Entrepreneurs within the Pakistani designer shoe industry, Samia & Azmay are sisters with popular acclaim, renowned for providing unmatchable quality, exceptional detail and global trends to the local designer shoe industry. Having actively been designing for the last 15 years and in retail for the past 12 years, the duo are often recognised for pioneering the concept and retail of formal designer footwear in Pakistan, having been the first to adorn their creations with the likes of brooches and Swarovski crystal mesh, in Pakistan. Initially introduced their footwear at small exhibitions in 1998.
Equipped with a diversity of European courses and training in shoe design from countries such as Italy and Geneva, Samia & Azmay use only the best Italian leather on specially designed shoe lasts made specifically for their brand. Ever quality and design
conscious, Samia & Azmay work closely with specialist leather technicians armed with decades of experience, at their own manufacturing facility, to test skins for durability and longevity before using these in any article. Even the brooches used by the brand are also designed and manufactured by the team themselves.
Samia & Azmay’s design aesthetic manifest within the brand is coveted for their experimentation with skins, textures, colours and stones, consistently interpreting popular western footwear trends to an indigenous context, thereby working as style leaders within the footwear industry. The brand is distinguished for their signature introduction of Swarovski encrusted shoes, also using fabrics such silk, satin and jamavar on genuine leather to create elegant and chic footwear and now clutches, for all seasons and occasions.
Constantly innovating, the brand has recently expanded to include a line of ‘Shoes for Little Girls’ and over the course of their 12 year history they have also collaborated within the fashion industry with leading retail icons and luxury prêt wear designers, defining footwear styles at numerous fashion shows and collections to date.
Having grown exponentially in the last decade, Samia & Azmay Shahzada now offers major retail presence across Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad through six distinct outlets. The brand has come to be synonymous with a complete range of local luxury footwear,
providing their clientele with a high end retail experience. Their designs range from the more minimalist approach to engaging ethnic, oriental, and modern art inspirations thereby catering to a diversity of women and their personal styles in the form of formal
wear, flats, clutches and shoes for children. The brand is credited for introducing local designer stilettos to the country in the late nineties, the mule trend, the cuff heel style and as the first manufacturers of the d’orsay style pump and the ballet shoe style.
Never compromising on quality and comfort, Samia & Azmay also pioneered and continue the use of the padded sole in their flat shoe collections for extra comfort, despite this being shunned by other shoe designers on account of its expense; the brand also custom designs formal footwear for people with problem feet.