National Bosses Day is on 16 October 2020 and we shine the spotlight on two enterprising boss ladies with exciting and varied cultural backgrounds who have joined forces for the past one year to help trailblazing women conquer the world by looking effortlessly chic and stylish. Zaftan CEO, Zankhna Parekh (Left, in photo) and Armoire CEO, Ambika Singh (Right, in photo) have both progressed from their childhood love for clothes and designing, to the greater cause of making women look good, feel confident and be empowered to succeed – all while being pro-green and saving the planet. Read on and get inspired! 1. What should we know about this boss lady? ZAFTAN CEO, ZANKHNA PAREKH: Zankhna Parekh wears several hats: she is a physical therapist turned CEO fashion designer, a super mom of three kids as well as an active philanthropist. She spent the first 17 years of her life in Nairobi, Kenya and moved to America to pursue further education. Today, she has two successful careers, speaks five languages, and overall is a living testament of how hard work and consistency will yield good results. Her fashion line addresses a need in the luxury space for clothing for high achieving, trailblazing, go getter type women. Her designs have international flair, influenced by her three different geographical backgrounds and varied cultural upbringing. Zankhna has appeared on The Wendy Sloane Show, WNCN Raleigh, and Celebrity Corner on the Dorothy on TV Show. She has also served as an on-camera talent for the website eHow.com, which has more than 100 million visitors every month. From 2008 to 2010, she served as a Glambassador and Style Council member for Glamour magazine and has attended prestigious fashion shows and events around the country and all over the world. Her designs have been featured and graced the covers of multiple magazines and print media and she has been fortunate to dress many celebrities both locally and internationally including recent clients such as a TIME Magazine Athlete of 2019 and US Women’s National Soccer Team Player Jessica McDonald, Hollywood Actress Rhoda Griffis, Grammy Nominee Falguni Shah and the First Lady of NC, Mrs. Kristin Cooper. ARMOIRE CEO, AMBIKA SINGH: Ambika is a Seattle local who created Armoire out of MIT’s Delta V accelerator program, an entrepreneurship program designed to aid startups. Her love for clothes began at age 10, via cross-country wardrobe swaps with her cousin. The Armoire concept is built for the modern “Boss Lady” in that the goal is to efficiently dress members in something that makes them feel great – and feeling great means looking stylish and polished, and in step with their lifestyle. 2. Why did you create this brand and what is its mission? ZAFTAN CEO, ZANKHNA PAREKH: Within 7 years, Zaftan has become a prominent local women’s designer label, and caters to strong, confident, empowering, and go-getter women, who still want to be effortlessly stylish while putting cracks in the glass ceiling. Zankhna felt there was a need in the luxury space for elegant, timeless clothing made of pure and rich silk fabrics with hand done embroideries that cater to such trailblazing women. A ZaftanTM is a modern take on a traditional Kaftan that meets the fashion needs of Gen x, y and Z (hence the name Zaftan). We consider it an absolute privilege to dress real life women and everyday heroes that deserve recognition. At all our Fashion Shows, we use real life role “models” who are prominent, empowering women in the community as they serve as inspirational role models for women around the world to work hard and succeed in any sphere of life. We want to show women that they don’t have to belong to a specific mold of looking attractive to be successful. Zaftan™ by Zankhna Designs strongly believes in creating an impact and applauds real life women, and we are a fashion label that supports change makers and celebrates women’s successes. We feel women should rally together and be cheerleaders for each other. Along with our emphasis on aesthetics and quality workmanship, Zaftan™ by Zankhna Designs is a socially conscious and pro-green company which does its part to save the earth. We believe in recycling unused fabrics, producing elegant and timeless clothing that is not disposable fashion hence decreasing our carbon footprint on this earth, and we believe in giving back to our community. Our fashion shows till date have been sold out events with proceeds donated to a local charity. We have a strong belief in entrepreneurship as we do give back. ARMOIRE CEO, AMBIKA SINGH: Armoire is a fashion rental subscription service founded in Seattle, WA. The company aims to provide the modern “Boss lady” with styles for every occasion in her busy life. Armoire takes the stress and clutter out of closets, saving valuable time and money. For a monthly fee, members have exclusive access to a personalized closet, curated through a combination of advanced tech and personal stylists. Each monthly package includes 4 pieces, which are worn, loved, and swapped at any time for something new, dry cleaning and shipping always included. 3. Zaftan and Armoire have collaborated for one year now, what is so exciting about this partnership? ZAFTAN CEO, ZANKHNA PAREKH: Zankhna shares: “Zaftan™ by Zankhna Designs and Armoire share the same values and same goals! Zaftan™ by Zankhna Designs is a fashion label that dresses and supports trailblazing women who are change makers. Armoire dresses the “boss lady” and carries unique and one-of-a-kind pieces. This is an incredible collaboration and the perfect solution for a busy, empowered trailblazing woman to be stylish at the same time! We know through this partnership we will help women conquer the world and look good doing it!” ARMOIRE CEO, AMBIKA SINGH: Ambika says: “The collaboration between Armoire and Zaftan is also a celebration between two powerful female-owned and woman-fueled businesses that are both catering to the modern, on-the-go, trailblazing woman who wants to be effortlessly chic. Armoire strives to make it possible for women to wear their personalities out loud. By adding Zaftan to Armoire’s rental collection, we are making these unique pieces available to all women. Both Armoire and Zaftan are building products to help women look, and more importantly, feel great, so the collaboration is a no-brainer.” Indeed, wise words from two trailblazing boss ladies! Join their green efforts by renting our exclusive Zaftan Fall/Winter Collection at https://armoire.style Stay tuned for more such inspiring and empowering interviews! Follow us on social media @designerzankhna to stay up-to-date with our special features and exclusive interviews.