While some designers hit it out of the park with their concepts, others were seemingly unwilling to experiment much…
Day 2 at Fashion Pakistan Week SS2019 continued with the Fashion Pakistan Council’s regular pattern of showing eight designers each day. On the roster for their collections on Wednesday were Generation, Yasmin Zaman, Nauman Arfeen, Gul Ahmed, Alkaram, Obaid Sheikh, Boheme by Kanwal, and Sania Maskatiya, who all took to the white open-air runway at the palatial Beach Luxury Hotel’s garden by the sea for their showcase.
Showcasing a mix of eclectic and elegant to the downright bewildering, the capsule collections showed received a mixed bag of reactions from the crowd as the models sashayed the runway. While some hit it out of the park with their concepts, others were seemingly unwilling to break from the tried, tested and often failed formulas.
Over to the collections…
Generation
Generation is known for their unique reflection and reinvention of the folksy craft, and No Nonsense Nighat was no different. Paying an homage to today’s woman, who molds herself in many different facets of life and – as the name suggests – shuts down her haters, the collection explored a bright palette of popping colours on an assortment of different structures, which one can pick and mix from. While not something completely new to expect from the brand, it served its purpose and was an interesting amuse-bouche for day 2 to start on.
Yasmin Zaman
Bringing forward a cruise-like collection for her showcase, Yasmin Zaman’s Zeke explored the ready-to-wear market with a mix of sundresses and bohos, which featured shades of blues and yellows inspired by Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night. The collection, although relatively interesting in the sense of breaking monotony and bringing clean, fresh colours, was repetitive in shape and silhouette. It was pleasant to look at but then looked the same, one outfit after the other.
Nauman Arfeen
One of the few designers who has a knack to go outlandish in his collections that go either way between a hit and a miss, Nauman Arfeen’s Har Shaakh Par Ullu Behta Hai was an interesting mix. Mixing fabrics like denim and cotton with an assortment of interesting silhouettes and showcasing rather interesting accessories like the owl-eye shades, the designer’s collection was unique and was able to stand out from some of the other collections of the day.
Gul Ahmed
Using architecture and culture from the Victorian era for inspiration, Gul Ahmed’s collection for the FPW was visibly inspired by Victorian glasshouses popularized around the globe two centuries or so ago. Going literal with the interpretation, the brand chose to go for Victorian collars, and ruffled sleeves and necklines along with an offset of floral kaftans and structural silhouettes to balance between cultural and architectural points of reference. While interesting in a few places, the overall collection lacked the impact. That said, it was promising to see the brand foray beyond lawn and commercially safe clothing.
MAK by Alkaram
Taking inspiration from the iconic American artist Georgia O’Keeffe’s artwork, MAK by Alkaram, kept the runway fresh and popping with a myriad of interesting silhouettes and a bold colour palette of reds, blues, muted whites, and earthy browns that was enough to mete out applause. Like O’Keeffe’s works of art, the collection too, had a layering effect to it and brought with it an interesting mix of modernity and nouveau femininity, that made it one of the more interesting collections of the day.
Boheme by Kanwal
Known for bringing her own mix of folksy and vibrant styles to the runway, Boheme by Kanwal’s showcase at FPW SS 19 was no surprise as she stuck to what she does best. Out came subdued whites, bright reds and shimmery golds in an assortment of eastern silhouettes as traditional music played in the milieu. In many ways, the designer stuck to her roots and didn’t bring anything new to the table. However, by being able to still create a roar with the tried and tested, she proved her craft does have finesse which can be appreciated.
Sania Maskatiya
Showcasing her Fall/Winter 2019 collection that was specifically made for New York Fashion Week last year, Sania Maskatiya brought her black and white ensembles to the FPW runway. Displaying a mix of laser-cut silhouettes and structured cuts, the designer was a force to reckon with. She truly showed what Sania Maskatiya is known for, and in theory, that has always been her strength.
– Photography by Faisal Farooqui
