Who does Pakistan’s fashion industry represent? | Fashion

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INSTEP Review

Diversity is on the rise in the fashion industry, now more than ever, if one goes by international ramps and campaigns. With designers showcasing their designs on a range of body types, skin tones, gender identities, and ages, consumers are exposed to many variations of beauty rather than trying to fit themselves into a standard of beauty/fashion ideal. are able to identify what is otherwise presented. The world is redefining the definition of both and designers are at the forefront of expressing this change.

This change is partly due to the fact that the join is on the backend. More people of color are being appointed to decision-making roles and positions of power than ever before. Virgil Abloh has become the first black designer to head Louis Vuitton menswear, and emerging names such as Kirby Jean Raymond of Pier Mass, and Nepali-American Gurung are making diversity a cornerstone of their brands. Designers from New York, London and Milan have defied industry norms by casting models of different ages in their shows. At London Fashion Week alone, Victoria Beckham chose 47-year-old Stella Tennant to open her show. Model Winnie Harlow – who has vitiligo – opened another show and former Paralympian Samantha Bullock closed one.

We’ve also seen Joan Didion front a campaign for Céline at age 80 and Mango recently enlisted 64-year-old fashion blogger Lyn Slater for its Spring/Summer 2017 campaign. This year has been significant, resulting in diversity at an all-time high.

However, diversity in Pakistan is still seen as a buzzword, a PR push rather than an industry norm. This is probably because we are very small compared to other industries, and it will take time for us to grow, but we must make sure that we grow in the right direction.

Occasional brands in Pakistan use ‘real women’ for their campaigns but this is done on a very small scale. However, Generation has consistently tried to represent a diverse range of women in its campaigns, tapping into the various social themes that have been depicted in its campaigns. Whether it’s used by women of all shapes and sizes, with beautiful complexions and skin tones, a plus-size or curvy woman, a woman in various stages of pregnancy or an older bride, she portrays quietly rebellious fashion. Together they are fighting social taboos. One won’t see professional models or celebrities on their social media, but instead women who wear Generation in their everyday lives.

By being consistent with their messaging, they may be able to turn the wheels in some minds, be authentic and at the same time create a sincere image of caring about the message they are conveying. are presented, which play out in terms of how people perceive them.

Recently, fashion label Gem featured Mavia Malik, the model who became the first trans person to walk the runway in Pakistan, in the brand’s campaign shortly before her runway debut at PFDC Fashion Week. was also included. Sources say that getting approval from the council for this was not a breeze, but Jame’s Hamza Bukhari felt strong enough to take on the cause. At Fashion Pakistan Week (FPW) earlier this year, exclusive brand Chyna Chapra brought real women to the ramp. Not only plus size models but also older and pregnant women. Most women in Pakistan are heavier than model size so it is important for them to see themselves represented on the ramp.

It’s important to look at clothes on bodies like theirs and realize that if the clothes don’t look right on them, it’s because they weren’t made for their bodies (which is part of the problem). This year Cross Stitch did a series inspired by Homeland where they took the controversial poster of the TV series and shot it with four different themes, one for each province of Pakistan. The latest one was for KPK and featured brand ambassador Saira Shahroz with freckles on her face. People took to Instagram to question why they were added to her face, but the truth is that people in northern Pakistan get wrinkles due to exposure to sunlight and skin tone.

Whether people recognized the authenticity of these optics or not, it opened a dialogue and debate about the remote areas of Pakistan and what the people there looked like. People who didn’t know before, now know because of representative fashion campaigns. Similarly, Generation’s campaign ‘Shahnaz Ki Shaadi’, which featured an older bride, made people talk about marriage at an older age, which is rarely openly celebrated in our culture. . One hopes that more representative campaigns and editorials will be worked on to inform people through images.

Repetition is key; When we see something over and over again, we become accustomed to it. Such campaigns create familiarity, which in turn leads to acceptance and tolerance. So it’s important to look at different body shapes in photos and on the ramp.

For an average sized Pakistani woman, most of the time going shopping is a terribly discouraging experience. Designers envision their designs on women like slim women, so when women of different body types wear these dresses, they don’t flatter them. Items that make the body look bigger, especially pastels and large-scale prints on lawns all come together to create a restless look. Despite the enormous financial potential of this market, many designers do not want to address it. Maybe because skinny women are an easier canvas to paint on? Today’s designers work within systems that were established decades ago, including small, medium, plus size and fashion weeks. The latter of which is finally transitioning to a watch-now-buy format internationally (Pakistan was already on track). Why can’t designers see who is actually buying their clothes?

Changing the industry requires a change in mindset. As more people stop seeing diversity in their editorial content and staff as a ‘cool’ thing and begin to understand that it’s a sensible business thing to do, we’ll see meaningful change.

It is also worth noting that in a country where many women cover their heads, there is not a single hijabi model seen on the ramp or in our campaigns. If Halima Aden can grace the cover of Vogue and Maria Idrisi to H&M campaigns, why isn’t the PFDC or FPC supporting our own country’s women who want to be at the forefront? Research shows that ‘casual’ fashion will be worth £267 billion by 2021. He notably dominated the AW18 runways of Gucci, Calvin Klein, Alexander Wang, Versace, Chanel, Balenciaga and Dior. We’d also like to see some at our local ramp.

The truth is that real consumer involvement and representation on the campaigns and ramps enriches the show setting and also enriches the clothes. This gives a lot of depth to the context of the collection. As much as fashion is about storytelling, it needs to be aware of social responsibilities and the impact it has on young girls. British-Pakistani actor and self-proclaimed ‘deviant singer’ Riz Ahmed recently said in an interview with Trevor Noah that he doesn’t like the term “diversity” because it “sounds redundant” and that he “talks “Representation is fundamental to what we expect from our politics, culture and fashion – people want to feel seen, heard and heard.” To be valued.”

It is the lack of all of these that can lead to depression in those who do not fit into the unnatural and unfair ideals presented. Not representing has the power to make each of us feel inferior and lose confidence. It can be annoying if we have to pit ourselves against the same handful of young, thin, clean, long-haired beauty ideals. We know that the tapestry in our country is huge and we hope that the Pakistani fashion industry will follow suit in the coming times to make representation more standard rather than buzzword.

In the coming fashion weeks, we would like to see transgender models, plus-size models, models with skin conditions, hijabi models and older models walking the ramp to become the norm, not the exception.