FASHION PAKISTAN WEEK WINTER/FESTIVE 2015
- 9 years ago
"The young ones stood up and showed that they had the same punch as the established designers had, which, I think, again is fantastic for fashion in Pakistan. So, yeah, great day for fashion overall and looking forward to the next two days."
15. Various of models showcasing luxury prêt collection of renowned brand 'Sana Safinaz'
YOUNG AND OLD COME TOGETHER IN KARACHI FOR 'FASHION PAKISTAN WEEK WINTER/FESTIVE 2015'
Glitz and glamour took center stage in Karachi as major designers showcased their collections on the first day of the three day 'Fashion Pakistan Week Winter/Festive 2015' that kicked off on Saturday (28NOV2015).
An event of the Fashion Pakistan Council, the first day of the event featured collections by six designers with another fourteen to showcase their offerings over the next two days.
The wide ranging aesthetics and styles on display catered for a diverse range of tastes, with collections by established and young designers validating the meteoric success of the Pakistani fashion industry.
The elegance and grace were abundant in designer Ayesha Farook Hashwani's collection, whose label 'AFH' has become a household name in Pakistan while also receiving widespread international acclaim. Her collection of evening wear, titled 'Ellada', took inspiration from Grecian landmarks, using a combination of rich fabrics, prints and styles to infuse life into images of Acropolis, Goddesses and Santorini. Contemporary silhouettes, fluted hems and waist-whittling gowns were dominant, while the glamorous cuts with ruffles, trailing hemlines and a dash of sparkle were the recurring feature of this unabashedly feminine collection.
"Inspiration was Greece. Our prints, as you saw, were Grecian prints, but we decided to do it on more contemporary wares; most on drapes, silhouettes. And the response was brilliant," Hashwani said.
While it is expected of established brands to live up to their reputation, it was the verve and vivacity of first-timers and young designers that had the audience pleasantly surprised. For designer Tena Durrani, with her eponymous label, the opportunity was overwhelming. But she managed to hold her own with her bridal collection, titled 'Omorose', which means 'beautiful' in Egyptian. With detailed embroidery and craftsmanship, she added oomph to traditional wedding dresses, while the boldness of cuts hints at a designer not afraid of veering into and exploring the uncharted and the forbidden.
"The women in Pakistan, they are emancipated; they are educated; they are doing big things with their careers; they have no glass ceilings that they have to worry about. And the social mood is such that they can experiment a lot more. So it's a very brave, young time for fashion and our industry, because we are moving a lot towards contemporary clothing, drape cuts, and the things in the lighter collections, and then bridals. Girls are taking a lot more chances of different looks rather than the very traditional look," the young designer Tena Durrani said, as she outlined her fashion philosophy.
Designer Shehla Chatoor, of the luxury label 'SHEHLA', opened the event with the handcrafted 'All the Raj' collection. Coinciding with the label's 20th anniversary, the collection playfully incorporates sub-continental royalty and the sartorial influences of the British. The embellishments, silhouettes and color palette of this vintage-revivalist collection seamlessly blend the classicism of the British Raj and contemporary aesthetics.
For internationally acclaimed Pakistani fashion veteran Deepak Perwani, who is also a board member of the Fashion Pakistan Council, the appreciation of couture as well as evolved aesthetic sensibilities is a sign of the growing strength of the fashion industry.
"I think our sense of fashion has become fantastic. People now are aware of what is in, what is out; what is good, what is bad; when spring/summer, when fall/winter; when the lawn collections (come); everything. Fashion has now become regulated as an industry. Maybe you might have thought of it as a cottage industry about ten years ago. Ten years later, the biggest (textile) mills in Pakistan are opening stores in Pakistan, where they were doing export before. So that is a great feat of fashion," remarked an enthusiastic Perwani.
