Andeem: using tie-dyes to give sharis a burst of life 

Out of love for creative designs, three friends decided to open a boutique where they would get to turn their passion into their profession. And thus, the brand 'Andeem' was born.

Eeman Ahmed, the owner and sole designer of Andeem, left her job as a banker to pursue her true aim in life - fashion design. Even when the partners left, she continued to run Andeem by herself.

"I started Andeem with three of my friends back in 2011 but I have been running the brand by myself since 2013, after they left. I and my team of 11 artisans, tailors and marketers now run the brand," Eeman informed us.

The brand specialises in crafting sharis and kurtis from locally-woven fabrics such as muslin and chiffon. Recently, Andeem has been focusing on tie-dye sharis that add a pop of colour to any mundane black or white six yards of fabric.

Andeem combines the luxury of Bangali ethnic wear and minimalistic modernity in their designs. Whether it is a silk shari or cotton kurti, Eeman's focus never shifts from ensuring unique design features and highlighting the beauty of diversity.

Andeem's designs are simple, minimal and truly astounding. The designs are proof that a simple pop of pink, yellow or green on a white or black chiffon shari can be a game changer.

Speaking more about this, she said, "I know my designs are simple but I also know that they stand out in the crowd, owing much of it to the fact that I only get inspired by my original ideas. It is very easy to copy any design by foreign designers but doing so will deter my abilities as a designer."

Although Andeem mostly caters to a niche client base, it does not stop Eeman from consistently churning out original designs. Uniqueness and originality have been two of her main focuses.

Back in 2019, Andeem had a brick and mortar store in Baridhara but Eeman shut it down to take a break from work. She wanted to restart the business from March 2020 but the Covid-19 pandemic did not allow it to happen.

"When I realised in March 2021 that Covid-19 was not going anywhere, I decided to restart Andeem amidst the pandemic. This time, I started small. The pandemic strengthened people's trust in shopping online and so I decided to move forward with an online shop," she shared.

Her trusted pool of artisans, tailors, fabric suppliers and marketers have acted as the backbone of Andeem. When Eeman restarted the brand, she re-employed the same people she had been working with since 2011. 

Eeman described the pricing as "not overpriced but not low-end either". She believes Andeem's clothes deliver value for money as proper quality is maintained every step of the way.

"I keep the prices as low as possible for the business to sustain and make profits," Eeman told us, adding, "and since my production is small-scale, this is the best I can do. I also have to ensure my artisans are fairly paid for their labour."

Alongside making high-quality ethnic wear, Andeem also offers its customers flexible return and exchange policies to rule out client dissatisfaction.

Andeem allows customers to return a product upon delivery in case they do not like it as much as they did in the photos. And if a customer wants to exchange a product after having accepted it, they have to notify the brand in 24 hours. 

About the future plans, Eeman said, "I am happy with where I currently stand with Andeem. This brand is not only my business; it is also my child. I want to keep Andeem exclusively online and plan to build a website."