Aleena Mohsin Mughal: Architect Who Built Empire in Flats

Most people graduate from architecture school and start designing buildings. Aleena Mohsin Mughal looked at that path and walked straight past it.While her classmates at the National College of Arts polished CVs and chased internships, Aleena was sketching sandals, sourcing materials, and turning a lifelong obsession with shoes into a business. She didn’t wait for permission. She didn’t wait for the “right time.” She just started.That choice alone was a quiet rebellion.She graduated in 2017. By 2019, just two years out of school, she was already building what would become SAAZ.By 2024, SAAZ, her ethical footwear brand, had crossed PKR 2.6 crore in revenue. On Shark Tank Pakistan, investors competed for her company. She walked away with PKR 1 crore for 15% equity, a deal stronger than the one she originally pitched.What She BuiltSAAZ makes handwoven, ethically produced shoes rooted in traditional South Asian footwear-making techniques, from hand-cut leather to time-honored weaving methods, translated into modern silhouettes.Every pair is a refusal, of fast fashion, artisan exploitation, and the idea that sustainability has to look boring.The name means “a maker” in Urdu. It fits.Aleena doesn’t mass-produce. She doesn’t chase trends. She pays artisans fairly, sources planet-friendly materials, and proves that ethical...