Karachi
Fashion Week has been cancelled due to the current situation in
the country,' was a text message people kept expecting to receive
right at the eleventh hour. It had been postponed once and there
was no logical reason - as violence and bloodshed was and is repeatedly
ripping through the country - that it would not be postponed a second
time. As it turns out, KFW did happen - under the newly christened
title of Fashion Pakistan Week (FPW) - and by doing so, the group
of designers falling under the banner of Pakistan's Karachi based
council paved the only way for fashion in Pakistan to finally move
out of complacency.
Had Rizwan Beyg, Maheen Khan and Deepak Perwani waited for the perfect
time to host a fashion week in Pakistan, it probably would never
have happened. There has hardly been a perfect time in Pakistan
since its creation. Had they not appointed the influential Ayesha
Tammy Haq as CEO of their council, they would probably not have
had the footing or the backing to pull it off. She brought in the
Obamaesque confidence of the mantra, 'yes, we can!' They made all
the right decisions and managed to do the improbable.
Sixty-six years after the world's very first organized fashion week
was held in New York did it finally arrive in Pakistan. Fashion
Pakistan Week held in Karachi last week featured 31 designers over
four days and despite not quite fitting the bill for a fashion week
in the true sense of the word, it was a reassuring step in the right
direction that could be measured as a monumental leap for Pakistan's
nascent fashion industry.
Drum rolls: fashion's wow factor
As far as fashion is concerned ,
what FPW has done is demarcate the difference between good and bad
designers. When you sit through eight shows in a row, it's easy
for anyone with even basic aesthetic sense to recognize the difference
between a Sonya Battla and a Samar Mehdi. And the audience's response
settled any doubts. There were thunderous cheers of applause for
designers like Ather Hafeez and Sabeen Amer Ali who rocked the house.
The not-so-brilliant collections were shushed out with an impatient
yet polite clap or two.
Some collections deserved to be on the roll of honour: from the
established lot stood out Ather Hafeez, Sonya Battla, Nomi Ansari
and from Milan Fashion Week fame, Rizwan Beyg, Maheen Khan and Deepak
Perwani. What an outstanding grand finale he put out! Very daring,
very Deepak. Shamaeel and Faiza Samee had hits and misses but cannot
be ruled out altogether because they are gifted and just needed
to fine tune their signatures to the prerequisite of a fashion week
to make it to the hall of fame.
There were also some fabulous surprises amongst the new generation
of designers. Syed Rizwanullah's henna painted white cotton collection
was a pure yet trendy take on Sufism. Feeha Jamshed's collection
for Teejays again was smart and chic without being OTT western.
Feejay had designed the way she dresses, which is always the best
formula for originality. Fahad Hussayn, Kash Hussain and Kuki brought
a slightly kitschy edge from Lahore and despite being impractical
in terms of ready to wear, their creations did hint at flair that
needs to be nurtured in the right direction. The same applies to
Pashmina Ahmed whose black and pink collection under the label Trial
and Error hinted at a sensibility for westerns that could be tapped.
After wowing critics with her debut show a couple of months ago,
Sanam Agha put out another new collection, which appeared hastily
put together and quite unimpressive. Sanam has already proven her
creative streak of brilliance with her debut and simply needs to
put a bit more thought into her next fashion week collection.
The same applies to master craftsman Adnan Pardesy, whose Picasso
red and tribal print collection seemed a bit too fiery for spring
or summer. One feels he is capable of doing much better. That said,
his collection was trendsetting as it replaced the current loose
and flowing silhouette with short and structured shirts. A bout
of over confidence was perhaps the reason these acclaimed young
designers didn't show as well as they ought to but it's nothing
that can't be fixed with a little time and effort.
Wanted: The Pakistan Fashion and Design Council
Two things became glaringly clear after watching thirty one shows
unravel on the catwalk: One, it is imperative for the successful
development of fashion week for the PFDC and Karachi's Fashion Pakistan
council to come together and put out the best of both cities. Two,
couturiers do not gel on a platform dedicated to attract buyers
to ready to wear. The post script is that there need to be buyers
other than fashion retailers Zahir Rahimtoola (Labels), Asad Tareen
(The Designers) and the bevy of society begums (who are individual
clients) at the next fashion week.
