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After eight
The year 2004 will be remembered for breaking barriers, softening boundaries, going international and altogether realizing our presence on a global scale. Shows got bigger, trends got mature and we saw fabulous collections coming in from Sana Safinaz and Umar Sayeed (undoubtedly the year’s favourites) and celebrity trafficking getting richer and more glamorous with superstars like Amir Khan, Saif Ali Khan and Sushmita Sen flying in for fundraising, performances and shows.
The LSA went to Dubai with a show that got people talking, if nothing else. Perhaps not in the best taste and perhaps not giving the fairest judgements, the show did take us a notch higher in terms of recognition, as a result inspiring a lot of people to take their careers seriously. The organizers are totally mum about the next show, but it does promise to be an improvement and with the three-year termination of contracts and consequent shuffling of governors, there are bound to be significant changes and developments.
Amir Adnan opened a flagship store in Dubai, becoming the first designer from Pakistan to have a shop not stock abroad. Chen One opened up in the Mid Valley Mega Mall, Kuala Lumpur, registering their presence in one of the most mobile economies of the world. Now if only they would employ better designers to design their lines of clothing.
Things were no less emancipated back home and a lot of designers stepped out of their space in terms of expansion. In Karachi, Khaadi went from a two-storey shop to a multi-storey lifestyle store in Zamzama. It’s inevitable that Shamoon’s next foray will be into an international market. Deepak Perwani celebrated 10 years as a designer by starting bridals and renovating his shop. Later in the year he took his presence to the Kuala Lumpur Fashion Week.
Tazeen Hassan, who has been working out of a shell for the longest time, started a “designer fabric” division and took on a tiny but classy outlet. December saw its inauguration, and the fabrics on display were a wide range of textures from soft lightweight denims to georgettes and chiffons, all embellished by contemporary sequined motifs. The fabrics defined practical handiness, restrained elegance and class.
Shows unfortunately were not as frequent as they should have been; the good ones limited to less than a handful. A lot happened beyond Pakistan as Maheen showed in Jordan, Faiza Samee in Bridal Asia, Nilofer Shahid and Sana Safinaz amongst others in the Femina Fashion Week, India. However, the grand finale of the fashion year was the TRC Ball, an event which brought in Indian fashion guru Tarun Tahiliani.
One thing which pronounced itself with alarm at the show, however, was our rapidly depleting model reservoir. While the Indian girls were all thin, lithe and well-toned, the best we could cough up was the Vinnie-Iraj-Tanya-ZQ quarto, models we’ve been hanging on with desperation for the last 12 years. Iman was uncomfortably voluptuous, Sunita visibly bored and the rest just did not have the zing, the zang, the figures and the attitude required. One doesn’t see LSA 2005 having a credible Best Model (female) category if these four girls decide not to participate in the contest.
But all hope is not lost. Frieha Altaf is working on a couple of new faces in Karachi and rumor has it that Yusouf Salahuddin is unearthing a new face in Lahore. Another stroke of luck may come with Khawar Riaz’s reawakening which gave birth to eye candy of the year: Abdullah. No doubts as to who’ll win next year’s Best Male Model. Now if only Khawar would work on bringing in girls as good as Abdullah.
So at the crack of the New Year, our glass is as much half-empty as it is half-full, and has to be seen both ways. Designers may be opening shops and getting organized, but those who can be remembered for setting trends are still limited to a handful. They may be participating in international shows but what’s happening back home needs more attention in 2005, perhaps in the shape of a desperately required Fashion Week. On a last note, while there have been disappointments, embarrassments and frequent goofups, the year 2004 can be remembered in a positive light and this ray of optimism must be taken higher in the next.
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