Pernia Qureshi and Shehlina Soomro launch pre-loved fashion business 'Saritoria'

By

Isabelle Crossley

Published
Jul 12, 2021

Entrepreneurs Pernia Qureshi and Shehlina Soomro have launched pre-loved fashion e-commerce platform 'Saritoria' to bring vintage South Asian couture to shoppers in India and abroad.

 
Designer and entrepreneur Qureshi and investment banker Soomro have just launched their new venture: an e-commerce store where people can buy and sell pre-owned luxury South Asian clothing with the aim of creating a circular economy. The e-commerce site features Indian and Pakistani brands including Anamika Khanna, Élan, and Nomi Ansari and focuses on catering to shoppers in India and the UK. 
 
“There has been a lot of talk around building back better after the pandemic,” Soomro told Vogue India.

“We wanted to create Saritoria as a solution to empower the 1.8 billion South Asians as well as the diaspora to join the circular economy. Given that climate change is going to impact South Asia disproportionately, we need to take ownership as a community and reconsider our choices. Moreover, pre-loved fashion is part of our culture in South Asia- we’re always passing on items within families and repurposing them.”

Sellers on the site upload their items themselves and set their own price. Buyers can either purchase outfits or bid on them. Saritoria provides quality checks on items to ensure they are genuine, a concierge service which takes care of the listing process for users, customer care, and shipping support. 

“It has become increasingly crucial to savour, save and celebrate what we already have,” Qureshi told Vogue India.

“I definitely believe that India is ready for a revolution in the designer fashion retail space. Whenever you are a first mover, like us, there will always be some level of educating an audience- which we are happy to do. We love that we have created a business that is a win-win for everyone- the buyers, the sellers and the environment.”