ISLAMABAD: Amna and Badar Afzal unveiled the celebrated designers of Labels, Islamabad at an intimate evening of coffee, canapés and high fashion. Also present at the soft launch was Zahir Rahimtoola, the pioneer of the Labels brand.

The gorgeous store includes a fabulous Fahad Hussayn Studio, where the designer is present for a few days to take custom orders.

Parveen Malik, president of the Asian Study Group, said: “The store is lovely and the location is wonderfully central.”

Amna Badar, owner of Labels Islamabad, said: “I waited almost a year before opening the store because I wanted to open in just at the right location. There was an old house in this plot which we completely rebuilt for our purposes.”

Ballerina by Aminah featuring a unique line of formal and semi-formal couture was present as were Koel, Shamaeel Ansari, Nomi Ansari, Vaneeza Ahmed amongst others.

Pashmina Ahmed of Plush, who operates the store, said: “I am thrilled to be able to offer such a wide selection of designer wear in Islamabad. Contrary to the idea that Islamabad is a small market, people here buy from Karachi and Lahore and there is no reason why they should not have access to the best of both cities here.”

Pashmina added, “Our CEO has been very selective about the designers she brings in here focusing on quality to help people have a good shopping experience.”

Zahir Rahimtoola said: “I have opened Labels stores all over but I think this is our best looking store. It is very spread out and we have brought a lot of Karachi into Islamabad.”

Explaining the fashion reality of Pakistan he added, “The interesting thing about Pakistan is that it is one country that has a minimalist design philosophy in the South and a very maximalist heavy approach in the North and the mix is fascinating.”

Comparing Islamabad to Dubai in that both are very small, he said: “Pakistan and North Korea are two countries which have virtually no transient population. This explains why no Pakistani designer has consistently shown collections in every season, other than lawn, because the audience is limited. In Dubai, Bangladesh and Colombo the retail market is the transient population. Islamabad is the only city in Pakistan that has a transient population because of the diplomatic community.”

Hafza Rizwan, a partner in Hamna Amir Designer Jewelry, said: “Our brand is available in other places in Islamabad but we have worked with Labels in other cities and it is a great place to showcase our jewellery which is handcrafted silver, with or without gold plating.”

Mahira Nasim said: “The convenience of being able to get top designer brands under one roof is great. I was able to see what most of my favourite brands are putting out this season and select what suits me.”

Published in Dawn, October 20th, 2014