At designer Shehla Chatoor’s solo show, ‘Aks’, the clothes caught the eye — but so did much else. The broad, shiny catwalk was surrounded by the most exquisite décor: extravagant florals, enchanting lights and even two rotund golden elephants flanking the red carpet.

Karachi’s colonial old Customs House building served as the show’s backdrop, with the designer’s logo twirling over it via a projection screen throughout. The smell of flowers wafted through the air and musicians from the National Academy of Performing Arts (Napa) played live music. This little nook, dedicated to the show, was utterly surreal and so unlike the musty, hectic city bustling outside.

After the show, one was able to appreciate the details all the more. The mirrored walls at the onset of the catwalk were replications of the workmanship on the border of a lehnga; the borders running on the red carpet wall were similarly inspired by the silken Kanjivaram incorporated into some of the clothes. People familiar with Shehla Chatoor’s designs know that she is a stickler for details and that the same meticulous attention had been extended to the nitty-gritties that surrounded her show.

The designer had done the same last year when she had flown solo with her collection, ‘Nur-e-Alaleh’, creating an enchanted garden for the showcase. Back then, as well as now, an extremely glamorous audience had drifted into the venue: celebrities, affluent aficionados on the lookout for buying the latest designer-wear, the city’s most notable designers and of course, the media. At one point, this was the sort of audience that used to attend fashion weeks before the latter became too frequent and too generic. The well-coiffured, however, keep surfacing happily to enter Shehla’s faux wonderlands.

Had designer Shehla Chatoor’s solo show merely been an extravaganza boosted by its opulent setting, perhaps it would not have been as memorable. But what made the show stand out was its raison d’etre: the fashion itself

It would be fair to say that this is perhaps because, at a time when many fashion shows clutter Pakistan’s yearly sartorial calendar, Shehla has taken it upon herself to deliver bona fide fashion experiences. “The beauty of hosting a solo show is that it allows the audience to experience the soul of my brand,” says the designer. “It also gives me complete control over everything — from the venue, to the music, the models and the styling.”

And yet, it requires considerable time, effort and immense expenditure to host such opulent solo shows two years in a row. What has been prompting Shehla Chatoor to go solo when she could simply join the line-up at a fashion week? Is this her way of flexing the muscle and trumpeting the success of her atelier to the world at large? Or are there other motives at play?

Business routes

“People keep asking me why I’m exhausting myself and making such heavy investments into solo fashion shows instead of opting to be part of a fashion week,” says Shehla. “Honestly, I do love fashion weeks and will continue to take part in them over the course of my career. However, there are certain collections that are so detailed and elaborate that they need to be given a stage of their own. Also, these shows are basically business moves. The ‘Nur-e-Alaleh’ showcase, last year, yielded huge returns for me. There is a certain expectation that clients have of me, and these shows provide the perfect setting for fulfilling them.

“Every outfit placed on the catwalk has been created with my clientele’s requirements in mind,” she continues. “The collection includes pleated dupattas with lighter embellishments for girls living abroad who may opt not to cover their heads at their weddings. The clothes are also essentially traditional because experimental silhouettes don’t make sense when it comes to wedding wear. Clients are more appreciative of well-crafted beautiful clothes.”

And yet, there were some instances where her show did veer towards the fantastical. The models were preceded by men holding traditional buroods, waving incense into the air. The finale outfit worn by model Fouzia Aman was lit up with LED lights — the cynics in the audience immediately made quips about load shedding but, in hindsight, the iridescent long dress did make for some very theatrical images. There were also outfits that would probably not work off the catwalk, worked with complicated multiple tiers or layered extensively.

“One has to add drama to the catwalk,” points out Shehla. “The finale outfit, as well as some of the styling in the show, was obviously there to make the clothes stand out on the catwalk. At the same time, my business caters to overseas destination weddings where women do want to wear clothes that are more avant-garde. Young girls usually want to wear modern clothes to their weddings while their mothers are in search of heirloom pieces. I have tried to strike a balance — pairing a tunic with multi-tiered sleeves with a traditional, embroidered lehnga, for instance.”

At a time when many fashion shows clutter Pakistan’s yearly sartorial calendar, Shehla has taken it upon herself to deliver bona fide fashion experiences. “The beauty of hosting a solo show is that it allows the audience to experience the soul of my brand,” says the designer.

Her show also ostensibly indicated her branching out into menswear, introducing some very attractive options into a realm that is generally garish and limited. Even the shoes worn by the male models had especially been designed to complement the clothes. “In my last show, I had created a few options for the male models walking in with the females. When orders started coming in for those clothes, I realised that there was a demand for them. It prompted me to put out a more extensive collection for men this time round. There’s a lot of quilting in the designs and colours that range from the austere to the more playful for the dandies.”

Given how hard she has evidently worked, how does she feel when criticism is leveled at her work? Even a grand solo show may get critiqued by people who don’t like the designs or the implementation. ‘Aks’, for instance, may have been beautiful but moved at a painfully slow pace — something that was mentioned very frequently by those sitting in the audience. “There was a time when criticism would really get me down and, even now, two decades into my career, I wouldn’t be human if I didn’t worry about how things will turn out,” she says. “I’m very open to constructive critique and also, I’m developing a thick skin. Negative comments will always be there but, at the end of the day, if the business is doing well, that’s all that matters.”

Economies of scale

Listening to Shehla, it almost seems as if her business has not been crippled by the economic crunch that the world is moaning about, despite the fact that her forte primarily lies in creating heavy-duty wedding wear that comes attached with a certain price tag. “Business is doing well,” she agrees.

Nevertheless, the industry, at large, is leaning towards fast fashion. Certain mainstream local ateliers have been diversifying towards budget bridals, incorporating machine embroideries with hand embellishments and employing lower quality fabric in order to bring down costs. Has Shehla also considered tapping into this market? “Not really. This is my passion, creating designs that have been hand-embroidered from scratch, and as long as I’m enjoying it and my clients are appreciating it, that’s what I’ll do.”

Shehla had, however, ventured into the high street some years ago with designer lawn. What made her back out from the genre after only two years? “For one, it was difficult for me to handle the demands of designing lawn, along with regularly creating bridal-wear and evening formals. I also feel that designer lawn has lost its appeal. There was a time when people would wait for these yearly collections avidly. Now, there are collections getting churned out in droves and it’s no longer a covetable product. I just wasn’t finding it exciting.”

Craft stories

What does excite her is the painstaking process of creating intricate, well-finished embroideries on fabric. Anyone who has visited her atelier knows this, where she peers over multiple wooden addas, working with craftsmen who have been with her for years, bringing to life the luxurious details that are her leitmotif.

Her passion was also evident in her show; where mirrors glittered alongside gota, marori and Swarovski crystals, wound together so neatly that there wasn’t a stitch out of place. There were pouches and clutches that went with the clothes and designing elements that fascinated: layers of tulle, risqué cut-outs at the back, organza and crushed silk.

Had ‘Aks’ merely been an extravaganza boosted by its opulent setting, perhaps it would not have been memorable. But what made the show stand out was its raison d’etre: the fashion itself. Holding its own, forecasting wedding trends for the year, it was testament to a brand that has matured, knows its strengths and plays them out so well.

Published in Dawn, ICON, May 5th, 2019