Seema Aziz & Bareeze (Sefam Group) — Premium Retail and Export
From a single embroidered fabric store to Pakistan’s first premium textile retail brand with global reach.
In the 1980s, Seema Aziz identified a gap in Pakistan’s textile market: high-quality embroidered fabrics that could compete internationally. Starting with a small team and an SME’s limited capital, she founded Bareeze, which quickly grew into Sefam Group—a parent company now housing brands like Bareeze, Minnie Minors, and Chinyere. Bareeze became Pakistan’s first premium embroidered fabric retail brand, building a reputation for uncompromising quality and timeless design.
Seema’s strategy emphasized vertical specialization rather than large-scale integration. Instead of diversifying into all processes, Bareeze partnered with SME embroidery units, artisans, and small weaving facilities, thereby uplifting the SME ecosystem while growing itself. By insisting on global-quality standards, she cultivated export markets in the UK, UAE, and Malaysia. Bareeze outlets became synonymous with Pakistani craftsmanship abroad, paving the way for other brands to pursue international retail expansion.
Pioneering Retail Branding
Commercially, Bareeze pioneered the concept of branded textile retail in Pakistan at a time when most fabric was sold unbranded. The financial success of the group proved that value addition and branding could yield greater margins than bulk greige fabric exports.
Today, Sefam employs thousands across retail, design, and manufacturing, and generates multimillion-dollar export revenues.
Sector-wide Impact
Bareeze’s story highlights the power of branding and niche specialization. It proves that SMEs don’t need to scale into massive conglomerates to create global impact — they can instead leverage design, consistency, and customer loyalty to carve out profitable niches in competitive markets.