From the PFDC: Kamiar Rokni, Sara Shahid, Zara Shahjahan, Karma,
Shamoon Sultan of Khaadi, Ammar Belal and missing from Fashion Pakistan:
Iman Ahmad, Sana Safinaz, Sadaf Malaterre, Maheen Karim, Saadia
Mirza, Nilofer Shahid, Amir Adnan, Munib Nawaz and even newcomers
like Ego or Maliha Chaudhry of Daaman need to be brought on board.
Fashion week is a prime marketing game and designers stocking in
Karachi should show at a fashion week held in Karachi. Likewise
for Lahore, if the PFDC decides to organize a fashion week of its
own. It cannot be about competition but about milking the opportunity
to a maximum. Fashion week cannot become a tale of two cities. Someone
like Deepak Perwani, who has retail presence in Lahore, should be
able to show at a fashion week held in Lahore. Kamiar Rokni and
Sara Shahid should have shown at FPW.
Apparently Lahore's fashion council - the Pakistan Fashion and Design
Council - was offered a bond of reconciliation, even an entire separate
day to showcase their designers but they refused. Whether they were
offered properly or not, the bottom line is that they were not part
of the event and that is a hurdle that needs to be overcome.
Once buyers start coming to Pakistan's fashion week - and there
certainly has been enough worldwide publicity to intrigue them -
it will not serve anybody's purpose to divide and rule. No one is
interested in the politics of the game. Buyers will come where the
strings pull them to and those strings could be better designers
or strategic connections. It would be a really bad idea to turn
a creative trade event into a battle of the brands. Pakistan's very
small fashion industry and its designers with even smaller business
infrastructures need to act as each other's building blocks not
barricades if they want to set things into action. Those with big
egos and small vision will of course think otherwise.
Needed: Buyers
Until international buyers do actually risk their lives and come
to Pakistan, FPW should tap into its local resources. One has been
saying this for years but it is high time that retailers like Chen
One, Sanaullah and Gul Ahmad etc did pick up well reputed names
to design collections for their ready to wear lines. Buyers from
these stores should be front row at fashion week. The Middle East
and India is the next market. Inviting representatives from Soiree,
Designer's Lounge, Ensemble and other stores where Pakistani fashion
is already available is important. Pradeep Hirani (Kimaya) and Tina
Tahiliani (Ensemble) should be invited. And since Fashion Pakistan
signed an MOU with the Fashion and Design Council of India two years
ago, inviting FDCI Chairman Sunil Sethi would also encourage valuable
ties. In an exclusive interview with Instep, Sunil Sethi agreed
to a mutually beneficial arrangement between Pakistan and India's
fashion industries. He was open to the idea of Pakistani designers
showing in India as long as Pakistani buyers also came along to
offer business to Indian designers. One thinks the arrangement could
work both ways and Indian designers and buyers could also be welcomed
in FPW. This should be taken seriously and followed up by the council.
Cross over: Couture and fashion accessories
Another thing one noticed through fashion week is the irrelevance
of showing couture. Collections by Rizwan Beyg and Nomi Ansari for
instance had immense wow factor but would have been a complete waste
of time for buyers looking for ready to wear. Since Fashion Pakistan
Week does plan to hold FPW twice a year, one thinks it would make
more sense to hold spring/summer and then bridal/couture shows.
If not, then at least hold a separate day for couture so it can
cater to high society and couture specific buyers and clientele.
These shows are visually stunning and do not gel with simpler ready
to wear collections. They deserve a separate platform. The same
applies to accessory designers like Mahin Hussein and Ayesha Teli
of Limited Edition, who should be asking for exhibition space.
Last word: A job well done!
For a debut fashion week that lost sponsorship at the eleventh hour
and proceeded to happen with sheer optimism and will power alone,
Fashion Pakistan Week undertook the impossible task of putting up
an extremely impressive event. It was disciplined and began on time
every day, the catwalk looked just as good as any international
catwalk and most importantly, the heavy presence of media - international
a nd
local - ensured it maximum coverage. It was delightful to see the
fashion week lounge bustling with foreign journalists and photographers.
Though their coverage was tainted by the 'shadow of the Taliban',
it was coverage nevertheless and it has gotten the world's antennae
up for fashion in Pakistan. It's up to the two councils to now put
their differences aside and ensure that the world's interest is
kept alive. Here's looking forward to FPW Autumn/Winter 2010, scheduled
to take place in another six months (as was announced after the
grand finale) in Karachi! |
