KARACHI, March 26: Showcase 2012 became the first fashion week to kick off a series of such events in fashion centres Karachi and Lahore after what has been a back-to-back season of designer lawn launch events in both cities.
But it is not the only laurel that it has working for it. With the commencement of the calendar event that is Showcase 2012, the internationally acclaimed magazine Hello! launches its operations in Pakistan and features collections off the ramp within its editorial spreads with a supplement magazine that will cover the full four-day event. Live streaming of the fashion event is also available on its website.
The platform of Showcase 2012 is a collaboration between fashion designer Rizwan Beyg and Sky Productions (Pvt) Ltd to establish a creative platform for young designers, models, musicians, photographers, event planners and for all those professionals working in fashion.
It features 29 Pakistani and seven foreign designers.
Socialites and buyers were in large attendance on the opening day of the event. They included Zahir Rahimtoola (Labels), Zeba Hussain (Ensemble), Zeenat Saeed (Taneez), Shobha Ispahani, Freiha Altaf, Rehana Saigol, Huma Amir Adnan and Fareshteh Gaiti-Aslam.
A rectangular ramp featured the opening designer Zaheer Abbas and his superlative collection titled Revenge and inspired by vintage armour.
The segment saw models made by Depilex wear elaborate headgear and attired in silks and chiffon paneling and trimmings in shades of chocolate brown, olive green and mustard gold with metal shields and exotic carvings and embellishments worn by models including Fawzia, Mehreen Syed, Maha, Ayyan, Rubya Chaudhry, Zeba, Gia Ali, Iffi and Abbas Jaffri. It was by far the best that the evening had to offer.
London-based Danish Waqeel showed his menswear with strong street fashion and influence by the classic designs based in London and larger Europe.
Asian Institute of Fashion Design students Ayesha Anees, Amina Jauhar, Anum Akhlaq, Birjees and Karin Yazdani showed their take on black ensembles and highly experimental wear that is typical of fashion students.
Wardah Lawn showed its take on high Spring/Summer 2012 fashion before Pakistan Institute of Fashion Design graduate Irfan Ali impressed all and sundry with his take on festivities and colour of Punjab with his version of the festival of Jamat. The segment had interesting ear wear crafted out of fine coloured yarn and footwear embellished with the same material.
Sanya Maskatiya’s Cruise Pret collection focused on the figurative Mithila art found in Bihar in India and the southeast of Nepal with digital prints and earthen shades coupled with modern cuts.
Hira Lari showed her Nostalgia collection while Sri Lankan designer Ajai Vir Sing’s resort wear Arugam Bay in vivid colours and fabric was based on the tropical vacation destination that is also popular as a surfing destination.
Finally, Nida Azwer showed her Parinda collection that drew inspiration from the designer’s fashion journey with nature-inspired motifs which included the tree of life, the phoenix and birds. It also featured screen printing with zardozi work together, which is the designer’s signature style on a base of saffron, navy blue and emerald green.
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