NEW YORK — Sidra Qasim was born in Pakistan, where she says girls were taught to do one thing: find a husband.
“It took me so much time to understand gender bias, and once I discovered that, I was able to understand why I was angry,” Qasim said. She chose to turn that anger into passion. But when she decided to become a businesswoman, Qasim was greeted with confusion and frustration.
What You Need To Know
- "Atoms" was founded by Sidra Qasim and Waqas Ali in Pakistan in 2019
- They opened their warehouse at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, where they have dozens of employees
- Qasim and Ali started a new initiative, Atoms Art Gallery, where they showcase local artists
- The first exhibit features paintings by Aerosyn–Lex Mestrovic who studied at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn
“It was at first shocking for my parents," she recalled. "They were not able to understand what it is.”
Still, Qasim was determined to pursue her dream of running a business one day. "I was sitting on the floor with craftsmen learning about handmade shoes," she said.
Qasim was 23 years old when she started learning about making shoes, but found it difficult to earn respect from men in her hometown of Okara. Still, she persisted.
“Once they realized, 'She’s ambitious, she can sit, she can get her hands dirty, she can get things moving,' they were very collaborative," she said.
The skills she learned in Pakistan eventually lent themselves to her company "Atoms," which she founded with her husband Waqas Ali. During the pandemic, they made masks in addition to sneakers. Now, they're expanding their business and partnering with prominent local artists to create pieces that are accessible to everyone.
“It’s one thing for a person to buy a piece that’s tens of thousands of dollars and have it," said artist Aerosyn-Lex Mestrovic. "But it’s another to purchase a product that has that artwork and wear it and live with it.”
Mestrovic immigrated to the U.S. with his family from Argentina. He studied at Pratt Institute and later in Japan. Now, his art is featured prominently in Atoms' warehouse space.
“I love piecing together the multicultural tapestry," said Mestrovic, whose cultural influences resulted in special-edition Atoms sneakers featuring his artwork.
The exhibit is a launching pad for Atoms' new initiative "AAG," which stands for Atoms Art Gallery. The term also translates to "fire" in Urdu.
Qasim said she hopes this space will spark a flame in the minds of others. "People who are from similar backgrounds as me are able to connect with me at a level where they understand they are not alone, and they can see that if I can do it, they can do it," she said.