LAHORE: Three-day Pakistan Fashion Design Council (PFDC) Bridal Week started here on Thursday, marking the ninth consecutive year of the bridal couture platform.

The first day opened with a group bridal show, featuring Hussain Rehar and Zubia Zainab, followed by another group show featuring Nida Azwer, Rising Talent Showcase, Abbas Jamil, Elaha Ahmed, Mehak Yaqoob, Urwah Ali and Saira Shakira.

The PFDC, in continuation of its consistent efforts to introduce fresh forces of fashion to the industry, brought to the show new bridal designers in the luxury evening segment: Zubia Zainab and the Aquafina Rising Talent.

This year too, the council gave a platform to four new designers, many of whom have been trained at the Pakistan Institute of Fashion Design (PIFD), scheduled for day two and day three of PFDC Bridal Week.

Hussain Rehar showcased his bridal collection, titled “The Fifth Dimension - The Memory of the Future”. A staunch practitioner of expression through embellishment, Rehar drew the idea of bold and flamboyant into edgy chic embellishments, empowering modern women of Pakistan. This season, Rehar’s show involved a mash-up of futuristic visuals blending up with bold embellishments. The collection was about being dressed courageously. The dynamic colour palette was inspired by the cosmos far in the depths of the universe, which symbolised the freedom one has in today’s fast-growing era.

Making her PFDC Bridal Fashion Week debut Zubia Zainab showcased her collection, titled “Dare to Dream”. For women who are audaciously feminine while being ambitious and are not afraid to break barriers, the collection emphasized the outfits that were feminine and also carried an edgy twist. “Dare to Dream” was an ode to empowered brides determined to fulfill any path they chose in life even after marriage.

Nida Azwer showed her collection, titled Anarkali. Inspired by the rich Mughal heritage of art and textiles, Nida revived the age-old techniques of cuts and fine embroideries made in zardozi, marori, wasli, gota, kamdani, mirror work and fine silk threads and velvet work. Voluminous kalidars, angharkas and peshwases had been paired with magnificent farshi ghararas, lenghas, izars, and chooridaars that were complimented with richly worked dupattas and chaddars. In this collection, Nida Azwer stayed true to her love for miniature paintings and Mughal Architecture, which were finely intertwined with delicate florals. The collection consisted of 16 distinct designs for women’s wear using rich jewel tones of rubies, sapphire, gold, and silver which were off white with lovely soft hues, with an option of pairing the separates in multiple ways. The collection featured custom designer jewellery by Print Therapy.

The Rising Talent show featured emerging designers, Abbas Jamil, Elaha Ahmed, Mehak Yaqoob and Urwah Ali.

Abbas displayed his collection, titled The Dauphin of Versaille, inspired by the interior of Versailles Palace and the glamourous lifestyle of the last queen of France, Marie Antoinette, before the French Revolution. The headgears, clothing style of Marie and the classical baroque interior of the palace were merged together to make the collection which also featured layers of fabrics, Swarovskis, pearls and crystals depicting the richness and delicacy of the collection.

Elaha Ahmed showcased her collection, “Beauty in Ashes,” as part of the Rising Talent showcase. Inspired by the fictional character of Daenerys Targaryen from ‘Game of Thrones’, the collection portrays “self-made woman who are feminine yet resilient; such women bloom like roses from ashes & smoke”.

Mehak Yaqoob’s “Transmutation of Louis Trunk” was a fusion of structured Louis Vuitton’s trunks with the soft folds of Bisterband. Inspired from the great trunk master along the local style of travelling, the collection displayed a blend of eastern and western culture. The transformation of soft folds was shown through elements of belts and buckles, which gave an edge and uniqueness to the collection.

Urwah Ali’s collection ‘Masculine Femininity’, highlighted the traits that accompany womanhood, those of grace and delicacy along with strength and power. Inspired from Derrida’s concept of binary opposition, the theme of Biker Ballerina by Rei Kawakubo was chosen and applied further to emphasize how woman were perfect example of this notion, being sensitive and intense at the same time.

The finale for day one of Bridal Week 2019 was presented by the designer duo of Saira Shakira who displayed their bridal couture collection, titled “Kali – A Bloom”. A tale of a beautiful kali or a bloom that is in the process of growing and constantly changing to become more and more beautiful and mature with every passing moment, the collection featured couture pieces with intricate work of crystals, pearls, gota and delicate sequin art in hues of pastels with a contrast of bright colors to lift the palette. The garments in the collection revolved around florals and nature, playing with traditional craftsmanship on pure fabrics, exploring the art and techniques of chatta patti and risham featuring floor length gowns in magical net, organza, tissue, silk and jamawaar fabrics embellished in crystals and pearls that shine bright from a distance.

Published in Dawn, September 27th, 2019