In the past, lawn was predominantly sold by the name of the mills that manufactured it — giants such as Gul Ahmed still command a large market sans a designer name attached. Today, more and more designers are jumping on the lawn bandwagon to a point where it seems like a rite of passage for well-established designers.
Both Deepak Perwani and Nomi Ansari — prominent designers in the Pakistani fashion domain who have also fashioned incredibly successful lawn exhibitions — cited an increasing demand by their clientele as their main motivation for foraying into this market. In Ansari’s words, designer lawn “makes the common man feel great about being able to buy a designer brand.”
Too many cooks Despite the explosive increase in designer wear lawn overall in the industry, last season saw a slight decline in the number of brands that exhibited their fabric collections. Perwani sees that as inevitable, as according to him, “There were too many designers catering to a market that just isn’t that big. The market this year was streamlined and I think in the next five years it will streamline more.”
He disagrees with the notion that designer lawn has elevated the status of lawn into an elite fabric. “You still have lawn that sells for Rs350 to Rs600 in the market. What it has done is give a well-designed fabric to people. Otherwise designer lawn is catering to a market where the same fabric is available for much less if you choose to go for it.”
Designers woes Designer wear lawn can cost between Rs5,000 to Rs15,000 depending on the designer, the mill manufacturing the fabric and the add-ons given with the outfit. Is it a surprise that in a country where there are no laws (enforced or otherwise) to protect the work of designers, copies of designer wear lawn are not only rampant but brazenly sold alongside the real stuff.
“In a way I consider it a compliment if someone copies my work, while at the same time, yes of course it affects our business,” said Perwani. “Actually, it’s unfair because we spend a lot of time and effort conceiving the designs and people just copy them and benefit without incurring any costs themselves. Last season, eight of my prints were copied.
“The problem is also that fashion has become very disposable,” Perwani lamented. With the increase in communication technology, even copying has become very fast. Not just in fabric but in fashion overall. You show a collection on the ramp and before the show is over, photographs of the outfits are on the internet and they’re being copied.”
Ansari takes a more sympathetic approach by saying that “Of course, not everyone can afford to buy branded lawn which is not cheap because it involves the price of cotton yarn, the silk that is used, cost of using satin borders and the embroidery on each outfit.”
He believes that copying designer brands is nothing new — it happens all over the world. “Designers contribute to the growth of the industry by serving as inspiration for others,” he added.
Whether it comes to women falling over their feet during lawn exhibitions to get their hands on an original set of designer lawn or preferring to buy copies — designer lawn has glamourised a fabric whose very identity was that it cost less than cotton and was disposed off after several months of rigorous use in the summer. A branded designer outfit that previously seemed distant and unaffordable for a large number of women was suddenly within reach — even if, instead of a complete outfit and the accompanying shenanigans, all they got was fabric. And paradoxically, in an era where the world is going through a global economic depression, that is one material commodity that every self-respecting style-conscious Pakistani woman must absolutely have — and more and more designers are more than happy to cater to that desire. The copiers aren’t far behind.