"Darling anything for you," Rizwan responds though he still refuses to unveil it. This man is a charmer above everything else; his polished art of conversation makes it easy for him to get away with murder. Well read and articulate, he hardly ever loses an argument and he loves to talk. Rizwan generously adds that the best thing about Maheen is that she may be able to appreciate what he does as a designer but will never go back and try to emulate it. Her personal signature is too strong. Of course, Rizwan Beyg has been an object of inspiration for many other less original designers: his heavily embroidered jackets and multilayered skirts like the ones he showed in 2006 at the CDC have made their way to many other ateliers and collections since.

"Of course the Carnival de Couture can happen without Indian content."
- Rizwan Beyg

The conversation turns from mutual admiration to the more pertinent. It is March and the Carnival de Couture – fashion's most coveted platform - has been postponed one time too many. Rizwan's virginal, white collection remains untouched but he is adamant to save it for the big night. The CDC is, after all, every designers dream platform as there hasn't been a more high profile in Pakistan yet; the only Pakistani designers to have graced it are Sana Safinaz, Faiza Samee, Nilofer Shahid and Rizwan Beyg. And Rizwan is still basking in the glory of that night when he stole the thunder from Indian designers Tarun Tahiliani and Manish Malhotra and walked away with the limelight. He is now ready with his second collection for CDC, for whenever it happens.

"Of course Carnival can happen without Indian content," he responds to a genuine concern that it is a changing relationship with India and therefore the impracticality of getting Indian designers and Bollywood stars for the event that is causing delays and cancellations. "Why are we so fixated with the Indians? Why not celebrate our own heroes?" he questions passionately only to be cut off by Maheen who feels that Bollywood stars is what "aunties who buy invites for the Carnival want to spend money on."
Rizwan disagrees: "I think it's our own fault. No one in Pakistan wanted Thai food until it was introduced as an option. The same applies to Indian content. People donate to other charities like the LRBT or Lady Dufferin and attend their balls, which have no Bollywood stars. It's only the CDC that has given them Indians and that's why women expect Indians to be at CDC. We need to move away from this whole Indian obsession."

"No one is coming to Pakistan," he adds. "You need to cross borders to make your mark. Buyers are not coming for a Pakistan Fashion Week; I've been saying that for ages. We need to go to international fashion weeks. It's not about selling all over the world but about the recognition that showing abroad brings you."

"In terms of recognition, the Lux Style Awards help in getting your name out there."
- Maheen Karim

Last year one saw the beautiful Maheen Karim, a vision in white, receive her very first LSA for Best Pret Designer. Her first award was as controversial as Rizwan's fourth consecutive win for Best Couture Designer.

Many designers in the industry felt that Maheen was too young and new to the industry to win and
Rizwan now too predictable to continue winning like this. In some ways Rizwan agrees that two of his awards should have been given to Nilofer Shahid (for showing during Paris Fashion Week) and Sana Safinaz (for the impeccable work they have been doing for years). That said, despite Rizwan winning four times, he has been the LSAs biggest critic.

"The LSAs (in 2007) should have just been given to her (Nilofer Shahid) for showing in Paris. But everyone said her portfolio was very weak. That is one of the biggest problems I have with the LSAs. Why do portfolios matter so much? When you're a well known designer, your work should be recognized for what it is worth. Sana Safinaz should have won by now. They have been working so hard for so long. For heaven's sake, give them an award! The funny thing is that it wouldn't have mattered to me; I'd be just as happy if Nilofer or Sana Safinaz had gotten the award."

Maheen, on the other hand, delighted with her win admitted that while the LSA may not have translated to monetary profits, it helped immensely in terms of recognition.
"I had people congratulating me from Faisalabad and Australia," she says. "The emails flowed. I do think it helped in getting my name out there. Suddenly certain photographers who had no interest in working with me started calling."

"The best thing to me is that it is critical acclaim, it's recognition from our peers," adds Rizwan while pressing on the problems he still had with the judging system

There was also a bit of controversy around Rizwan initially boycotting the Lux Style Awards.
"I was banned from the Lux Style Awards one year. Musharaf Hai banned me. Fareshteh (Aslam, LSA Awards Manager) told me," he furthered. However, when contacted, Fareshteh Aslam completely denied the accusation.

"Musharaf Hai has always had the policy of inclusion," she clarified. "No one has ever been banned from the LSAs. In fact when some of the Karachi-based designers called for a boycott against certain Lahore-based designers and journalists, Musharaf's reply was that the Lux Style Awards will never ban any designer from the LSAs."

"Media is a double edged sword"
– Rizwan Beyg

But bans have gained popularity over the past few years. Designers have asked for certain journalists to be banned from the Carnival de Couture and Zeba Husain has always resisited while other journalists (this one included) actually have been banned from certain fashion shows in Lahore as well as Karachi. It's almost become a new phenomenon to have taken Pakistani fashion by storm.

"I've never banned anybody," states Rizwan as Maheen speculates that a certain fashion journalist may have been banned from the Lux Style Awards.

"You know I've reached a stage in my life where there is so much negativity and it serves absolutely no purpose at all," says Rizwan. "The media all over the world has become a double-edged sword. I have to say that certain journalists – not all because some do have ethics and integrity – are power players and they begin manipulating people. But it doesn't apply to everybody. It's like any other field. Some models have ethics, others don't. It boils down to individuals. But my problem with media is that they have been promoting mediocrity. We're going to end up with all our stars being mediocre and they'll never be able to survive an international audience. The media is creating monsters who will one day turn around and bite them in the bum."

"More and more people are becoming quality conscious," adds Maheen, "but more or less, they follow what the media says. Media needs to have that kind of responsibility."

"There is a complete 'have pen will write' syndrome," agrees Rizwan. "Just because you can write doesn't mean that you have the authority to rip people apart. No 20 year old journalist, even straight from Harvard, can comment on a Bunto Kazmi or Faiza Samee."

On that note the conversation turns towards the controversial and steers off the record. There is a lot to be said, a lot that needs to be heard but as Rizwan says, one should keep it positive at times like this when there is far too much negativity in the air. So constructively speaking, Rizwan Beyg is going places this year. He has been voted one of the 100 most influential Asians by the Ahlan Masala magazine in Dubai. There were nine Pakistanis on the list, only one of them a designer. Rizwan is also working on a range of his own screen prints in swiss voile, chiffon and silk which will be constructed into "the ubiquitous shalwar kameez" as ready to wear this summer. He plans to expand his retail spaces and also add a café to his studio in Clifton. "I'll call it Ecru," says the man who has been refered to as 'Rizwan Beige' for the longest time. And before that happens, he will launch his very first collection for Ensemble Karachi. Luckily, the Carnival De Couture also appears to be rising on the horizon in April.

Maheen Karim is looking up in her own way. She is usually slow and steady in approach but the current season has roped her into preparing for the upcoming Ensemble show, which means she will be retailing two different collections at Labels and Ensemble, though nothing has been confirmed as yet. And Maheen is in no hurry to take the express train to the top, though needless to say she will get there.