smartcybers786@gmail.com 
"It’s a soft tool to break down barriers as one can see the Indian market already does it very well. It may be a much longer investment but I feel we need to go down this way; that’s how export works. It takes time to establish trust, especially with the amount of mistrust for Pakistan and its products."
#Pakistans #fashion #world #Fashion
Year after year, Pakistani fashion designers continue to exhibit abroad, all over the world, in solo shows, collaborations and even fashion weeks. We don’t get to see these shows live but we get to hear about their success. How much truth is there and what is the barometer by which the success of a foreign show is judged?
There were a few brands that successfully made their way into the international fashion arena in 2018. Instep spoke to them to assess the short- and long-term impact on their business and the international market’s interest in Pakistani products.
Sania Muskatia showed a line under her sub-brand Sania Studio at NYFW, a collective showcase for emerging designers. In February this year, they are set to return to the platform to further strengthen the relationship forged last year. The brand’s CEO, Umeer Tabani shared in a chat with Instep, “The brand definitely got exposure but it’s a great way for the designers themselves to learn. It allows them to grow in a different direction and do things like this. It helps to imagine that are more attractive internationally because these days, it’s a melting pot of all things East and West.”
Tabani explains that it doesn’t take effect overnight but there is a whole process behind it. He met some buyers when he attended Beirut Fashion Week ’17 and is still following them. It is different from Pakistan where they come to your store and say they want this at their multi-brand outlet. There are separate events for buyers so we plan to see how people are selling their wares.” But the essentials must be in place; a store with a strong PR company at these conventions that you A website with the right pricing can lead to all these elements maximizing the brand’s impact internationally.
Madiha Latif, CEO of Soraya Door, which launched Jakarta Fashion Week late last year, agrees. There are mostly long-term strategies, not many short-term results, so it’s very taxing.” Latif felt that he was able to break many myths with people who Pakistan was wrongly described as conservative.
“This is a soft tool to break barriers because one can see that the Indian market is already doing it very well. It may be a long investment but I think we need to go down that way. That’s how exports work. It takes time to build trust, especially with the amount of distrust in Pakistan and its products.”
She says, “The international market wants to collect a season to season and there is a 6-month lead time for purchase. Sometimes it can be longer, especially in the beginning when you have new relationships. Build trust,” she says. The brand is attending another shopper-focused show in Paris in March, so they’re inviting their leads from Jakarta to check out their Autumn/Winter ’19 collection.
When asked about his appreciation of Pakistani products, especially their detailed handwork stitching in dresses and trousers, Latif said, “People appreciate the kind of value addition we have. Don’t know how to do it.” He continued, “Most of the cloth there is machine-made so when they found out that it takes hundreds of hours to make it, their jaws dropped. Repackaging Pakistani products and making them fit for the 21st century need.”
Zahra Rehman is a jewelery brand based out of Lahore, which creates original, eclectic and highly experimental collections. In about three years, Rahman took her collections to London Fashion Week and Paris Fashion Week with four shows and to New York as part of her press days. She feels that buyers want to see the consistency of young brands before they actually buy them because they need to build their confidence in the idea that the brand is a good business and hasn’t gone bankrupt after the first season. She admits that it took her a while to understand their approach, “If you’re a store, you don’t get a new brand every season, you work with the same ones and build them into your portfolio. And that’s why it takes time.”
The international market is very saturated but in Rahman’s experience, he is curious about his eponymous label, especially because it is coming out of Pakistan. “LFW is mostly in one location and the big brands have their own solo shows. Paris galleries and shops rent out their space for showroom purposes and most of the shopping happens there because it’s all fashion weeks. At the end of 2018, the space for the showroom is difficult but the ultimate goal,” she shares.
To be taken seriously by buyers and stockists, requires long-term planning and a heavy investment of time and money. Once a brand has worked on its products, it makes sense to push its products to international markets, especially as apparel exports from South Asia are on the rise.
