The fashion week wheel goes round and round … and propelling it on, in one way or the other, is Sultana Siddiqui, president of Hum Network Limited.

She’s got a keen eye for what works in the entertainment field and it seems that fashion is quite popular amongst the TV-watching masses. It’s why while she’s been raising Pakistani dramas from the ashes and repopularising them, she’s also been taking steps into fashion’s glitzy avenues.

From Karachi’s Fashion Pakistan Council and Pakistan Fashion Design Council’s extravaganzas in Lahore to the regalia of her own home-produced bridal weeks, Sultana Apa — as she is fondly called in media circles — makes sure that local catwalks feature prominently on her TV network.

“We are media sponsors for the fashion weeks orchestrated by both councils and we are happy to support them in their endeavors,” she says. “I truly think that we have been instrumental in furthering the business of fashion with the media mileage we provide to fashion weeks. I don’t believe in discriminating between Karachi and Lahore. I am just happy to support talent wherever I see it and help the industry however I can.”

Beyond altruism there are, of course, profits to be gained in supporting local fashion. With the fashion industry becoming savvier over time, fashion weeks make for great TV shows, ensuring viewership and taking up hours of air-time. “Naturally, it is also profitable for us,” she accepts. “Otherwise, we wouldn’t be airing fashion shows so consistently. I see a lot of potential in fashion, to become a force to reckon with, bringing in major business for the country and setting new trends. It’s why 10 years ago, we introduced a bi-annual bridal week of its own. It’s definitely been a catalyst for enhancing the business of bridal fashion in Pakistan and has nurtured new talent the same way the fashion councils do.”

With the three-day TBCW underway, Sultana Siddiqui spells out how she’s helped the business of fashion

But many beg to differ with Sultana regarding the ‘talent’ showcased by her network’s bridal week omnibus.

Earlier known as Pantene Bridal Couture Week and switching sponsors last year to be renamed Telenor Bridal Couture Week (TBCW), the event is considered by her as one of her channels’ many assets. And yet, it’s a platform that has always attracted in its fair share of critique. Thrown in alongside the bridal showcases, comes the whole shebang of a bona fide TV show; bhangra numbers, singing performances and entire enactments of rukhsati scenes. It may make for an entertaining watch but many feel that it brings down the show’s image as a serious platform for fashion.

Fahad Hussayn’s play on princely attire

“The performances in between are always reminiscent of Pakistani culture and I am proud to be showing them on our catwalk,” she explains. “They are also great for filling in the time when models are getting ready backstage. Sometimes it takes some time for bridal looks to be created, with jewellery and heavy make-up complementing the outfits. At the fashion weeks orchestrated by the fashion councils, people wait for ages with nothing to do or an entire hour is slotted away as a ‘break’. We prefer to break the monotony with interesting performances. What’s the harm in that?”

But what of the monotony of bridal wear? One of the most interesting aspects of the events has always been the celebrity showstoppers, with the network’s ever-expanding loyal group of actors happily stepping into bridal finery for designer showcases. Beyond this, though, the bridal fashion at the events has always been hit-and-miss, featuring a few standout collections amongst a host of less exceptional ones. Why don’t the organisers make an effort to present a more fashion-forward event? Is there even a criteria for selecting designers or is anybody who can afford to pay the considerable participation fee eligible?

“There’s a long list of designers vying to be part of TBCW every season. They are all more than happy to pay the participation fee but we pick and choose among them, only selecting collections that we like,” replies Sultana. “Yes, I allow a mix of established names and newcomers onto our catwalks but that’s because I feel that promising new designers deserve a chance.”

“We’re having fewer performances in between fashion shows this time round. We have many more designer portfolios to choose from which has allowed us to be more picky. I think we’ve been playing a pivotal role for fashion and we hope to do more.”

“Some people may not like all the designs on the catwalk while others may. Fashion is subjective,” she points out. “Don’t the fashion councils’ fashion weeks get mixed reviews? There will always be some collections that will be applauded and others that may strike critics as boring or substandard. Then why are the fashion weeks by fashion councils considered trendsetters and not TBCW? It’s a consistent platform for bridal fashion, held once in Karachi and once in Lahore every year. I think anybody putting down TBCW is just indulging in petty politics.”

Still, doesn’t Sultana feel that TBCW could raise the bar should it have established fashion authorities forming its selection panel instead of an in-house team? The fashion councils — usually — edit and streamline collections until they are worthy of the catwalk. At TCBW, designers have sometimes shown semblances of their older collections while others put forth lackluster showcases. Couldn’t the TBCW perhaps benefit from a more vigilant screening policy?

Sultana disagrees. “Initially, we did take on fashion insiders to advise us and help us with selections. Now, though, TBCW has found its bearings and I have complete faith in the criterion set by our own team. Judging by how popular the show is on TV, so do the viewers. Based on the growing number of designers who want to be part of the show, so does the Pakistani fashion fraternity.”

Bridal week, business-wise

And TBCW’s popularity is undeniable. It may not usually set avant-garde bridal trends but it draws in those shaadi-lovin’ heavy-pocketed clients like honey to bees. With the exception of bridal favourites like Shehla Chatoor, Elan and Sania Maskatiya, almost every well-known designer has shown entire showcases at TBCW, opting to show their retail-oriented mass-friendly designs, saving the sartorial statements for fashion weeks.

The event this time (June 5-7) features, among others, HSY, Zainab Chhotani, Adnan Pardesy, Tena Durrani and Asifa & Nabeel. Over the years, some labels have built their sole claim-to-fames on their TCBW showcases — Islamabad’s Rani Emaan and Tabassum Mughal come to mind.

Has TBCW been able to introduce absolute fashion trendsetters? Not really. But it has augmented the bridal business, spurred it on and created a platform that audiences zone on to from all over Pakistan as well as 48 odd countries worldwide. While Sultana’s network does air all fashion weeks, TBCW — being a home-production — gets shown most repetitively. It helps build designers' brand image, expands their clientele and acts as a constant advertisement on a major television network.

“I have had clients come up to me with cell-phone photographs of a TV screen, asking me to create certain outfits from TBCW,” reveals designer Ali Xeeshan. Similarly, HSY — who also shows consistently with his own council, the PFDC, and often with Karachi’s FPC — makes an effort to be part of TBCW’s entourage simply because of the extensive media mileage generated by the event.

Showstopper Humaima Malik adds the glamour quotient to Zaheer Abbas

Stylist Saba Ansari, aka Sabs, has often talked about how clients approach her for bridal make-up after seeing her work on Hum Network’s bridal weeks. Following suit recently has been ace stylist Nabila, and while stylists for the bridal weeks may no longer be paying to participate, they aren’t on Sultana’s payroll either.

“They get paid in the form of publicity and on-air time that they may in the form of television appearances on different shows,” explains Sultana. “It’s a win-win arrangement and we’re all very satisfied with it.”

All this indubitably establishes TBCW’s prowess as a business game-changer — but does it give the status of a cutting-edge fashion week? Not yet, at least, until Sultana and her entourage become more particular about the fashion they allow onto their catwalks.

The platform may just get there, though. “We’ve become increasingly particular over the years,” says Sultana. “We’re having fewer performances in between fashion shows this time round. We have many more designer portfolios to choose from which has allowed us to be more picky. I think we’ve been playing a pivotal role for fashion and we hope to do more.”

And fashion, as Sultana says, is subjective. Some may hate TBCW, others may love it, many more may be ambivalent but everybody watches it. This, in a nutshell, is where the show’s success lies. In the short run.

To stay strong in the long run, it needs to focus on better fashion content.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, June 7th, 2015

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