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The designer knows what he is talking about, having launched designer lawn 14 years ago. Sana Safinaz, in his view, are the only people who know how to make lawn designs, while others are turning it into evening wear apparel. “Embroidery, lace and attachments have become a hodge podge for casual dresses. Seeing its popularity, shop owners are copying and becoming designers, it is so common today,” said Rizwan Beyg.
Advocating shalwar kameez and dupatta, he says, “Why can’t we wear shalwar instead of trousers and be proud of it? I have gone back to vibrant colours and affordable prices while designing lawn for Al-Zohaib Textiles, and sold out six designs on the first day, proving that women want to come back to the basics. I am not saying that one should not buy other designers’ lawn—my designs are what I think they should be; that’s all. It’s not easy for most people to buy expensive lawn and then add expensive embellishments to it, and I have found an easy solution for it.”
Rizwan Beyg was the first designer to take on lawn designing in 1996. It made fashion history then. Using his textile and printing expertise he took a calculated risk realising that shalwar kameez was the dress for the masses. This concept didn’t catch on at the time as all the designers were doing expensive clothes.
Keeping the spirit of the country in mind he chose the traditional craft of embroidery of the four provinces. “The time for light tones such as cream, beige and white is over, and as our lifestyle is full of colour, people are enjoying its revival. At the same time they have the satisfaction of buying the product of a designer who is known to be expensive but who has given them something so affordable and reasonable,” Rizwan explains.
This time with tie-n-dye, rilli, mirror and patchwork prints, Rizwan’s inspiration was lattice motifs from woodwork and architecture. The cloth, he says, is high quality and looks like silk and has a glazed finish. “We had to have good quality to get the vibrant colours with the particular shades and tones I chose. I have been working hard for six months to get the right result. This launch is actually an exercise to win clients’ hearts. At the end of the day it is all about the end result: coming out with a beautiful, ethnic product. Our billboards are also very different and simple in presentation. I feel the requirement of today is simplicity.”
Rizwan was off to Sri Lanka to attend an international fashion week at Colombo the very next day. “This is my fifth visit there, and I do demi-couture every year. I am taking six models with me this time. We are working on making a South East Asian platform for ethnic fashion.” He says that Colombo Fashion Week is a popular platform for networking and meeting people.
On returning to Pakistan, he will begin work on a trade and fashion event named Showcase 2012 as its creative head. The international event will be presented in mid-March and will showcase collections by five designers from abroad as well as top-of-the-line and emerging Pakistani designers.
Event management: 021 Productions Media & PR: Tehmina Khaled (Take II)
