This post is part of our regular series of interviews with people across Asia-Pacific who’ve caught our eye, using the Internet to create, connect and grow.

Waqas Ali and Sidra Qasim of Markhor in Pakistan

How would you describe Markhor in one sentence?
Markhor is an online brand which makes premium handcrafted leather footwear and bespoke accessories for the modern gentlemen.

Where did inspiration for your business come from?
During a visit to his hometown, Waqas was struck by a conversation among village elders, questioning the Internet’s role in Pakistani society. A cobbler asked whether the Internet’s impact had been positive or negative. Waqas told the cobbler—who happened to be out of work because he had no customers—that he could use the Internet to get more orders and to build a new business. And so the idea to use the Internet to sell handmade shoes was born.

At that point, we didn’t have any money and had to turn to others for financing. We pitched our idea to Pashafund, a social innovation fund supported by Google.org, to help get the business off the ground. We secured US$10,000 which enabled us to buy raw materials, and to hire the village cobbler and other experienced shoemakers to design and create our first shoes.

What lessons have you learned along the way?
We’ve learned a lot about brand-building through the web. For example, the Internet has enabled us to better understand what our international customers look for, especially in terms of quality. So we’re now establishing a team that looks closely at quality control. Observing our global competition online, we also realized that we needed a brand that would appeal to an international audience. We hired the best designers in Pakistan to bring our vision for the brand to life. Today our brand is represented by the markhor, our national animal, expressing strength and pride in Pakistani craftsmanship.

[Image] Detail of Markhor’s products and brand development on Instagram
What has been your biggest challenge?
We’ve had a few challenges to overcome. First, it was difficult to get access to an online payments system that would allow us to conveniently accept international payments. Second, we've struggled with unpredictability in website access. Our site was blocked for three weeks for no clear reason when we were just getting started. And third, it wasn’t easy to find a reliable and affordable partner for international shipping. We finally found a local company that now helps us deliver our products all over the world.

There have been personal challenges too. It’s not common for a girl from a village to start a business, so Sidra didn’t get much support initially. But with some successes under our belts, our business has become a great story for people in our village to tell and they’re much more supportive now.



What’s next for Markhor?
In August we’ll launch a Kickstarter campaign to raise more capital and show the world how we’re making beautifully handcrafted shoes. We believe in ethically made custom products and this campaign will take our Kickstarter backers through the process of creating high quality custom-made leather goods — from concept, to when a customer ties the laces on our shoes for the first time.

Posted by Waqas Ali and Sidra Qasim, co-founders of Markhor in Pakistan