Experience

Centre for Sustainable Fashion

• United Kingdom
• Retail Apparel and Fashion
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Post-Doctoral Research Fellow

  • Nov 2022 - Present



S jo accessories

• London

• Founder and Director

  • 2011 - Present

  Design and co-design multiple collections of handmade mixed media jewellery, embroidered and handwoven scarves and home accessories. All products are inspired from traditional techniques but original designs created through a series of one on one design workshops run directly at the villages twice a year. Part of the role is managing multiple relationships and building new ones to work across the diverse range of disciplines required in a project of this nature. Maintaining design direction and the creative identity of the brand. S jo is a socially responsible affordable luxury women and home accessories brand based in London. The brand works with highly skilled traditional rural artisans in Pakistan mainly women through self-funded associate project, 'Threads of the Indus'. The project focuses on personal and creative development of the craft makers while providing a fair steady income stream. Show less



'Threads of the Indus' collaborative project

• UK - Pakistan

• Project and Design Manager

  • 2009 - Present

  Self-initiated and self-funded design-led research and empowerment project for marginalised traditional artisans mainly women. A hybrid project identity enabled both PhD research and social empowerment for the rural craft communities. Practice-based doctoral research was conducted and concluded at the Royal College of Art, in London, initially aligned with Sindh Rural Support Organisation in Pakistan after which independently and directly with the community. The ongoing project creates a platform for dialogue and relationship through craft for knowledge exchange, encouraging creativity, thinking and decision-making in the women through design and the products we make. The long-term aim is to understand the role of experiential craft based approaches in the sustainable development of village-based craft communities with thriving material cultures. Show less



Rural Support Programmes Network

• Pakistan
• Non-profit Organization Management
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Project Manager, Enterprise Facilitation Unit

  • 2007 - 2008

  Managed the Rural Support Programmes Network (RSPN) and Commonwealth Secretariat’s (ComSec) collaborative Women’s socio - economic Empowerment project working through textile crafts (Needle embroidery) with multiple groups of traditional craftswomen in north and south of Pakistan. This entailed working and liasing with UK based designers, consultants, ComSec and various regional Rural Support Programmes as well as directly with the rural communities of artisans. Administrative roles included creating schedules, ensuring strict deadlines were met and project plans. Further responsibilities included sourcing and buying materials; planning, overseeing and conducting workshops; organising the women into groups for work; product development; effective quality control and delivery to the UK designers of their commissioned work. Show less

• Design Intern

  • Aug 2007 - Nov 2007

  Sourcing and buying materials, planning and conducting design workshops, quality control, product sampling, creating a database of traditional stitches (needlework), assisting Unit manager



Beximco Textile Division Ltd

• 300 - 400 Employee

• Design Intern

  • Feb 2003 - Feb 2003