With Mustang, These Two Women Give the Plain Old Sock a Fancy Makeover
by Sampath Putrevu posted on 24th April 2018 for Your Story / Entrepreneur
In conversation with Lubeina Shahpurwala, Cofounder, Mustang Socks and Accessories, who says the secret to being world class is not luck and genetics but extreme hard work.
Socks have been an essential part of our wardrobes, from early childhood and the shiny whites that were a part of all our uniforms, to the designer ones for office, and statement socks that are a fashion rage now.
In keeping with the love affair each one of us has with our socks, Naazneen Katrak founded Mustang Socks in 1987. She saw that India did not have reasonably priced good quality socks and wanted to be the one to offer them.
“Our brand is recognised as a family brand, where its socks are worn from grandparents to grandchildren. In fact, today, grandparents are getting inspired by socks worn by the youth,” says Lubeina Shahpurwala, co-founder of Mustang Socks and Accessories.
Naazneen borrowed Rs 500 from her aunt, which went into manufacturing. She started out by getting workers to hand-link socks, and would set out to sell them herself. She met Lubeina in 2001, and the duo together brought machinery to Mustang. With that, came innovation in design and the materials used.
Lubeina joined Mustang and initially helped Naazneen with the business. Three years later, in 2004, she took up the mantle of co-founder with a vision to make it a premium global apparel brand.