KARACHI: The two-day Fashion Pakistan Week Spring/Summer ’18 held by the Fashion Pakistan Council entered its 10th year with a total of 15 designers on board.

This time round the FP Council also introduced its new executive board comprising Senator Sherry Rehman, Ronak Lakhani, Sana Hashwani and Tapu Javeri with Feri Rawanian as the CEO of the FP Council. The event also supported the Noor-i-Ali Trust for the deaf.

The designers who showed on Tuesday, day one of FPW were Maheen Khan for Gulabo, Huma Adnan for FnKAsia, Cheena Chhapra, Gogi by Hassan Riaz, Yasmeen Jiwa, The Pink Tree Company, Amir Adnan and Farah Talib Aziz.

Summer casuals by Gulabo were all about millennial-friendly prints and making statements with an attitude in the presentation titled ‘Liberation’ while the song Mein Bhi played in the background. The flowy silhouettes remained wear-friendly and true to the label’s philosophy while pressing urban social issues were flashed on screens which further lent an air of relevance for those present and a sense of bondage to the presentation. Zhalay Sarhadi and Ayesha Toor walked for Maheen Khan.

‘Pegah’ (early light of day) by FnkAsia’s Huma Adnan was presented in collaboration with the UNHCR in an effort to help refugees seeking asylum in Pakistan. In the collection based on nature motifs and symbols of both turmoil and peace on a base of neutrals and pastels, the designer played with cuts and thread embroideries while keeping the silhouettes voluminous, trendy, hip and edgy. Broad leather belts around the waist and chunky ethnic silver jewellery symbolising subtle turmoil further accentuated and complimented the models’ overall looks.

Cheena Chhapra transformed plus-size real working women, most of them in their late 60s, as haute fashion icons with her revivalist fashion which brought traditional crafts such as phulkari, gara, kaanta and block prints in full fashion focus. Colourfully attired in traditional costumes, larger-than-life femme fatales such as chef Zarnak Sidhwa, Shakila Hasan and Ayesha Tammy Haq among many others walked the full length of the FPW ramp in a knockout presentation titled ‘Buxom’ while gesturing and interacting with the highly-appreciative audience. If ever there was fun with fashion, this was definitely it.

‘Gogi’ by Hassan Riaz flaunted garishly fabulous costume-worthy numbers in organzas and silks with leather trims that played on the theme of Paradise Mirage, making statements about child abuse and labour, and about colourful souls destroyed as well as an ode to the joyful and playful spirit of children underlined by painstaking detailing and intense, intricate craftsmanship which played out the very theatrical element found in the ramp presentation. If it seemed more of a fashion grad presentation, it was only meant to be so.

Yasmeen Jiwa presented her Paris Fashion Week collection titled ‘Ode to Qous-i-Qazah’ with hints of citrus and rich red tones on a base of silver greys, windy blues and silver mist with embellishments of sequins and crochet lace on classic Eastern and Western cuts.

‘Chaand Raat’ by the Pink Tree Company played out to anthems such as Thaare Rahyo and Chalte Chalte from the all-time Meena Kumari classic film, Pakeezah. The collection was festive in mood and harked back to simpler times with an eye on the upcoming monsoon season weddings with saris, peshwazs, shararas, gharara pants, lehengas and traditional shalwars in fine, vibrant cottons forming the bulk of the contemporary chic collection, and set off by the liberal use of block prints, zardozi and gota.

Amir Adnan’s ‘Beast’ (inspired by the 1991 Disney classic Beauty and the Beast) collection was in collaboration with the JS Academy for the Deaf and featured hearing-impaired young men as models in what was an environment-conscious line of sherwanis and jackets made from recycled items of stitching and clothing. As requested by the designer, audible applause was replaced by sign language which comprised waving both hands in the air as a gesture of applause for the special models. In the next segment, a number of celebrities including Azfar Rahman and Alyy Khan walked for the designer. Matador capes and other such gear spruced up the regal-looking festive groom wear.

Farah Talib Aziz’s all about women collection titled ‘Mirabelle’ was akin to a fresh summer breeze, light and airy and with just the right amount of freshness in pearl embellishments to keep things cool this season. Syra Shehroz and Safina Behroze walked for the designer.

Published in Dawn, April 12th, 2018