LAHORE: The 19th edition of the country’s biggest and most sought-after bridal extravaganza, Pantene HUM Bridal Couture Week (PHBCW), swung open its doors to the world of glamour and glitz at a local hotel on Friday.

The event showcased the latest trends and designs in bridal couture by leading as well as emerging fashion designers of the country. The Bridal Fashion Week over the years has become the most sought after presentation for Pakistan’s top designers, couture lovers, influential individuals, buyers, celebrities, socialites, and established as well as upcoming brands. This year it will be showcasing 28 designers on the runway.

Show one of the bridal extravaganzas kicked off with Saira Rizwan’s collection Illiana Fall Couture 2021 bespoke bridal collection, followed by Diners’ glamorous luxe collection for the groom of today. Next in line was Haris Shakeel with his collection Ghazal which drew its inspiration from the colours of our festivities, followed by Uniworth’s The Gentlemen’s League which pays homage to the modern-day self-made man.

Alishba & Nabeel came next with their collection Lavyana that exudes modern glamour and timeless sophistication.

The show two of day one started off with Rici Melion East’s Bachpan Ka Khawab which was an ode to everyone’s childhood memories created using dying art of ethnic embroideries like mukesh, tilla twisted dori, and chapta sitara.

FAS Design Studio showcased next Manzil-e-Shauq featuring extraordinary wedding ensembles with subtle details which were elevated using luxury embellishments. Almirah was next with its sixteen pieces which beautifully amalgamated the versatile and contrasting design movements of East and West. Up next was Abeera Usman’s Mirha sweet melody of silver and gold hues. Day one came to an end with the House of Arsalan Iqbal’s latest festive collection Tahayyur e Ishq.

Day one of the three-day bridal extravaganza had a startling line-up of celebrities walking for the designers – the powerhouse actor Sonya Hussayn walked for Saira Rizwan and Nimra Khan walked for budding designer Haris Shakeel. The veteran actor Saleem Sheikh and singer Bilal Khan walked the ramp for Uniworth, while Mansha Pasha and Junaid Khan walked for Alishba & Nabeel. Pakistan’s favourite starlet Mawra Hocane and the petite doe-eyed Noor Zafar Khan show-stopped for Rici Melion. Minal Khan and Ehtesham (singer) graced the ramp for FAS Desgin Studio. The uber talented Bilal Abbas Khan walked down the ramp for Almirah, while actress Ramsha Khan walked for Abeera Usman.

Choreographer for PHBCW 2021 is Salwa Rafique while Hair and Makeup is done by NPro and NGents. The red-carpet hosts for PHBCW 21 are Armala Hasan and Hira Tareen. Arsalan Ihsan is the emcee for the event and DJ Moazzam mixed the music for the shows. Backstage is managed by Salwa Rafique and her team.

Sultana Siddiqui President HUM Network Limited says, “It gives me great pride to see how the Bridal Couture Week has evolved over the past decade and has become a benchmark of bridal fashion season, a platform where emerging designers get an opportunity to showcase alongside their illustrious peers. Apart from that the exposure given to all participants via HUM Network’s global reach and the response that the designers receive is unsurpassed thus making it not only a platform for creative expression but also a highly viable one from a business standpoint”.

Published in Dawn, December 11th, 2021