
products and its benefits, Rema and I decided to take the
plunge. I joined online schools for natural skin care to learn
basic formulating skills and hired consultants and chemists to
help us develop our commercial products,” Myra told GLOSS.
CoNatural is all about promoting women empowerment,
which is why as of now the brand has 50% women working
with the brand and they aim to increase this number to 75%
in the near future.
Moreover, while talking about women empowerment itself
Myra said, “We are of the era of women’s empowerment, and
it is not as difficult for a woman to be successful as it was a few
years ago. “ Not only that she added that despite the increasing number of girls outranking boys in various fields, these successes don’t
translate into equal work opportunities for women. “Women on boards or executive positions still remains low, the wage gap for women
versus men for the same role still remains low across the world, especially in Pakistan,” Myra commented adding that, “Sexism is very
common in 2018, and though there is less overt discrimination today than a few decades ago, it still exists.”
“On the flip side, there are many well-known women today who have attained success in their careers. Some of my very own role models
come from home. My mother, who has been my inspiration, was educated at MIT and is an established architect and conservation
specialist. By working and succeeding in male-dominated environments, she’s broken so many stereotypes in Pakistani business spheres,”
Myra told GLOSS.
Talking about her late mother-in-law, Asma Jahangir, who is internationally renowned as the founder of Pakistan's home-grown human
rights movement, she said that she was a bold, fearless voice of the downtrodden and dispossessed in Pakistan.
CoNaturaI truly believes that as more women enter the workplace, they can become role models for other women. Not only do they
have to balance their work life, but personal lives as well.
While recalling an incident when the retailers delayed the payments, Myra said, “We live in a male-dominated society so we have to go
the extra mile to prove ourselves, they still think that it's OK to delay a woman's business payments as compared to male counterparts.”
She quoted another incident stating, “Some suppliers sent me sub-standard goods thinking that I wouldn't take notice or wouldn't
report them to the authorities. Obviously, I never let people take advantage of me. After a few years spent working with me, they know
better not to even try and mess with me!”
She believes that we can continue breaking these stereotypes if we remain confident in who we are what we do, we can truly inspire each
other to believe in ourselves and our abilities. “If you are passionate about your business, nothing can come between you and success,”
she added.
CoNatural has recently launched in the UAE and UK. In the future, they are looking to expand into other Western markets as well.
66