Team Mindful speaks with Saboor Akram of SABR, exploring the journey of two brothers who set out to build a brand woven with threads of culture and meaning. Their World Cup collection, featured on our cover, reimagines the spirit of the game through stories, symbols, and emotions — capturing the moments that make football not just a sport, but a shared memory carried across generations.
1. For readers discovering SABR for the first time, how would you describe the brand in your own words?
2. The name SABR carries a quiet strength. Why was it the right name for the brand, and how does it continue to shape your work today?
The name is actually very personal. My name, Saboor, comes from the same root as sabr—patience.
When we started the brand, we knew we weren’t building something that would find success overnight. Building a community, earning people’s trust, and creating meaningful work all take time.
Growing up, we always heard the saying, “Har sabr ka phal meetha hota hai,” and that sentiment has stayed with us. Every challenge, every delayed collection, and every lesson has reminded us that good things are worth waiting for.
SABR isn’t just our name—it’s the philosophy behind how we try to build everything we do.
3. Pakistan is full of overlooked visual stories. What parts of everyday life continue to inspire your work?
We find inspiration in the things we grew up around: football in the streets, old neighbourhoods, chai after a long day, handwritten shop signs, family gatherings, and conversations that seem ordinary until you look back on them years later.
Pakistan is full of beautiful moments that often go unnoticed, and those are usually the stories we want to preserve.
4. What responsibility do you think designers have in shaping how Pakistan is represented globally?
We think our biggest responsibility is to represent Pakistan honestly.
There are so many beautiful stories here that deserve to be seen. We don’t want to imitate what is already happening elsewhere; we want to celebrate the culture, memories, and everyday moments that make Pakistan unique—and hopefully share those stories with the world.
5. What makes an idea strong enough to become a SABR collection?
Almost every collection begins with a conversation between the two of us.
Sometimes it’s a football match, a film, a childhood memory, or simply something we’ve noticed but can’t stop thinking about. If an idea still excites us months later, that’s usually our sign that it’s worth turning into a collection.
6. If someone spent a day with you in the SABR studio, what would surprise them most about the way the brand comes to life?
They would probably be surprised by how small the team really is.
It’s just us, our mum, and our dad. Everyone plays a role—whether it’s discussing ideas, checking quality, replying to customers, or packing orders ourselves.
Every parcel that leaves our studio has passed through our hands. As we grow, we hope that never changes in spirit.
7. In an industry that often moves at an increasingly fast pace, SABR has chosen a slower, more intentional approach. What has that decision taught you?
It has taught us that building trust is more important than chasing speed.
We would rather spend extra time perfecting one collection than release something we don’t fully believe in. Slow fashion isn’t just about making fewer clothes—it’s about ensuring every piece has a reason to exist.
8. Every country has its own football culture. What aspects of Pakistan’s relationship with the game did you want to preserve in the World Cup collection?
We wanted to capture what football feels like in Pakistan.
It’s staying awake until 3 a.m. to watch matches, arguing with friends over favourite teams, children turning empty streets into football pitches, and families gathering around one television.
We may not play in the World Cup, but the passion has always been here—and that’s the story we wanted to tell.
9. In one word, how would you describe the World Cup collection?
Togetherness.
10. What kind of legacy are you trying to build—not just as designers, but as brothers creating something together?
More than anything, we hope people remember the honesty behind what we built.
We want SABR to show that two brothers with no fashion background, supported by their parents and driven by belief, can create something meaningful.
If people remember the stories we told and the care we put into every piece, we’ll feel like we’ve created something worthwhile.
11. What is one story from Pakistan that you are still waiting to tell through SABR?
The story of ordinary Pakistan.
Not the version people often see in headlines, but the one we grew up with—the friendships, neighbourhoods, family traditions, roadside chai, football in the streets, and the quiet beauty hidden in everyday life.
We feel like we’ve only scratched the surface, and that’s the most exciting part of what lies ahead.
Coordinated by Durrah Aman
