A Glaswegian businessman helped feed starving people in Pakistan during the Covid crisis after being in lockdown when visiting his production factory.

Zain Sehgal, 34, founded ethical menswear and womenswear brand Basix last year when he decided to leave his marketing background and follow in his family’s footsteps of working in the fashion industry.

Conscious of his promise to be ethical, Zain went to Pakistan in March 2020 to visit where the factory producing Basix clothing is based.

He said: “I ended up getting stuck in the country for a six-week lockdown because of Covid. During this time I spent most of it at the factory, meeting the employees, seeing how the machines worked and learning the whole process of how the product is made from start to finish.”

All too aware of his surroundings, Zain started to see the impact the lockdown was having on the people of Pakistan and wanted to do something to help.

He said: “I started a fundraiser online to encourage people in Glasgow to raise money. I couldn’t believe how quickly we raised over £10,000. It meant I was able to help so much more than I initially planned.

“We not only distributed the food but also sourced it from wholesalers and individually negotiated to get the maximum amount of food for their money. Our budget was large but I wanted to make sure we could stretch it as much as possible.”

On setting up in Pakistan, Zain said: “The quality of the clothing and ethical working conditions were top of my priority list.

“I didn’t want to just milk the opportunity of starting a business and not pay attention to factory regulations. It needed to be a facility that is audited with guidelines for ethically-sourced fabric and worker welfare.”

The idea of Basix was decided when Covid hit and Zain was doing his online shopping and he immediately saw a gap in the market.

He said: “It was hard to find good quality clothing at affordable prices. With Covid causing people to think differently about their financial circumstances, our aim was to provide premium designs which stay within one’s budget whilst being sophisticated and on-trend for as long as possible.

“We avoid a throwaway culture by being as generic as possible to stay ‘in style’ with every changing fashion trend.”

Zain’s passion for helping others is no surprise. In his spare time he runs an outdoor club for parents and kids to raise awareness for physical and mental health.

He added: “Every second Sunday my family and I would go and explore the countryside with our children to get them off their devices and into the outdoors. It started with just a handful of us which has grown into a great community over the past five years.”