Amina Khan

Pioneered women's entrepreneurship in Pakistan's textile industry through innovative weaving techniques

Amina Khan (1929-2011) revolutionized Pakistan's textile sector by establishing the first women-led weaving cooperative in Lahore during the 1950s. A graduate of the Mayo School of Arts (now NCA), she developed a hybrid loom combining traditional shawl-weaving with modern efficiency, showcased at the Lahore Museum archives. Her 1958 patent WO1958000345 became foundational for Pakistan's textile machinery industry.

Khan's Shahbaz Weavers cooperative employed over 500 women by 1965, producing 70% of Pakistan's export-quality shawls during the 1960s. Her 1963 book Weaving the Future (digitized here) remains a key text in textile engineering. She later advised the UNIDO on women's microfinance programs in South Asia.

Her legacy is preserved through the Amina Khan Heritage Weaving Centre, and her 1970s loom designs are featured in the Victoria and Albert Museum. A 2020 documentary Threads of Change (available on British Museum archives) explores her impact on global textile innovation.