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"I am looking forward to showing at
the Islamic Fashion Festival, much to the horror of everybody!"
Maheen has a new take on fashion after her recent
visit to Malaysia Fashion Week
By
Ayecha Ahmed
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Walking
into Maheen Khan's studio and meeting her makes one realize that the
clothes that she designs are not very different from the person she
is. The elegance with which Maheen carries herself is all translated
into the clothes she creates and that never falters whether she decides
to wear a purple streak in her hair for an awards show, or don basic
black which she usually does.
Maheen is somebody who has been part of this fashion industry long
enough to see fashion make its various comebacks. And the photo shoots
that line the simple walls of her workshop speak volumes of the trends
she's seen this country through. Diverse though they are, they hold
together with a string of uniformity that can be defined as the designer's
signature. There is a love for black, as well as a fetish for floral
motifs and butterflies. With Gulabo there is her creative burst of
colour and with her formal line, M, there is a streamlined interpretation
of gentle pastels. That's all Maheen for you. |
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| Almost
four decades into the industry, Maheen doesn't find any of it new
or something to wow at. "I've been part of the most stylish era,
the sixties and everything that is so 'in' today, I've done all that
back then. I don't see anything new about capri pants," says
Maheen who feels fashion in the sixties was much more elegant. One
couldn't agree more. Fashion has become a lot more casual as time
goes along. Maheen is trying to take forward all that she was part
of in a more sophisticated era in the most dignified manner possible. |
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For
her the creative journey never ends, though she complains about being
constantly exhausted. That exhaustion doesn't reflect in her collections.
Recently Maheen Khan took her latest collection to the Malaysian International
Fashion week along with Deepak Perwani. "The reason I go to shows
like these is to see what fashion has to offer in different parts
of the world. But most importantly, it's to break my comfort zone,
which I think, is really important. One needs to get out of the shell
before it gets too cozy. You need to see your creativity from a different
angle every now and then," says Maheen.
When asked where her clothes fit in the Malaysian market, she informs
that it really isn't about how hefty the returns are. |
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| "Asia
in itself is not a fashion giant and the western buyers still haven't
come to terms with Asian cuts and embellishments. Besides, even if
there is an order, there isn't enough infrastructure in terms of skilled
workers to produce in a large quantity." She further adds, "Shows
like these are more of an eye opener than a place to seek potential
buyers." |
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| Maheen
hopes to see Asia emerge as a fashion giant, for she feels there is
no comparison between Asian clothes and the western ones. "We
are so different from the West; it's about time that we realized that
the way we sit, act, eat, talk and walk is very different from them.
The West has been taking elements from us and is making it big. They
can't dictate us anymore. We have to have our separate identity. We
keep trying to make our designs look like the western ones but fail
so miserably. The end product is extremely substandard!" exclaims
the expert who, to this day, maintains she is the worst critic of
her own designs. |
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| Listening
to this intense elaboration, one can't help but ask where she thinks
Pakistani fashion stands. After a long pause, possibly selecting the
right words to describe it she says, "Our designers have a lot
of potential. I don't understand why they opt for western clothes;
they should stick to what they know best. It will be great if people
start making clothes that they like to make instead of making what
others will like. Creativity comes from the gut. If your gut says
it go ahead and do it. When creativity comes from the head it's commercial,
and if you are able to incorporate both gut and head then you really
know your potential." |
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She
goes on to praise Nomi Anari, "Nomi has designed what he knows
best and that is the shalwar kameez. He likes eastern, does it well
and has contributed to the modern shalwar kameez."
She is of the opinion that if the designers are not trying to impress
the west, then they are busy copying the Indian designers, "We
have better designers than the Indians, any given day. We need to
work on the aesthetics and take it from there and have some faith
in what we create. Creativity comes from within not from outside.
You can get inspired by things around, but not down right copy them.
Everybody is making the same thing in different forms. It's like everybody
is making their own version of aloo gosht," laughs Maheen at
the rat race that most the country's designers are part of. |
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| This
brings me to ask her about the sensitive topic of Pakistan Fashion
week. Her smile says it all, but she has something to say as well.
"I personally think it's important, but we are not ready for
it. It's important in the sense that it will keep the design industry
on their toes. There will be an aim to reach and everyone will work
toward making better clothes every six months. But we lack the work
force. Fashion Week is also important for the country's image and
we are in a dire need of an image revival. We are into dikhawa as
a nation - this is why the government will erect a fountain but won't
do anything about poverty, and that won't get us anywhere. Instead
of sending a lot of designers to small shows all over the world, we
need to bring them together to a big event in this country. That is
what Malaysia has done." |
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| One
of the successful segments at the Malaysian International Fashion
Week was the Islamic Fashion Festival, which was attended by the royal
family of Malaysia as well. Although the designs didn't leave one
wanting to hoard them but it was an effort. That's where one thought
why our designers didn't make it to the Islamic Fashion Festival?
"I wanted to go this year under that category but next year I
will. I am aware that our designers are already designing for hijabi
crowd of the country, besides there is no rocket science in designing
Islamic clothes. My clothes are hardly fitted and most of them are
full sleeved and the legs are covered. I am looking forward to show
in the Islamic Fashion Festival, much to the horror of everybody,"
exclaims the confident designer in Maheen who got excited at the mere
mention of the words Islamic fashion. |
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One can see why her creativity doesn't falter and she, after being
part of the industry for all these years, hasn't lost the passion
to create. Even if she isn't sitting with a drawing board she is thinking
about fashion and how to make things better in the ever-changing world
of fashion. When overworked she takes "fashion show breaks"
and returns to what she was designing, which works well for her. She
also wishes to take up teaching, as she feels she is already doing
that with her interns.
"I'd love to teach, as it is I do that with the interns I take
in, only by the time they start to learn their internship, time finishes."
Maheen doesn't have any insecurity about sharing the tricks of trade
she has learnt over the years with newcomers. Here is one selfless
designer who is more concerned about the future of fashion in the
country than her design ethos going public.
This was her second time at the Malaysian International Fashion Week
and Maheen doesn't plan to make it her last. "Its great to see
other people's work, there is so much diversity. Besides inspiration
can hit you anywhere," says Maheen who believes that the only
way to handle creative blocks is to abandon the design and then and
come back later. So what is the market like in Malaysia?
"Malaysia is a place that is more liberal; they have Islamic
values there but that doesn't hinder the country from making it tourist
friendly place. Designers over there also concentrate on western,
but the end result is something that can compete with the international
brands there. The thing is, students there wear western, they have
seen their mothers wear that, they have the understanding of the cuts
and the way it should be carried unlike our designers who come from,
lets say a place where their mother is not even wearing modern shalwar
kameez and then when in fashion school the designer is bombarded with
images of western wear... the results are disastrous," says Maheen,
a designer who has little issue with the upcoming designers and blames
it on the society and authorities that expect them to design in a
certain way.
For somebody who feels so strongly about her profession, she has a
right to get agitated when things around her do not turn out reasonably.
But it's not just peoples' insensitivity towards fashion that makes
her want to pull her hair out. It's the general attitude of the people
in the country, who want to flash their wealth that ticks her off
just as much. For a designer, she pays more attention to her surroundings
than is expected of her. It's these experiences and the way she reacts
to them that contribute to her being a creative genius in her field
of creativity.
Photos by Tapu Javeri |
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