STYLE: WHAT FASHION COULD – Newspaper

Fashion shows are complicated creatures. A fashion show featuring the work of several designers, moreover.

It was an expensive event to organize a logistical nightmare requiring security, crowd control, a curated guest list, and proper backstage management. It’s no wonder that the local fashion industry, after weathering the pandemic and hyper-inflation, has completely skipped the giant fashion show, content with the fashion shoots airing on social media. No one wants to invest extra effort and expense.

Except Pakistan Trade Development Authority (TDAP).

A two day show had been planned, quite an eye-catching designer line-up put together and the cobwebs swept from the catwalk before being styled as part of the TEXPO2023 trade show taking place in Karachi.

Foreign delegations will attend there. Designers are told to create export-focused collections. Media invited. And the fashion fraternity came together again, after a very long time.

With no one else investing in fashion shows and a lineup of top designers, the Expo 2023 exhibition is geared towards promoting Pakistani fashion for export. How successful was it in its goal?

It could be great. And it is, for the most part. This event was very well organized by TakeII. Nubain Ali choreographed well. The setup by Nabila’s team, who work behind the scenes, was impeccable. There are also individual stylists who are hired by designers for their special collections, designing accessories and overall looks for the catwalk. If only the fashion was up to par, people would sigh and cheer and say, Yes, this is why we missed fashion week!

To be fair, there are times when someone cheers. At another point, you hold a yawn and say, Yes, this is why I haven’t missed fashion week at all!

But don’t complain. Especially when there are some collections that really stand out on the runway.

Rizwan Beyg’s work is usually associated with meticulous hand embroidery crafted by village artisans, but this collection of minimal, no fuss, flowing seamlessly down the runway is the other end of the spectrum from the designer’s studio.

Take Rizwan Beygs Elegante, for example, the show’s first collection, in which ivory viscose fabric, handcrafted in Gujranwala, tweaked, draped and shaped into a high fashion collection. Rizwan Beyg’s work is usually associated with meticulous hand embroidery crafted by village artisans, but the collection’s minimal, no-fuss, flowing seamlessly down the runway is the other end of the spectrum from the designer’s studio.

Then there’s Adnan Pardesy, making fashion magic with denim, treating it with various techniques and creating cool avant-garde silhouettes effortlessly. It was one of the most powerful collections to behold at TEXPO2023, a testament to Adnan’s design prowess, as he plays with entirely pedestrian fabrics and comprehensively transforms them into couture.

Wardha Saleem plays with brilliant colors and eccentric prints; Sana Safinaz showcases formal wear that blends their couture aesthetic with an upscale experience; the M. Jafferjees show featured an eye-catching range of leather handbags; Amna Aqeel’s ball gown was gorgeous; Huma Adnan paid homage to tribal embroidery and Deepak Perwani closed the first day with a final collection which was masterfully designed and featured actress Sonya Hussyn as the show stopper, walking out in a gown from the Frida line, one of the designer’s finest. -loved the collection from the past.

The second day of the show was packed with some major fashion highs. Shamaeel Ansari ups her glamor quotient with her signature embroidery, carefully curated prints and intricate silhouettes. The Pink Tree Company range is exquisite, featuring prints created in collaboration with Mahin Hussain, unique embroidery and beautiful color palettes.

Sanam Chaudhri is a force to be reckoned with, showcasing a must-have resort collection that relies entirely on pattern and selects it as a designer to its own drumbeat. Working with cotton and silk in brilliant colors, Sanam transforms silhouettes, making them spin on their own, using pins and dyes to accentuate several looks.

Young Parishae Adnan sports a look that is fierce, bold and very well-groomed. Spartan Athletics is responding to the growing demand for the sport around the world, with a lineup featuring active wear that looks good and is well styled. Ali Xeeshan was slotted in for the final show and he did not disappoint with the high-energy performances and tongue-in-cheek aesthetic associated with his brand.

Right at the very end, Ali walked to the end of the street with her troupe of models, holding a sign saying Zindabad Pakistan, with gold and silver confetti strewn around it. After all, Ali can always be counted on to provide great visuals.

