Sabina Pasha says goodbye to Ather Shahzad
The fashion industry in Pakistan has long come to be associated with the dynamic yet didactic duo of Ather Shahzad, and till the advent of the 'new age of shutterbugs' like Maram Aabroo, Guddu Shani and Deevees, the industry has been a playing field monopolized exclusively by the duo so much so that there has always existed, insidiously, and at times more overtly, the image that fashion in Pakistan is all about cliques and belonging to certain 'camps'. Stories about monopolizing and underhand tactics have been doing the rounds for years but no one has been willing to speak on record. Sabina Pasha has made the exception, willing to speak out against the injustice that she felt was meted to her. Here then is the inside scoop on what everyone in fashion talks about but never says.

By Hani Taha Salim

In a camp everyone comes in a number and the old ones (models) were given more projection. But I have nothing to lose. My husband is earning himself so this is just a hobby to me. I just want to be a professional and give something decent to the industry.

Before, I was stopped from doing the shoots of those people who were not Ather Shehzad's friends. I was also stopped from doing a lot of Eastern and wedding shoots. I think I have a western face so I wanted to explore that facet of modeling too. There's so much opportunity out there in the industry but I feel I was being clamped down. I was being restricted. Now I am getting a chance to meet people like Maram Aabroo, who are extremely talented. All I can say is that I was being put under wraps and now I'm shedding those wraps.

Instep: How has the industry at large responded to your bold move in leaving Ather Shahzad?

Sabina: I need a lot of support from the industry since a lot of people are concerned about upsetting Ather Shahzad. I have been branded as an 'untouchable'. But there are people like Khawar Riaz who are supporting me. Khawar helped me get the Mobilink and Chen One campaigns. And then there are the slow and steady Guddu Shani, who are working with me too. These are people who don't get affected by the politics around.

Instep: How has the experience of forsaking the 'camp' been on a personal level?
Sabina: I'm just shocked, since I thought there was just glitter and glamour in this industry and not this sort of dirt where people don't even say 'hi' to me anymore and just walk past me at parties because they feel I have betrayed someone - but why? WHY? It's all about fashion and the love for beauty so where did this darkness come in from? I thought it was all about beauty and giving people something to fantasize about-clothes, jewelry, and the years and eras that we project. But I guess it's just all very dark and deadly.

Instep: And what difference has breaking away done on a professional level so far?

Sabina: I could have gone a lot further in the industry if I had worked with everybody instead of being stuck to one person (rather duo) and one look for the last three years. But Ather Shahzad have put me on the map. They brought me to the industry. I love the runway and the liveliness it brings out. But in this one year I have realized that I can look good in shoots too. I think that's where I basically lost out professionally and lost many of the good campaigns.

Instep: Have you signed any deals now with anyone to further your career at this tenacious stage?

Sabina: I have not signed any new contracts. I just want to do this for my love for fashion and show people my potential. You see I'm also married and have kids so I live in a cocoon and have just emerged because of my passion for modeling and this was also something I faced. People turned me away just because I had kids. But now I have been set free and I hope that the industry supports me.