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IN FASHION: It’s about oomph!
Steamy ramps. Sultry models. Pouting, painted mouths. Swinging bodies. Pounding music. Cut to the next scene: models draped in sheer scraps of wispy fabric, striking one provocative pose after the other, the photographer clicking away, hot lights glistening on their skin—is that all the word ‘fashion’ conjures up in your mind? If you think so, then think again.
For the layman reader it may be merely an afternoon’s reading and a sight for sore eyes but the glossy pages that adorn fashion magazines, the sleek tucks and cuts of carefully planned cloth on every ravishing body part are the bread and butter of a certain eccentric phylum of creatures — creatures called designers.
The fashion industry in Pakistan is not as nascent as one would think. It has been around since the 1980s; lurking in the shadows; struggling to rear it’s head; waiting with bated breath to make an impact. Seasoned names like Maheen and Rizwan Baig kept the flailing ‘industry’ afloat at that point. But in the last six years or more, fashion gurus of this part of the world have had hope spring in their hearts. Even the most cynical of fashion critics are resorting to using the ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ clichi. “I see a bright future for the fashion industry in Pakistan...” says former model Tamimi.
There’s a milange of reasons why that is: one being the brand new blood of designers that has rejuvenated the fashion scene. These new-fangled designers are spanking fresh out of renowned schools like the Fashion Design School in Lahore, affiliated with La Chambre Syndicale De La Couture Parisian, the only couture school in Paris. This institute has turned out an entire stimulating niche of creative talents like Usman Ditto with his sensual line and Maria B with her chic cuts. Others like Sonia Batla and Nadia Mistry have sailed many an ocean to procure impressive degrees in this concerned field from renowned design schools abroad. “It’s a very brave thing to survive life in a foreign culture and alien weather to achieve your dream,” says aficionado designer Batla who has studied design in England.
The ‘real’ designers can be counted on our fingertips. And you’ll end up having fingers to spare. But what about that hoard of boutiques that dot our malls and ‘in’ localities. Most of them are merely churning out copies of original designer creations. Others shamelessly ape the West
The Export Promotion Bureau’s patronage of the fashion scene, including it’s attempt to help set up the Fashion Design School in Lahore, is also a much-desired stimulant in this entire scenario. The EPB has strived to collect Pakistani designers and sent them to international fairs in fashion hubs like Paris and Las Vegas. That the way they handle things which leaves much to be desired, is another story.
Undoubtedly, much is left to be desired in our fashion industry. In fact there is quite a raging argument over whether our fashion scene can, by all canons of the generous word, be called an ‘industry’. What with the non-availability of diverse fabrics, a non-existent forum for indigenous designers; a dearth of market within our borders, a galling lack of fashion sensibility in our people, and a fashion cult happy to reign simply within elite parties, there is many a mountain left to be scaled.
Appetite-that’s the missing ingredient. People here lack the appetite to stomach too much flesh exposure, too much revealing cleavage, too much tingling provocation. Virtuoso choreographer, Imran Kureishi, responsible for the choreography of many a fashion shows in the past two decades declares, “Even our models aren’t very comfortable with sashaying down the catwalk sporting revealing clothes; the audience also does not receive it very warmly. It’s just not our culture.” Model Nadia Husain agrees, but she has more to add, “I do believe that if a designer creates a dress that is revealing, yet tastefully done, then it ‘should’ be appreciated.” Model Salma Ilyas pragmatically believes in taking everything in her stride, “I am prepared to do what is required of a professional model,” she declares.
Ace designer Deepak Perwani, known for his strap-laden, sizzling creations, brushes the orthodox elements aside. “The educated and with-the-times crowd ‘will’ continue to be liberal and accept daring fashion even in the most conservative of environments,” he retorts in his impeccable accent. Sonia Batla, however, takes on the restrictive mind-set of society head-on as a challenge. “To make a halter top with a back was a challenge that I ‘did’ take up,” she clarifies. Nadia Mistry, who dreams of improvising with the shalwar kameez to make it into a trendy garment that can be proudly donned in any metropolitan city of the globe believes, “A certain class ‘will’ continue to have objections to my designs no matter what I do.”
The hitch persists: innovative designers are vying to express their radical imagination and a fashion show is the only place he or she can afford to do that. A skimpy top here and a lacy creation there. Hark! But too much ‘boldness’ is frowned upon by even the most educated of people and in the most happening of cities like Karachi. Hence what we end up seeing on ramps under extortionately priced Pakistani designer labels is hardly wearable for you and me, only managing to find its way into those elitist parties where only anyone who’s ‘someone’ is invited.
Let’s just understand how this fashion circle works. The designer utilizes his creative juices only to appease his heavily-walleted clientele list. The result: the wizard designer ends up making a buck. But the ‘industry’ does not expand. Okay, let’s admit that designer labels are not something regular people make a habit of splurging on frequently. But it’s not just about how many people ‘buy’ a labeled accessory or garment. It’s about how many people in our society are aware of the up-coming designers our country is producing. As Deepak Perwani puts it, “With our literacy rate how many people even know that an Amir Adnan or Shamaeel exist!”
The communication culture has resulted in a staggering information revolution. Pakistanis are now aware of the international fashion industry via the plethora of channels and websites at their disposal. But the connoisseurs of the trade lament that designers in Pakistan are not trendsetters but fashion followers of the West. The need is for a tasteful amalgamation of what compliments our environ and the inspiration we draw from other cultures resulting in the country’s fashion echoing it’s inherent culture to a certain extent.
Some believe that the mushrooming of new designers will induce the much-needed competitive edge in our fashion arena. Others strongly hold that, like any other profession, designing is also a specialized field and not just anyone deserves to open up a ritzy boutique. Imran Kureishi points out candidly, “There’s very little originality in our fashion today. Most designs are simply a re-hash of old creations.” The ‘real’ designers can be counted on our fingertips. And you’ll end up having fingers to spare. But what about that hoard of boutiques that dot our malls and ‘in’ localities. Most of them are merely churning out copies of original designer creations. Others shamelessly ape the West. Being a designer is more than hiring a talented darzee and dictating to him how a suit is to be tailored. A graduate of a reputed fashion school must become a fashion designer-cum-textile designer-cum-patterner-cum-drapist when he or she leaves the four walls of the institute — an honest to goodness professional who knows precisely what he or she’s doing. “Some of our designers don’t even know how to hold a pair of scissors,” says Usman Dittu. Some designers with relevant degrees are cast into the shadows while those whose creations are a ‘fluke’ have their name up in lights. There is also a recent trend of silver screen stars opening up fashion outlets, hoping that their name will sell. And it does. What do the people know?
Park Towers and Zamzama are far from becoming the Rodeo Drive of Pakistan, but the posh, chic little designer outlets (some of which are by no means ‘little’) of the country certainly hold colossal promise. Fashion isn’t just a frivolous lifestyle today, it’s a tool which, if handled adroitly, can boost our country’s image sky-high. Deepak Perwani, lovingly calls fashion “Oomph.” Imran Kureishi, on the other hand believes that fashion is a sense of style. Ditto believes that it’s quality, fit and design. All said and done, fashion is what designers deem it to be. It’s about being able to identify what sleek creation you have on your back. To be able to hear someone drawl to you, ‘Dahling, is that an Amir Adnan you’re wearing?’ That’s what it’s about—-a renowned label. A label that screams sophistication and finesse. And lots of paid cash!
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