TEXPO2023 also praised the work of fashion students in its designer lineup. The Asian Institute of Fashion Design (AIFD), Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture (IVSAA) and the Pakistan Textile Institute (TIP) were all showcased at the event. Among the three shows, the work done by IVSAA stands out, in which students exemplify the skills they have learned while also creating looks that are aesthetically pleasing and fashion-forward.

Without a doubt, the TEXPO2023 fashion show featured some great fashions. It was a reminder of how Pakistan’s fashion industry may be struggling to survive post-Covid, but will hopefully survive due to the talent on display by the design house’s motley crew. Scattered across the lineup, there are also brands that clearly didn’t get the memo about what would be shown on the runway.

There are high-end brands that feel there’s nothing wrong with sending models into the spotlight in plains and plain jeans, menswear brands dabble in Western silhouettes but don’t really know how to cut a pair of pants neatly, and designs are the best, forgettable, and most bad, terrible.

One wished the fashion industry had progressed so much that every show in the lineup could be inventive and well-designed. And that certain brands won’t be so tone-deaf and understand that the runway isn’t just about great music scores playing in the background, good-looking models, celebrity stoppers, and coverage in electronic media, the raison detrehas to, in the end, be nice clothes.

One also hopes that there is no need to write this again and again. These critiques have been a part of my fashion show reviews since I started writing them a long time ago. That continues to be a very valid complaint. Will it always be like that? It’s a debilitating thought.

There’s also the question of clothing fitting the bill in a show primarily dedicated to exports. The Pakistani economy may be grappling with inflation and struggling to stay afloat, but the fact remains that a number of foreign guests were invited by TDAP to attend this year’s TEXPO with the aim of showcasing the export potential of Pakistan’s fashions. Ideally, all design elements used should be original. In some cases this is so, but in other collections the frequent use of imported synthetic silk does not make sense.

It’s important to focus on elements that are completely Pakistani, says designer Shamaeel Ansari, who has extensive experience in textile export. Collections must demonstrate techniques and embellishments that can be commissioned by foreign delegates. For example, Pakistani embroidery is both very expensive and very cheap. It should be highlighted. In my collection, from the fabrics to the prints to the embellishments everything is made in Pakistan.

Ali Xeeshan had the same observation when I asked him why his collection is so jumbled with no clear theme, ranging from quirky casuals to bursts of sportswear to all-out wedding wear.

We work in knits and cotton and sell them through our e-store, he said, which is why we felt that it had to be an important part of our show. The wedding dress is showcased because it serves as an example of embroidery. Many of my embroidery designs sell very well internationally and, at TEXPO 2023, it is possible that foreign visitors will follow certain patterns and order them from us.

There are many other collections made entirely in Pakistan. The Adnan Pardesy line is testament to the high fashion potential of Pakistani denim and Rizwan Beyg, Wardha Saleem, The Pink Tree Company and Sanam Chaudhri, among others, showcased how viscose, cotton and silk fabrics can be transformed into statement pieces.

The question remains whether the handful of exporters at the event actually placed orders? Not that I know. Then again, these things take time. Pakistani fashion shows on a regular basis will make the world more aware of the potential in this industry and one hopes that the gentle image that was pushed for so long, can eventually generate more international fashion business. TDAP tried, at least, with this show at a time when no one else was interested in trying it.

But how much longer will Pakistani fashion last? When will we see results that are exciting and that make our designers one of them, at least on the world stage? In an uncertain world, we need the fashion industry to be sure now.

Organizers need to hone collections and select those that are truly worthy of the spotlight, designers need to think beyond retail at least sometimes and experiment, atelier must be willing to take more risks and invest in their talent rather than limiting themselves to shooting on Instagram.

And the industry needs to come together, once and for all, negate the differences between Karachi and Lahore, reject the desire for mutual respect and comfort and recognize the negative influences of empty gossip.

What you see on the runway is almost always far more beautiful than the constant competition and bickering that goes on there. And while these differences are supposed to be private, they are so frequent that anyone who has attended an event can tell.

I prefer not to talk about this in detail. I prefer to focus on the more powerful aspects of Pakistani fashion. I’d rather glorify the bona fide talent that has always powered the fashion industry than sadly reflect on the bitterness and insecurity that has constantly dragged it down.

Published in Dawn, ICON, 4 June 2023