Those who wield fashion’s power and harness it to create bold, new conversations, rare opportunities and engage successive generations to benefit from its golden touch deserve kudos and accolades. Those who pay back to the institutions and industry they have benefitted from equally so.

Both of these elements were witnessed first-hand at the recently held ‘Blaze’ fundraiser show, held by the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture (IVSAA). The elegant show was set against the backdrop of the iconic Nusserwanjee Building of the IVSAA, and was aimed at raising money for new construction and the expansion of the institution’s academic facilities. Playing on the elemental themes of earth, water and fire, it brought together powerhouses alumni designers such as Sania Maskatiya, Saira + Shamoon Sultan (Chapter 2) and Nida Azwer. The music score for the show was provided by the talented Ali Allah Ditta.

There was also the MC, actress and fashion icon Sarwat Gillani in the mix, who wore her alumna status like a badge with pride. Not to forget Bilal Maqsood, who was in the first IVSAA graduating batch and was there to lend support to his alma mater, and Shehzad Roy, who was also there to do what he does best: provide encouragement for anything and everything related to education.

Though not an alumna of IVSAA, another fashion powerhouse without whose mention this piece of writing would not be considered complete is Vaneeza Ahmed aka Vinny, supermodel and another fashion icon who has now branched out with her own line of personalised jewellery under the title of ‘Vao’ (as in the Urdu alphabet with which her name starts). She was the official Blaze show choreographer and director, and watching her briefly during final rehearsals made one realise the taxing demands of her undertaking, all focus, dedication and sweat and certainly no cakewalk. More on that some other time.

Three fashion powerhouses and the will to do good is all it took for the IVSAA’s Blaze fundraiser to become the talk of the fashion fraternity

Refined and distilled are the two adjectives that probably describe Sania Maskatiya’s ‘Water’-inspired collection most accurately. She hit the ground running with the fluidity of water. The essence of her collection was symbolised by what appeared to be fish scales, circular fabric discs denoting oyster shells, wisps of light fabric akin to seaweed and other aquatic flora, sand tones, ruffles and coral-inspired fine cutwork embroidery. All in all, her collection was a very loyal-to-its-theme manifestation of high fashion and spectacular visual artistry.

The key takeaways from the Chapter 2: Saira + Shamoon Sultan presentation were comfort, wearability and the glory of local handloom fabric, which allows the skin to breathe easily in this region’s sweltering and mercurial summers. While Sania Maskatiya was all refinement and fluidity, Khaadi was focused and strictly structured towards the theme of ‘Earth’ with its ethnic design sensibilities and influences.

The liberal use of deep, solid colours, monochromes and colour-blocking elevated their line-up’s look and feel to the extraordinary, with motifs, checks and stripes adding further dimension and texture to an already vibrant base. Earth and jewel tones defined flowy silhouettes, with a particular ocean-green number becoming a personal favourite.

The ‘weakest’ thematic collection was attributed to Nida Azwer, not because she scored lower in creativity, but because the collection didn’t largely adhere to its ‘Fire’ theme. It displayed a wide range of hues that one later learnt symbolised the evening sky against the setting sun. Perhaps a more detailed description and explanation of the colour palette was in order, keeping in view the theme-conscious collections of the two preceding presentations. Having said that, a few typically ‘red’ bridals and wisps of fabric suggesting flames, did cross one’s line of vision.

The fashion show was followed by a serene qawwali by Ajmal Fareedi and his troupe.

To pull off a sturdy fashion event as a fundraiser at a time when the country’s entire fashion industry, including its manpower and infrastructure, was engaged in the four-day Laam Fashion Week in Lahore, is no mean feat. For this, the entire Blaze team and the IVSAA administrators deserve kudos for their dedication and commitment.

The writer is a member of staff. He can be reached at quraishi.faisal@gmail.com

Published in Dawn, ICON, February 15th, 2026