Ramina Ashfaque spent years moving between two very different worlds: beauty pageants and healthcare. But it was her experience wearing traditional nursing uniforms that ultimately inspired her biggest career change, leading her to leave full-time nursing and build her own fashion-focused scrubs brand.
The former nurse and founder of Ashh Scrubs said she struggled to find medical uniforms that felt flattering or suited her personal style. Instead of accepting the loose-fitting options available to her, she decided to design her own, creating a brand built around fitted, feminine workwear for healthcare professionals.
From Pageants to Nursing
Ashfaque had represented Pakistan internationally in beauty pageants and competed in Miss Grand International in Thailand before pursuing nursing. She has said the death of her uncle inspired her to go to nursing school.
Her experience in healthcare soon exposed a problem she felt was being overlooked: the lack of scrubs that made her feel comfortable and confident in her own body.
'I did pageants in my 20s, and then I went on to become a nurse, and then I just saw that I didn't like any of the scrubs that were out there, so I just decided to make my own,' she told Local 10.
For Ashfaque, the issue was particularly personal. She described her designs as 'fitted' and 'more girly', explaining why conventional uniforms had never worked for her.
'I was always like the skinnier girl, so they all felt like a big paper bag on me,' she said.
That frustration became the starting point for Ashh Scrubs.
She Put Her Savings Into the Brand
Ashfaque did not leave nursing first and then start experimenting with fashion. She built the company while still working full-time, completing 12-hour shifts in a telemetry unit.
She also took on substantial overtime during the COVID-19 pandemic to help fund the business, eventually putting virtually all of her savings into the venture.
'I bet pretty much all my savings. I was working like crazy as a nurse, doing super overtime because this was during COVID too,' she said.
'There was so much overtime - I was working, working, working. I was like, I can't do this anymore. I took every penny I had and put it into this.'
The decision meant taking a significant financial risk before knowing whether the idea would work.
The Workplace Challenge
Building a fashion business while working as a nurse also brought an unexpected workplace challenge. Ashfaque said she was still employed as a nurse when she launched Ashh Scrubs and was keen to make clear that she was not selling the products inside the hospital.
However, after she and a group of nurses wore her designs during launch week, she said she was called into the office.
Ashfaque said other employees had sold products such as candles and T-shirts without facing the same scrutiny, while conversations about her business left her crying frequently. The experience added another layer to a career she was already finding increasingly difficult to sustain alongside a growing company.
Making Scrubs More Fashionable
Ashh Scrubs was created around Ashfaque's belief that healthcare workers should not have to sacrifice personal style for professional functionality.
The brand describes its scrubs as combining comfort, sophisticated style and functionality. Its sizing ranges from XXXS to 3XL, while its trousers are offered in petite, regular and tall lengths.
That emphasis on fit is central to the story behind the brand. Ashfaque was not simply looking to make a more fashionable uniform; she was responding to a problem she had experienced herself after spending long hours working in traditional medical clothing.
Three Months Changed Everything
Just three months after launching Ashh Scrubs, Ashfaque said the business was generating enough revenue for her to leave full-time nursing.
'I loved being a nurse; I still have my license. I just wasn't meant to stay there,' she said.
She described leaving as the 'Best decision I've ever made'.
Her journey from nurse to fashion entrepreneur did not begin with a plan to abandon healthcare. It began with frustration over what she was being asked to wear every day.
By turning that frustration into a business, Ashfaque created the kind of workwear she had wanted herself: scrubs designed to feel more fitted, feminine and flattering without losing their professional purpose.
For a woman who once felt as though traditional uniforms made her look like she was wearing 'a big paper bag', changing the clothes became the first step towards changing her career.