Another young designer Hisham Malik showcased his 'Eternal' collection, inspired by Alexander Pope's neo-classical romantic poem, 'Eloisa to Abelard'. The imagery of flame and flowers is a recurring motif; the color scheme progression depicting the flame's various colors, from peach tinged turquoise to dusky pink, burnt orange, golden yellow and ivory white. Exquisite craftsmanship is displayed by attention to detail across the collection, constructed using European haute couture techniques. The diversity of fabric used, primarily conventional Benarsi Handloom to unconventional Shanghai Velvet, reflect an evolved aesthetic sense even though he might have struggled to find coherence
15. Various of models showcasing luxury prêt collection of renowned brand 'Sana Safinaz'
YOUNG AND OLD COME TOGETHER IN KARACHI FOR 'FASHION PAKISTAN WEEK WINTER/FESTIVE 2015'
Glitz and glamour took center stage in Karachi as major designers showcased their collections on the first day of the three day 'Fashion Pakistan Week Winter/Festive 2015' that kicked off on Saturday (28NOV2015).
An event of the Fashion Pakistan Council, the first day of the event featured collections by six designers with another fourteen to showcase their offerings over the next two days.
The wide ranging aesthetics and styles on display catered for a diverse range of tastes, with collections by established and young designers validating the meteoric success of the Pakistani fashion industry.
The elegance and grace were abundant in designer Ayesha Farook Hashwani's collection, whose label 'AFH' has become a household name in Pakistan while also receiving widespread international acclaim. Her collection of evening wear, titled 'Ellada', took inspiration from Grecian landmarks, using a combination of rich fabrics, prints and styles to infuse life into images of Acropolis, Goddesses and Santorini. Contemporary silhouettes, fluted hems and waist-whittling gowns were dominant, while the glamorous cuts with ruffles, trailing hemlines and a dash of sparkle were the recurring feature of this unabashedly feminine collection.
"Inspiration was Greece. Our prints, as you saw, were Grecian prints, but we decided to do it on more contemporary wares; most on drapes, silhouettes. And the response was brilliant," Hashwani said.
While it is expected of established brands to live up to their reputation, it was the verve and vivacity of first-timers and young designers that had the audience pleasantly surprised. For designer Tena Durrani, with her eponymous label, the opportunity was overwhelming. But she managed to hold her own with her bridal collection, titled 'Omorose', which means 'beautiful' in Egyptian. With detailed embroidery and craftsmanship, she added oomph to traditional wedding dresses, while the boldness of cuts hints at a designer not afraid of veering into and exploring the uncharted and the forbidden.
"The women in Pakistan, they are emancipated; they are educated; they are doing big things with their careers; they have no glass ceilings that they have to worry about. And the social mood is such that they can experiment a lot more. So it's a very brave, young time for fashion and our industry, because we are moving a lot towards contemporary clothing, drape cuts, and the things in the lighter collections, and then bridals. Girls are taking a lot more chances of different looks rather than the very traditional look," the young designer Tena Durrani said, as she outlined her fashion philosophy.
Designer Shehla Chatoor, of the luxury label 'SHEHLA', opened the event with the handcrafted 'All the Raj' collection. Coinciding with the label's 20th anniversary, the collection playfully incorporates sub-continental royalty and the sartorial influences of the British. The embellishments, silhouettes and color palette of this vintage-revivalist collection seamlessly blend the classicism of the British Raj and contemporary aesthetics.
For internationally acclaimed Pakistani fashion veteran Deepak Perwani, who is also a board member of the Fashion Pakistan Council, the appreciation of couture as well as evolved aesthetic sensibilities is a sign of the growing strength of the fashion industry.
"I think our sense of fashion has become fantastic. People now are aware of what is in, what is out; what is good, what is bad; when spring/summer, when fall/winter; when the lawn collections (come); everything. Fashion has now become regulated as an industry. Maybe you might have thought of it as a cottage industry about ten years ago. Ten years later, the biggest (textile) mills in Pakistan are opening stores in Pakistan, where they were doing export before. So that is a great feat of fashion," remarked an enthusiastic Perwani.
Another young designer Hisham Malik showcased his 'Eternal' collection, inspired by Alexander Pope's neo-classical romantic poem, 'Eloisa to Abelard'. The imagery of flame and flowers is a recurring motif; the color scheme progression depicting the flame's various colors, from peach tinged turquoise to dusky pink, burnt orange, golden yellow and ivory white. Exquisite craftsmanship is displayed by attention to detail across the collection, constructed using European haute couture techniques. The diversity of fabric used, primarily conventional Benarsi Handloom to unconventional Shanghai Velvet, reflect an evolved aesthetic sense even though he might have struggled to find coherence