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You’ve come a long way, baby!
The Pakistani fashion industry has gone from its embryonic roots to a full-fledged thriving part of society in the past decade, and Images has been there every step of the way. Fashion aficionados may continue to complain about people not taking their work seriously, but if the sheer volume of new magazines, layouts, photo shoots, television programmes and fashion shows is any indication, a lot of people are aware of the future and potential of this industry.
Ten years ago, there were a few key players that served mainly the affluent. Rizwan Beyg had carved a niche for haute couture with his inflated prices and ‘princess’ worthy show-stopping designs. Maheen Khan and Imrana Ahmed had changed the silhouette from bulky and big-shouldered eighties to a sleek, body flattering form.
Soon, Sonya Battla came on board and her fashion philosophy of minimalist, sleek silhouette and a cut that was a piece of architecture in itself put her in her own class. Amir Adnan left banking to create a market for men’s fashion and even men’s haute couture. Combining Tanveer Jamshed’s concept of chain stores and his own business acumen, he just went from strength to strength. Today, he has nine retail outfits in Pakistan. Deepak Perwani then followed Adnan’s lead but focused on younger, funkier looks for men and also a glamorous women’s line. Amin Gulgee created a jewellery and sculpture line that has been integrated in the industry full force, and makes a frequent appearance in fashion shows.
With the introduction of schools such as the Pakistan School of Fashion Design in Lahore and the Asian Institute of Fashion Design in Karachi in the last few years, there has been a rapid increase in the number of new designers such as Usman Dittu, Nomi Ansari, Kamiar Rokni, Maheen Kardar Ali, Hassan Sheheryar Yasin and of course, the ubiquitous Maria B. This has opened up the market, but simultaneously created a tension between those formally trained and those with hands-on experience. Fashion pundits also complain that the newbies are trained in the craft of design, media savvy and PR skills, but not enough emphasis is being paid to the development of their artistic souls and visions.
There is enough room in the industry for all types of designers, however, and those in the other camp believe that rather than judging the differences, it’s more useful to applaud and support the diverging developments. A few designers in particular have such an impressive corporate structure already in place that insiders believe in the next few years they will transform into lifestyle stores selling everything from perfume to drapes.
With each new batch of graduates, fashion pundits are expecting the market to soon be saturated with players. Already, insiders are complaining that there is a dearth of karigars in the market as the best ones are being snapped up by new designers. But is there such a thing as too much competition? Certainly not from the client’s point of view. As more choices arise, the quality of options should improve and prices decrease.
With the influx of new talent, it has become clear that the haute couture designers need to reach the masses to make a real impact. Maheen Khan reopened her flagship store after almost eight years, and Beyg recently set up a prêt-a-porter boutique.
The future of fashion looks brighter than ever. Already, our designers are participating in international fashion weeks, with Faiza Samee and Hassan Sheheryar participating in Bridal Asia in India, Sonya Battla, Nilofar Shahid and Rizwan Beyg showing for Prince Charles in London, Amin Gulgee in Portugal, Shaiyanne Malik in India, HSY in Prague, multiple representatives at the renowned Royal Albert Hall Show in London and Deepak Perwani going to China with President Musharraf.
At the same time, more and more foreign designers are showing here. In Fall 2003 alone, Karachi had catwalk shows by Turkish design icon Madame Z and Indian designers Suneet Varma and Rina Dhaka. Pakistan is now on the fashion map and this trend looks like it will continue more in the future. Becoming a part of the international network of fashion is an important step for the development and exports of our local industry.
With enough players in the market, now is a good time to approach, again, the concept of a fashion council or governing body to guide the industry into the future. Whether it is city planning or political strategy, our nation often does not plan long-term and later suffers due to this short-sightedness. In the fashion industry, one has to form a vision and then work towards attaining it. Special mention must be given to Frieha Altaf and her team who have organized more than 20 events in the last year alone. A trend-setter, Altaf recognizes the need for more training in areas other than pure design and thus is looking to start a professional modelling agency and talent school. Insiders believe that the Export Promotion Bureau, too, should get more involved and as a start perhaps hold workshops to train karigars.
The establishment of the Lux Style Awards has given official recognition to the fashion industry and the establishment of satellite TV channels that air the plethora of fashion shows during primetime has created a buzz surrounding the industry and stolen the thunder from our film industry. The awards still suffer from a surfeit of gestation woes and have yet to come into their own, but are without a doubt a must-attend event for industry insiders.
Fashion has slowly become a larger part of our lives over the past decade and we are excited to see where it will go by the time our next anniversary issue rolls around in 2014.
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