Check Out Laraib Kiran’s Story

So, the urge to progress and learn new things has always made me explore and learn new skills since I was a little girl, art and design have always been on my to-do list. This eagerness eventually led me to explore and learn more about Graphic design. I wanted to attend 4-year college for a graphic design degree, but due to financial hardship and to support my family, I couldn’t attend college to get my degree. However, where there is a will, there is a way. I got myself enrolled in a Graphic design technical course back in 2012. Doing that course, I acquired skills in all the tools used in the graphic design industry. Learning these courses was not the end. To improve and execute what I learned, I decided to work and therefore joined a small software house in the year 2014 in Pakistan as a creative intern. After working there for 3 years, I was recruited as a lead creator of the team by a well-known international firm in Pakistan within 3 years, which helped me excel my career. Still, somehow the limits of a work scope always confined me to a certain creative workflow. My career was going in the right direction, but life had something else planned for me, and then I got married in 2017, and in the year 2019 I started a new life in the USA with my husband. I didn’t want to stay at home and be a housewife so I started applying for work in many places and eventually landed a job as a Accounts Receivable Assistant, which was very new for me. I worked there for two years, but things turned out for me when I had a new member to add to my world in 2021, my daughter, the focus then diverted towards the new role, and I had to leave my job. But being a house wife and a stay at home mom didn’t feel right. It allowed me to think about doing something different that would not divert my attention from my family and let me go head to head with my motivation to do something. And that was the day when “The Fanty Prints” was founded or, you can say, created, basically a custom apparel startup.

Startups are never easy, especially when trying to make a common thing stand out in a sea of competition. Therefore the first and biggest challenge I faced was to have the product be unique, catchy, and of good quality. This process of finding that uniqueness was quite exciting. I explored my home country Pakistan to get that cultural and unique touch on my western products so that it attracts both communities and cultural diversities. This did help me to come up with artwork that was rapidly accepted and appreciated by the clients. At first, managing the workload with a new member of the family and the house responsibilities was quite hard but it gradually smoothened as work was appreciated and supported by friends and the community, no matter the disruptions and delays. The must-mention thing here was the immense support from my better half because coming from a brown culture, once you have a family, that’s all you have. My husband not only encouraged me to pursue my passion but also was by my side throughout the process which I would say was the biggest thing to make me consistent and find that perfect work-family balance.

Basically, “The Fanty Prints” is a custom apparel and design startup with a touch of Pakistani Culture and it’s a theme of my little one. She was the one who kinda motivated or inspired me to come up with this and this will surely be known for it’s unique designs, appealing and catchy touch. For me, something to be proud of is that I didn’t let my inner urge to do something to make my skills more enhanced and useful die even after getting multiple hurdles and responsibilities. The acceptance and appreciation of my clients towards my newly designed products encourages me and makes me a proud Pakistani for showcasing my culture through my art. This uniqueness and the cultural fusion of Asian and Western apparel is what distinguishes me and my work.

I think not wasting my ability to channel my motivation and aggression positively is what I would call a success. Well, my success is to break the stereotype of my culture, of being a housewife and carrying a family while letting go of your dreams and passion. When you have responsibilities along with your modes of freedom and happiness, you get disciplined; you know you have to do one thing while the other thing, followed by it becomes your necessity.