The Missing Wardrobe of Pakistan’s Working Women

Pakistan’s working women have grown from 8.2 million in 1998 to 21.41 million in 2024–25. Yet their professional wardrobes are still often pieced together from tailors, imported brands and casual western wear. This creates a potential opportunity for a Pakistani brand focused specifically on women’s formal western workwear. In this episode of Unlocking Growth, we explore the size of the opportunity, including an estimated 2.1–2.7 million urban professional women who could form the core target market. We look at local brands such as LAMA and KOA, as well as niche designers selling through platforms like Cult, and ask what their emergence tells us about demand for local western wear. The episode covers the estimated CapEx, monthly OpEx and unit economics of the model, including the risks around sizing, returns, customer acquisition and unsold inventory. Building a business in this sector? Explore Accelerate Prosperity’s relevant programme and apply here: https://pk.accelerateprosperity.org/ap-scaleup/ Download the companion data deck: https://lnkd.in/dxpXXCiY Unlocking Growth series produced by Pakistan & Counting with Accelerate Prosperity, funded by BMZ (Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development) through KfW (Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau). #UnlockingGrowth #AccelerateProsperity #StartupPakistan #GarlicFarming #AgriculturePakistan #fyp @accelerateprosperity Follow Pakistan & Counting on: X: https://x.com/PakAndCounting FB: https://www.facebook.com/PakistanAndCounting IG: https://www.instagram.com/pakistanandcounting/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@pakistanandcounting?_t=8rbVjlJIYOw&_r=1 LI: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pakistan-and-counting/