TWO best friends have gone from starting their ladies' fashion retail business on a market stall to relocating to a bigger shop in Bradford.
Sanzaa, run by Sanya Rehman and Zahra Mahmood, both 28, has moved to Leeds Road, Laisterdyke, from their store in Duckworth Lane, Heaton, which they opened in 2013.
They met at Belle Vue Girls' School aged 12 and five years later, while still at school, they set up their market stalls in Bradford in 2010, which they continued to run when they both went to Huddersfield University.
Their new Bradford shop, billed as a high street boutique, which had its grand opening last week, sells items including scarves, hijabs, jewellery and handbags.
The hijabs they sell are priced between £8 and £15, while their clothing items range from £25 to £70. Their customer base ranges in age from 25 to 54.
The co-owners say their designs showcase that, however women choose to dress, they can always feel elegant, fashionable, beautiful and individual.
In 2014, Sanzaa launched their own designer range of modest clothing, where they take popular high street designs and adapt them, adding sleeves or high necklines to items.
The relocation move also brings a further boost to their business, which is operates online with sales to countries including the USA, Germany and Ireland.
Sanya said: "We have been friends for years. The next step for us is employing more people.
"This is a complete upgrade for our business.
"We're bringing something different to Leeds Road. A lot of the clothes businesses here are Asian weddings and our clothes are contemporary.
We bring something fresh and different to the road
"This is a more prominent location for us for the long run. We're closing our Duckworth Lane shop after nine years."
They were nominated in the ‘Young Business Entrepreneur of the Year’ at the Bradford Telegraph & Argus Awards in 2011 after just 12 months of trading.
Zahra added: "We bounce off each other. We have our own roles in the business. Sanya is more design and production and I do the retail side.
"We have to constantly keep moving. The spring and summer collections are coming in and we are planning autumn now."
During their second year studies for an Enterprise Development degree at university, they also had the chance to pitch to former Dragons' Den star Theo Paphitis.
The shop is open between noon and 6pm every day apart from Friday. Go to sanzaa.com for more information.
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