“We should hero worship our women”

Sonya Battla celebrates the women of Pakistan

Every artist will honour an issue in his or her medium of expression and designer Sonya Battla, in honour of International Women’s Day yesterday, has taken out a limited edition tunic that pays tribute to women who have had incredible resonance in Pakistan. The cotton tunic, available in three different colour ways, features Pakistan’s most celebrated Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Malala Yousafzai, Madam Noor Jehan, Massarat Misbah, Mukhtaran Mai, Abida Parveen, Fatima Surayya Bajia and Sabeen Mahmud. It also includes Princess Diana, Mother Teresa and Oprah Winfrey, three women who – in Sonya’s opinion – have had an impact on women in Pakistan.

“It is a personal comment,” the designer shared with Instep. “It is a personal comment on people I admire, people who have gone out of their way to do things beyond the norm. Take Mother Teresa for example; she’s someone who has worked in Pakistan and since I went to a school with Irish nuns, I felt the need to appreciate the community especially since we don’t appreciate the minorities enough.”

“When we think of Benazir Bhutto or Sabeen (Mahmud) we realize how easy it is to lose a life,” she added. “We need heroes in Pakistan and we should hero worship our women.”

Not many designers would take the time and make the effort to think beyond the daily rat race of commercialism but, as Sonya says, all it needs is a little time and effort. Statement clothes like these are much more identifiable. “People working with me get excited when we do this kind of work,” she smiled. 

The last statement Sonya Battla made was on February 13, Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s anniversary when the red Faiz kurta was launched. These Women’s Day tunics will be available for a couple of days, until Sonya’s ethereal white collection releases on March 10.