ISLAMABAD, Oct 6: Multi-brand stores, retail houses, solo designers, fashion school students and textile giants shared the ramp on Day 1 at the 3rd edition of Islamabad Fashion Week (IFW) organised at a local hotel for two days.

The fashion activity witnessed a huge turnout on the opening day on Saturday as models parading collections comprising the work of fashion students, pret and luxury pret, fusion wear and bridals took to the ramp and the four-hour presentation continued well into the night.

Among the designers who managed to make their mark on the first day were Sara and Sana Rashid of the label Collage with a pristine white line that played with sheer volume while catering to Arabian influences and fashion sensibilities.

Fashion Secrets by Ayesha Naveed too managed to make its mark with shimmer fabric paired with darker tones that set the mood for a more festive look this season.

Sanah of the label Glitters improvised the use of the traditional duppatta by using it more as a cape along with the liberal use of gota and sequins to usher in a bygone era.

Mohsin Naveed Ranjha’s timeless menswear pieces with machine embroidered necklines on matte silk kurtas elicited applause from the audience for creativity and initiating trends. His classic bridals remained loyal to tradition.

Three Bangladeshi designers also showed at Day 1 of IFW this year, and these included Emdadul Hoque with a collection titled Black Beauty, Shahrukh Khan’s Be Loved and Mahmudul Hasan Mukul with Shabrota (Purity).

Of these Black Beauty stood out with its ravishing saris, ghararas and long tunics crafted from ethnic Bangladeshi fabric and gold detailing.

Menswear also featured prominently here.

The other strong collection by Shahrukh Khan saw fabric embellished with striking motifs and thread embroidery.

The palette remained black and gold with hints of red and white.

Shaiyanne Malik put on the ramp years of experience in bridals and her trousseau pieces spoke of rosettes, flowy silhouettes and angarkha-cut shirts all very close to our ethnic roots.

Textile giant Ittehad featured outfits to die for and which ticked all the boxes in terms of colours, combination prints, cuts and dynamic fusion. The showstopper was model Fia who is well into her pregnancy and walked the ramp towards the end of the segment.

GIFT University students took upon themselves the task of creating two pieces of garment each. This resulted in an explosion of pattern and experimental cuts on the ramp. While some were misses, others were definite hits, but all encapsulated everything a fashion student’s work should be about.

A neon yellow bubble skirt, a rilli-inspired outfit and a ball gown with impressive front-panel fabric work worn by Nadia Hussain deserve special mention.

Sameer Ali’s menswear drew attention in particular to an electric blue suit worn by model Nabeel with pockets fashion from bold stripes and polka dots in white and chequered suits.

Envogue Fashion by Hamida gave way to Shazia Kiyani of Shazia’s Bridal Gallery with refinement in metallic embellishments and a better understanding of fabric and colours, besides understanding trends and employing them skillfully to create outfits that many a brides dreams are made of.

With a total of 25 designers participating, the choreography on both the days was by Rezz Aly Shah. The organiser of IFW is Triple-E.