Maulana Tariq Jameel announced his intentions to set up a fashion brandearlier this year, hoping to use the proceedings from the business to fund his madressahs, in addition to building schools and hospitals in the country. That intention has now manifested into a shiny new reality on Karachi’s Tariq Road.
The maulana was accompanied by his associates and the executives running the show. He cut the ribbon and offered a dua to kick off the launch of MTJ.
At the end of the event, he also spoke to the media.
“The thought first came to me in 2000. I always wanted to run a madressah without using zakat money. But I couldn’t find enough resources for it. So, when the pandemic happened, the Almighty put this thought in my head to start a business and use that money to run the Islamic institutions,” he had said in the announcement made on his official social media channels.
“That was my intention and a few of my friends collaborated with me. Hence, we launched a brand with my name.”
The store features a complete collection of eastern wear, ranging from formal to casual, from wedding attire to breezy lawn pret. The products are priced in the range of Rs2,000 to Rs5,000, competitive with the general market.
Following suit with the other religio-fashion brands in the country, MTJ also features faceless mannequins.
Here’s what the brand’s casual wear like looks like.
Are you a soon-to-be groom? MTJ might be the place to visit this season.
There’s footwear too.
Maulana Jameel’s initial announcement was met with some criticism and he was not comfortable with the disapproval thrown his way for running a business in the name of religiosity. In response, he said, “I don’t understand where this idea of clerics running such businesses isn’t righteous came from, even though a lot of religious personalities we follow have been successful businessmen.”
