Fashionable ties: Danish and Pervez Lala with CEO Fashion Pakistan, Wardha Saleem, and fashion photographer Tapu Javeri
Storelaunch
Karachi
This Sunday night the escalator to Level 3 of the popular Ocean Mall led one into a realm of absolute chaos. It was bad enough that Pakistan’s population of hysterical shoppers (paying absolutely no heed to the President’s warnings against celebrating Valentine’ Day) turned out in full, red glory. But with Lala Textiles choosing the busiest day of the week to inaugurate their first flagship store in 66 years and bringing in stars of the moment – Mohib Mirza and Sanam Saeed – for additional hype, it was madness on another level.
With hardly any room to put one foot in front of the other, it was an overcrowded, albeit cheerful occasion. Proof of an event’s success lies in the hype it manages to create and Bachaana stars Sanam and Mohib ensured that the buzz stayed around Lala’s new store. It was obsessive-selfie galore though not many fans knew that the textile brand has provided Sanam’s wardrobe for the upcoming film, releasing on February 26. It is smart collaborations like this that put Lala Textiles on the map long before they opened their first on-ground store.
66 years old in the business, Lala Textiles was successfully introduced to the fashion industry when it participated in fashion weeks while hosting several smart and well-attended luncheons during the biannual trade event. In an industry where image is key, the textile brand managed to make a sophisticated impression through intelligent networking, aesthetic branding and of course, by putting out decent shows. Its design value was enhanced by the introduction of Lala Signature Series (a collection of prints designed in collaboration with fashion designers, the first of whom was Sonya Battla). What helped further was global transmission to markets in India and the Gulf and philanthropic initiatives like Lala Lights Up Lives, which includes vocational training programs across the sub continent.
Mohib Mirza and Sanam Saeed, whose wardrobe for upcoming film Bachaana has been provided by Lala Textiles.
This store just provides concrete access to a brand that women should find no trouble warming up to. Other than the usual three-piece joras that textile brands have now adapted as ‘wardrobe basics’ there is a very wearable range of simple, utilitarian tunics that cost under-2000 rupees each. In Pakistan’s burgeoning ready to wear market, this is a welcome addition that may not be pushing fashion forward just as yet but surely does have the potential to.