KARACHI – The first day of the two-day Fashion Pakistan Week Spring/Summer 2018 by Fashion Pakistan Council was held on the 10th of April at the Pearl Continental Marquee in Karachi.
This season’s fashion take was glamorously glitzy with a line-up of 15 designers, eight of whom showcased their collection on the first day. The show was opened by Maheen Khan displaying the latest trends from her brand Gulabo followed by Huma Adnan for FnKAsia, Cheena Chhapra, Hasan Riaz, Yasmeen Jiwa, The Pink Tree Company, Amir Adnan and Farah Talib Aziz.
Prior to the show, leading celebrities and designers were seen mingling at the gorgeously designed purple and white Physiogel booth where Nadia Hussain, actress and model engaged the audience in conversations revolving around fashion, their personal style, beautiful skin and talked about the who’s who of fashion.
“We are always looking for fresh and innovative ways to engage our Key Opinion Leaders and our Consumers and we are truly delighted to launch a symbiotic relationship between Physiogel and Fashion Pakistan Week,” said Ayeza Sumsam Mohiuddin, Senior Brand Manager for Skin Health Category at GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare.
What made an impact was when hearing impaired models made their runway debut for Amir Adnan, who had trained them all personally. Making it a first for any fashion show in the history of Pakistan to take this bold step of having impaired models walk the ramp. “Each year, Fashion Pakistan Week stuns the audience and that’s because we have great designers, sponsors and partners on board with us that help make it a great success,” said Feri Rawanian, CEO of Fashion Pakistan Council. “We have also tied up with the Noor-e-Elahi trust to support the impaired, having hearing impaired models walk the ramp for Amir Adnan. Fashion Pakistan Week Spring/Summer ’18 is all about being inclusive and providing equal opportunity to the impaired. We hope to get as great a response on Day Two as well.”
Gulabo by Maheen Khan
Titled ‘Liberation’, the pieces were like a breath of fresh air, comfy, soft to the eyes yet stylish in a very chic way. From striking statements about environment such as ‘no water no life’ displayed fashionably on the runway to the closing of her show with the Lux Style Awards ‘Mein Bhi’ song playing in the background, her collection was appreciated by all and left quite an impact. Ayesha Toor and Zhalay Sarhadi were the showstoppers.
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Huma Adnan for FNKASIA – Pegah
Huma’s brand aligns itself with social justice and therefore she dedicated this collection, Pegah, meaning ‘early light of day’ in Persian, to helping refugees seeking asylum in Pakistan. Joining hands with UNHCR, Huma brought jewellery and crafts to the collection that were made by refugee women, in order to promote women empowerment in the work force. Free form drapes and the unstructured appeal of the garments made the aesthetic of the collection peaceful and calm. Bell sleeves, bell bottoms, flappers, breezy cool blues, brown belts were all on display as models strutted down the ramp. The showstoppers for FNKASIA were Noor Khan and the very lively and individualistic Zara Asad Siddiqi who sashayed down the ramp to spontaneous applause.
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Cheena Chhapra – Buxom
The queen of style brought on to the ramp fresh and subtle hued pieces worn beautifully by real women in their late 60s, including, in a strong display of support to womanhood, a pregnant lady. it was nothing short of a treat to watch. Block prints, phulkari, gara, kaanta made fashion statements and revived the dying art. Cheena’s exquisite chaddars and outfits were her way of telling women that size is irrelevant as long as the cut and fits are proper and garment is affordable. Her collection showcase resulted in a resounding cheer throughout the packed hall.
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Gogi by Hassan Riaz – Paradise Mirage
Hasan’s Paradise Mirage was a visual tale of an ornate soul. The vibrant and audacious collection had a very strong message of child abuse and child labor, which is a sad reality in our society and where the young ones are given no more value than deceased bones. Frills, lots of bling, feathers, tassels, straight boot pants, all made fashion statements. The showstopper for his show was the gorgeous Nimra Khan.
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Yasmeen Jiwa – Qous-e-Qazah
The art of “weightless glamor” was quietly and beautifully displayed in Yasmeen’s collection. Having previously showcase at Paris Fashion Week, Qous-e-Qazah played homage to the forces, power, beauty, and chaos responsible for the actual creation of this place. One couldn’t help but lose themselves in the mystical world that was created on the runway by YJ.
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The Pink Tree Company – Chaand Raat
Remaining true to its ideology, Pink Tree Company, presented a collection reflecting similar anticipation, and happiness of the coming festive season beginning with Ramzan and Eid continuing until post Bari Eid and monsoon weddings. Feminine in essence, the pieces highlighted fine, crisp, cool cottons with a dash of sheer organza, which spelled a lifestyle of luxury and ornateness when adorned with traditional embellishments such as zardozi, block print and gota.
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Amir Adnan – Beast
Amir Adnan made history by having hearing impaired models walk the ramp in bespoke, environmentally conscious collection, called ‘Beast’. It featured one-of-a-kind pieces made from upcycled vintage sherwanis and the beauty of using existing materials to create something different and beautiful was a treat to watch. The collection name was inspired by the 1991 classic Disney movie, Beauty and the Beast and a similar ambiance was created. Azfar Rehman opened the show for Amir Adnan, Aly Khan also made a swashbuckling appearance and Zhalay closed the show for him.
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Farah Talib Aziz – Mirabelle
Her collection had the perfect mix of prints, textures, embellishments that all reflected the excitement of a promising summer. She experimented with free flowing silhouettes, varying hems and intricate fabric manipulation. Hats, jute baskets, flowers, a lot of pearl-work, Swarovski embellished pieces had an effortless glamour feel to it. Syra Sharoz closed the show for Farah Talib Aziz and what caught everyone’s attention was when she walked down the ramp in a mint pastel flowy ensemble with her mother in law Safina Behroze by her side.
All the partners involved in putting together the fabulous event included; Fashion Pakistan as the show producer, Nubain Ali as show director, N-Pro and N-Gents as official stylists, TV-One as the official media partner and Radio FM91 as the radio partner. Renowned skincare brand, Physiogel was the official red carpet sponsor, Aquafina, the beverage and backstage partner, Peak Freans Butter Puff the snack partner, The Deli, as the official food partner, Shaheen Airline as the official airline partner and TDAP as the hospitality partner. Media management and post publicity by Talking Point.
