A well-informed woman ruling the roost in a man’s world, Lubeina Shahpurwala, Co-Director of Mustang Socks is the perfect example of breaking free from the norm. Founded 25 years ago by her partner, Nazneen Katrak, the brand manufactures quality socks in innumerable colours and designs. The result? Well, socks become a fashion accessory.
The life of an entrepreneur
“Yeah, you wouldn’t believe it, but there are Spiderman-themed socks and people are willing to buy them. It’s only a matter of putting it forward to the masses,” says Lubeina who is currently in Gurgaon on business.
An avid reader, Lubeina loves to spend her evenings tucked in bed enjoying a good read but isn’t unaware of her competition. Ask her about the challenges of dealing with men everyday she quips, “Being an entrepreneur comes naturally to me. I enjoy it and everyday is a new challenge for me,”
Lubeina is extremely particular about her health and believes that a good start to the day is extremely important. Her regular day starts with a morning cup of tea that leads to a workout session at the gym. A bowlful of oats for breakfast and Lubeina is out the door, rushing for the day’s meetings.
The things she loves
You may think her high profile job would leave her with no time to do household chores, but you will be surprised to know that Lubeina not only does all the cooking and cleaning at home but also makes the best fried fish that her husband loves.
“I love fish and I am so proud to say that I make one of the best types of fried fish that my husband totally loves. In fact, he even voluntarily offers to make the rice to go along with it. It’s the perfect combo!”
Being a busy bee
Lubeina also spends three days a week at the Mustang factory in Palghar on the outskirts of Mumbai, away from the hustle and bustle of the city. “I love going there because there is where all the action is. The designs are printed on fabric and socks are made and there is so much fun and activity involved,” says a travel loving Lubeina.
And though she has a rather hectic schedule, Lubeina does make it a point to take at least two breaks a year where she totally disconnects from her work. She loves the hills and Kashmir remains her all-time favourite place.
“Travel is one of those things that helps me think and de-stress. A new atmosphere and new people are all intriguing. I travel a lot for my work but other than that, 20 days a year is reserved for leisure,” she shares.
A woman in a man’s world
Talking of being a woman in a man’s world, she says that people didn’t take her seriously when she first began. “There were no women in the field and the men thought I was just a bored housewife who has taken this up as a pass time or something that was passed on to me from my father or husband.”
She had to work hard to prove to the men that she was equally capable and once people started taking her seriously, they realised she wasn’t going to accept defeat easily. But people’s perspective towards working women and women entrepreneurs today has changed completely, she believes. “I am so glad that people today don’t look down upon working women and entrepreneurship has no longer remained a man’s domain,” quips Lubeina.
On a personal note, she believes that women make better entrepreneurs as they have a more careful sense of judgement and always balance it out well. “They work with their heart and that is also important sometimes. And as far as competition goes, it doesn’t make much of a difference to me anymore. I think I’ve been around enough to not feel threatened by men,” she adds.
Talking of women entrepreneurs, Lubeina agrees that we as a country have a long way to go but being woman entrepreneurs themselves, the Mustang ladies have made such facilities available for their women employees.
“We have a crèche, a nursing station and a medicine centre that have men and women both so that the ladies are comfortable approaching them. We also have a very active compliance section that acts immediately on complaints from employees,” she elaborates.
The challenges
The biggest challenge that Lubeina faced as the Marketing & Sales Head was to make the customer aware of socks as a fashion accessories. Lubeina describes Indian men and their choices in socks as boring. She says, “Men always wear boring socks. It’s a very Indian mindset to pick up a pair of black or grey socks. That said, there was a market for fancy, quirky socks but the customer didn’t know where to buy them from.”
Awareness was a major issue for her but she believes that customers today are much more aware. Be it the quality, colours, design or fabrics, they known exactly what they want and Mustang is happy to make what their customers demand. Today, the brand caters to a global customer who’s very knowledgeable about his needs.
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