Is Fashion Dead in Pakistan? | Fashion

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I like to think of fashion as poetry in motion.

Fashion is an image of brilliant ideas, fantasy and creativity that has the power to inspire fear. Strong fashion inspires us; It’s supposed to excite us visually while having the power to start a conversation in great fashion. The dynamics of a successful collection are simple: the more exciting it is, the more hype it creates, the more creative its showcase, the more attention it generates and, throughout the coming period, its every Interpretation will translate to success. Word If poetry is judged by idea, vocabulary and structure, then fashion is similarly dependent on innovation and creative expression.

But if fashion is judged by innovation and expression, then fashion in Pakistan should be considered dead. It lacks originality and purpose, unless that purpose is selling, which is unfortunately the only motivation these days. What happened to the business of making beautiful, thoughtful clothes? Anyone around the 90s will remember the unforgettable collections of Nilofar Shahid, Shamail and Rizwan Baig. They were historical, panoramic.

Fashion was interesting even five years ago, when fashion weeks started. If Sonia Batla’s tribute in Karachi was a tribute to her bereaved hometown, Karma was dedicated to the fun-loving Dr. Seuss’s Cat in the Hat. While a revivalist like Faiza Sami played with the colors and crafts of her region, a modernist like Ammar Bilal designed a collection in honor of Michael Jackson upon his death. Stories unfolded as the collection rolled down the runway. Fashion was varied and unique. Designers had signatures and these signatures were expressed in the form of spectacular shows.

Karma’s Dr. Seuss showcase is unforgettable, as is Ammar Bilal’s Michael Jackson collection featuring Sono Dangerous. Noomi Ansari has pulled off circus acts (with an entourage of circus performers), she’s brought out Salman Khan’s doppelgänger and she’s done a complete one-on-one with celebrities from all walks of life. Also did the show. HSY has always brought drama to the runway, while for Iman Ahmed, the drama always comes from the clothes he designs. The runway, in short, used to be an interesting place because fashion was interesting. Moreover, when it comes to fashion, the runways of Pakistan experienced some very cool works branched out by some very hit designers.

I think the trick issue also needs clarification. While the runways at three of the country’s best platforms – PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week, PFDC L’Oréal Paris Bridal Week and Telenor Fashion Week – have been perfected, parallel fashion platforms like Bridal Couture Week But the level of entertainment is of no importance to fashion. Either likes. Bringing in musical acts and dance sequences that have nothing to do with fashion is not the way to impress. Gimmicky and imaginative shows need to complement fashion, not overwhelm or overshadow it. We may not achieve the level of exposure from Chanel, Dior or the master of the spectacular, Alexander McQueen, but we need to hold them up as examples of what fashion presentation is all about. It needs to reincarnate a collection in the most spectacular way ever.

But fashion seems to have changed. And therein lies the problem.

Creativity has been replaced by unabashed consumerism. There is no hesitation in revealing what would be an easy sell. There is no desire to push the creative envelope. Few determined designers remain, designers like Iman Ahmed and Sonia Butla, who always manage to break the monotony of world fashion when they show. But they show up once a year, maybe less, and they’re surrounded by a great wave of mediocrity. Many young, innovative designers in Pakistan lack ideas or intellect. They can barely manage beautiful clothes but creating a collection, contextualizing them with innovation, is beyond their reach. No one expects the level of Rei Kawakubo or Junya Watanabe.

It would be foolish to expect the kind of showmanship that McQueen mastered: two robotic hands spray-painting to express the technological invasion of our lives in a show that goes down in history. But some sort of effort is desperately needed to bring fashion out of the commercial woodwork in Pakistan.

A new obsession has outstripped the fashion of his genius. Instead of ideas, styles and silhouettes, Pakistani fashion today is mostly about prints and embellishments. You’d think the designers were making tapestries as opposed to styles. It’s unique to have one or two brands with printmaking as their signature – all prints are what Pucci and Hermes are known for – but for everyone to jump on the bandwagon and cover every possible level of wear. Getting started with digital printing is a herd mentality. .

We know there are limitations and constraints to consider in Pakistan. We know it’s hard enough for designers to showcase two collections a year, let alone come up with earth-shattering concepts every time they show. There are precise production and logistics issues that cannot be ignored. But the buck has to fall somewhere. If cookie-cutter production of clothes is all we get, let’s call it the garment industry, not the fashion industry. Because the way I see it, fashion is poetry in motion – lyrical, unique and unforgettable – and what we have is a very stagnant pool of boredom.