LAHORE, April 2: The final night of Pakistan Fashion Design Council (PFDC) Sunsilk Fashion week displayed new trends, breathtaking designs and new designers on the block.The Friday night was the most exciting at Expo Centre, Johar Town, where 13 designers graced the biggest fashion extravaganza, showcasing their collection with an objective of creating business relationships and facilitating a dialogue between designers, trade buyers and media. The venue was packed with fashion fanciers, fashion gurus, guests interested in new trends in fashion and women in rather large numbers.
The show opened with Adnan Pardesy’s menswear and womenswear collection entitled ‘Opine’, an expression of the designers opinion on denim and the possibilities it possessed in terms of construction, detailing and texturing. Fabrics used in the collection were cotton and denim treated with a diversity of washes with fabric on fabric construction with embellishment found in zippers and buttons.
Crimson by Ali Xeeshan showcased a collection entitled ‘The Paradox’. A tribute to the platform provided by the PFDC Fashion Week ramp, The Paradox endeavoured to encapsulate the spirit, diversity and contrasts of fashion as evident on the Sunsilk Fashion Week platform. As described by Zeeshan, “this is a platform where Élan shows sophistication and crisp creations while the House of Kamiar Rokni gives us a visual treat with its artistic pieces; where we witness the exciting contrast of the flamboyance of Hassan Sheheryar Yasin (HSY) against the simplicity of Saai, the funk of Maria B to the punk of Teejays.”
FNKAsia’s menswear and womenswear collection was entitled ‘Sea Merchants’, inspired by Pakistan’s treasure trove of craft; precious, priceless and yet almost forgotten if not saved. With this collection, FNKAsia drew upon the many wonders of nature found in vibrant corals, florescent sea urchins and wild anemones. The brand played the role of sea merchant, dredging up the ocean surface for these treasures and carrying them across to runways in the form of fashion. Rethinking tradition, FNKAsia presented a solid palette this summer, focussing on an array of lowers be they pocketed shalwars, stretchy churidaars or tights, bringing the slim streamlined structure back.
Emraan Rajput’s menswear collection was entitled ‘Noir’ where the designer took inspiration from this universal colour as one that carries a plurality of emotions; from being a symbol of evil, menace and sorrow to a representation of authority and style. With ‘Noir’, Rajput interpreted black as a symbol of power and sophistication whereby the designer believed that black had the ability to individualise people among others, absorbing all colours giving one the feeling of power and individuality. With masculine, trendy and retro silhouettes, ‘Noir’ was based in cotton & crush while embellished with thread work.
For PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week 2011, Ammar Belal embarked on a new direction with the ‘African Safari’ collection. After the successful showings of the ‘King of Pop’ and ‘Concrete Jungle’ collections last year, which were highly conceptual in nature, the Safari collection was aimed at being the most wearable collection from the brand till date.
Africa serves as an inspiration for the birth of various ancient civilisations and the dawn of mankind, which translates into new beginnings for the Ammar Belal brand.
Meryl Streep from the movie ‘Out of Africa’ serves as a protagonist to the collection, which represents the preppie style applied to basic clothing, fit for the rigorous outdoors. Linens, cottons, and twills were paired with suede accents to give the safari feel to the collection.
Teejays showcased her menswear and womenswear entitled ‘TEEJAYS: FREEDOM’ was all about going back to your roots that encompasses the rich traditions of the east for a global audience. The collection is essentially menswear worn by women, where the philosophy is that women can wear menswear in a more feminine way thus it eventually becomes womenswear.
Zara Shahjahan’s womenswear collection was entitled ‘Pink Chai’. A combination of Shahjahan’s five different design lines within one showcase, ‘Pink Chai’ was inspired by Pakistan’s amazing women and their strength and versatility. The collection was quintessentially feminine with lots of net, lace and sequence for the designers’ more formal creations and cottons and prints for the more casual range.
HSY’s menswear and womenswear collection entitled ‘Voyage National’ was inspired by the beautiful face of Pakistan. Showcasing for the third time at the prestigious week and true to the label’s philosophy of timeless elegance, the collection celebrated the creativity and exceptional artistry embedded in our traditional crafts. ‘Voyage National’ was an aesthetic journey through the regions of Pakistan. Fabric from the World of HSY prints, the brands first premium prints line teamed with age-old embroidery techniques passed from one generation to the next were complimented with handbags designed exclusively for HSY by Krizmah from Chitral. The collection was a seamless synthesis between tradition and experimentation with bold cuts and contemporary silhouettes, but the essence was unmistakably Pakistani.
The other labels who displayed their collections included PIFD, Ittehad, Al-Karam, Sobia Nazir and Umar Sayeed.