About Us
Siddih is a modern online boutique where you will find a contemporary, stylish, and comfortable selection of clothes. Every item you select makes a statement about you. Therefore, have no barriers for self expression.
The story behind the Peace for all collection
One day while sipping mocha at a café with a friend, I sighed and said, “I need peace in my life.” As our conversation continued, I expressed to my friend that I have long contemplated the word peace; it's meaning as well as its existence in my life. “I have this burning desire to achieve a level of peace that would impact and change my life positively,” I told her.
As our discussion moved deeper I asked my friend, “Can you imagine what this world would be like if each and everyone of us had peace within ourselves?” My friend looked back at me with surprise and said, “No, I can't imagine it. But certainly we all need peace in our lives.” I proceeded to tell her that sometimes, I close my eyes and reach within my soul in search of finding a peace button to push in order to establish a lifetime of peace, which I would consider a great gift. Unfortunately, I explained, as I search for that internal path to a constant state of peace, it eludes me.
This conversation, innocently begun in a café, left me with a clear question: how do I achieve this precious gift, and once attained, how do I hold on to it?
In pursuit of finding peace in my own life, I started talking about it openly with my friends and family. What I realized is that peace has many dimensions and meanings to each individual. Their thoughts on peace were very helpful to me and so I share some of their answers to the question, “What does peace mean to you?” below.
Peace is a sense of calm.
To me, peace means contentedness — achieving contentedness within is the struggling path to peace. It is a life long struggle.
Peace is the absence of aggression; a state of tranquility characterized by the absence of aggression.
It is a state of mental and physical well being within myself.
To me, peace means a state of well being. It is serenity and acceptance of equality. To have contentment is to have peace. Peace is also calm and relaxing. All is well when one has peace. To achieve equilibrium and balance is peace.
Peace. I guess I would say peace is not limited in time, definition or amount, but only one's ability to be open enough to receive and share it. We are born with it, as we age and go through life's trials and tribulations we tell ourselves that we have no peace because of what we experience, and we start chasing something that we already have. The result is that we end up spending time attempting to find peace everywhere else, but where it really exists: within our soul.
For me it is a state of wellness and tranquility.
Balance and love.
After these open dialogues about peace, what I found interesting was that most of the people with whom I spoke didn't feel as though they have peace in their lives and were also struggling to find it. In one way or another, they value peace because it impacts our lives, our inner selves, our families, our communities and the people around us. It is a positive force and energy that helps us live a harmonious life and love one another.
I also realized that if we search deep within ourselves we can reach the path that leads to peace. Once found though, how do we hold on to it? Personally, there are times that I am at peace with myself, my relationships, and with the world. And yet, at other times peace does not seem within my grasp. The fleeting sense of peace used to frustrate me. However, following my recent discussions, and introspection, I determined that I don't need to be aggravated about those times when I do not feel at peace because as I have searched for peace I've learned who I am, where I come from, where I'm going and who I want to be. I also realize that it may be unreasonable to expect to be at peace all of the time. In fact, it is perhaps those very times when I am not at peace that I most value peace and seek ways to find balance in my life. Thus the fact that I am aware of peace and it's importance to me means that I may find myself cycling through times in life when I feel at peace and other times when I don't. For me, now, this is more than okay, it is a step toward being fully at peace.
Speaking of cycles, let me go back to that conversation in the café. As I took my last sip of mocha, I expressed to my friend my belief that everything starts with the individual. And, as such, I want to do my part to spread the message of peace in a way that people would have a constant reminder of peace. That is when I came up with my first design Peace for All. I decided that I could create beautiful, comfortable, stylish shirts which would convey a message and perhaps motivate people on their own quest for peace, however they define it.
Each t-shirt is designed with the purpose of bringing you the gift of peace. When you put it on, remember an old chinese proverb, “If there is light in the sould, there will be beauty in the person. If there is beauty in the person, there will be harmony in the house. If there is harmony in the house, there will be order in the nation. If there is order in the nation, there will be peace in the world.” I hope you will wear this shirt in health and help spread peace in your heart, in your home and on earth.
About Ogie
The creative force behind Siddih is Ogie Gardizi. Ogie earned her BA in marketing from Marymount University in Arlington, VA. She has worked in marketing and sales for over ten years. She held a position as a marketing manager at Marriott International where she created successful marketing campaigns, branding strategies and managed a team of designers. Ogie has a keen eye for interior design and fashion which explains the recent birth of Siddih. A student of yoga and a successful business woman, Ogie has been interviewed by Voice of America, CNN and local stations on Education and Women’s Rights issues. Ogie also believes in improving the lives of children in Afghanistan through quality education; therefore, she donates 10% of business profits to Help the Afghan Children, a non profit organization where she served on the Board of Directors for two years.