India is definitely a lucrative hotspot for Pakistani fashion. Across the border, they love our on-trend variations of the shalwar kameez, vying for a Sana Safinaz or Faiza Samee original — just like we get bowled over by a bona fide Sabyasachi Mukherjee or Ritu Kumar creation.
Usually, when local designers attend international events, they speak of introducing Pakistani aesthetics to a new country but in India, the demand for our fashions is already present. The only obstacles hampering business have been umpteen trade restrictions.
It’s been a common practice for Indian and Pakistani cross-border exchanges to take place via Dubai, a common ‘Switzerland’ for both countries. But large-scale businesses can’t be built on such roundabout methods and showcasing at LFW, then, is an opportunity for Pakistani designers to explore retail opportunities in India.
Add on the fact that LFW is a highly coveted platform — one amongst India’s two most credible fashion extravaganzas. It’s an event that comes with the razzmatazz of Bollywood showstoppers, a socialite guest-list and coverage by heavy-duty international fashion publications. The Indian counterparts of Vogue, Marie Claire and Elle, among others, form the front pews of LFW while the attendance of stockists and buyers from all over India fulfills fashion’s all-important business angle.
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Zara Shahjahan |
This is fashion week the way it takes place around the world. Separate stylists are assigned to each show, there are two or more model pools and shows begin promptly in the afternoon and end around a decorous 9.30pm.
At LFW this time, a specialised music room allowed designers to choose soundtracks for their shows in a trice, a social media room accommodated journalists and bloggers and an LFW apartment styled and dressed participants before they roamed in to the whirring masses of media cameras. Major sponsors lead to major budgets that facilitate the clockwork precision of the fashion week, seamlessly merging business with glamour.
More than 80 designers showed at LFW this time and three among these — Rizwan Beyg, Zara Shahjehan and Sania Maskatiya — were selected by Hello! Pakistan and POPxo.com in India, in collaboration with LFW’s organisers, IMG Reliance.
This is quite an achievement considering that LFW has previously never hosted Pakistani designers — why provide a platform to foreigners when their purpose is to promote local business? According to the CEO of Hello! Pakistan Zahraa Saifullah, the idea of introducing Pakistani designers onto such a prestigious platform had long fascinated her, leading to the collaboration. “IMG Reliance was also interested in the idea. So, we approached a few local designers with the concept and once they were on board, we started work on making the idea a reality,” she says.
The Pakistani contingent at LFW shared a single showcase where all three designers showed capsule collections — Faiza Samee, also originally part of the designer entourage, was unable to go due to last-minute visa issues. The show then belonged to Zara Shahjahan with her quintessential florals, Sania Maskatiya’s colourful assault on the Orient with Sakura and Rizwan Beyg with a collection that was yet again dedicated to truck art, albeit given Indian twists by the inclusion of saris and risqué dresses.
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Sania Maskatiya |
However, did Pakistani fashion really pique audience interest amidst the Bollywood showstoppers and the dramatics that India’s own designers could wield on their home turf? Did it stand out at all or fade next to the glamorama that defines LFW?
“We certainly got a lot of attention,” shares Zara Shahjahan. “Indians and Pakistanis wear similar silhouettes with very different aesthetics. Indian girls often wear Western-wear while their shalwar kameez has remained fixed in a particular silhouette. In Pakistan, many girls wear just the shalwar kameez which is why the apparel continues to evolve in so many ways. The Indians love our different cuts, the colours, fabric and embellishments.”
“The main clientele in India for Pakistani designers could be the Muslims that are living there,” observes Zara. “Many of them are conservative and generally don’t wear ghagra-cholis and saris. They particularly liked the tunics in my collection.”
The bags and shoes in Rizwan Beyg’s lineup were a hit, according to the designer, for ‘their colours and because they are so inherently Pakistani’.
It will take time, though, for business to build between the two countries, points out the very business-savvy Sania Maskatiya, whose well-received line-up was a mixed bag of new prints as well as designs from her previous collection, Kuamka.
“India’s fashion industry and LFW are very established. It’s a large country and as a result, the masses have greater buying power. I have had talks and exchanged cards with potential stockists and buyers. Still, only better trade relations can lead to business moving beyond private clientele to major orders,” she says.
Even without fashion week showcases, established Pakistani designers like Sana Safinaz, Shamaeel Ansari and Shehla Chatoor cater to a regular Indian private clientele. Sania Maskatiya, Rizwan Beyg and Zara Shahjahan may now be more recognisable on India’s considerable fashion radar but right now, LFW is just a step in the right direction. Perhaps, in a few more years, it could translate into a giant leap.
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