A promising new designer, Aneeka Ruknuddin, talks about the bridal fashion industry and how she’s paving the way for her own brand.
Aneeka Ruknuddin’s work caught our eye on social media for its vibrant colours, interesting motifs and interesting silhouettes. Upon visiting her studio, the finish and finesse of the clothes and quality of material used is what further cemented our belief that the designer is one to watch out for. In an interview with Instep, Aneeka shared that she’s been in the fashion industry since 2012 so we dug deeper on why she’s only just appeared on our radar.
Aneeka appears to be one of those quiet soldiers who are more interested in turning the cogwheels of fashion behind the scenes than having the limelight all to themselves.
“I was a fine arts student before I joined PIFD (Pakistan Institute of Fashion Design) and graduated in 2011,” she said in this debut interview. “While I was there I had a distinction and a scholarship as well so when I graduated, everyone around me thought I would open my own label. There were only a few in the graduating class who wanted to get jobs but I believe getting experience under other designers is crucial.”
This is something that’s been visible with newer entrants into the fashion domain. They get torn between working under a designer and developing practical experience and jumping straight in and opening their own atelier as to not let their own individual aesthetic get influenced in the ready to wear design cycle. Ruknuddin chose the former and worked behind the scenes, picking a variety of brands to work with.
“I go into extreme details so I thought it would be best to work at pret and formal wear brands and keep two jobs at a time. I worked with Lajwanti, Generation and also Beechtree, which were all part time jobs. I also worked with Sadaf Fawad Khan for her first bridal collection.”
When asked about what she’s learnt for her own brand she said, “For now, my brand is meant to focus on heavy formals and not bridals. Fashion changes very rapidly and in my experience there’s no point of having bridals as showpieces because people don’t want to wear such heavy pieces anymore.”
It was interesting to take a debutante designer’s take on changing bridal trends. We agreed that brides prefer to wear clothes that they can be more mobile in, and that don’t drown them out. They also want to focus on the longevity of the clothes and think about the different ways they can wear them in rather than just once at their own wedding.
“It makes more sense to make lighter formal wear pieces that can be converted to bridals. Women also like their bridals to be extremely customized and special rather than something off the rack,” she furthered.
Gold tissue, weaving techniques on an organza dupatta and pockets in a straight long shirt are some of the things that stood out in Ruknuddin’s new collection. When asked what inspired her latest collection she said, “My first collection was a winter collection so, it was quite heavy but my latest summer collection was inspired by a mosque being made close to my house. It was simple in design but looked grand nonetheless and that was the philosophy behind my collection.”
Therefore, one finds that there isn’t an overarching design theme or a pattern of colour play; there is in fact a delightful mix of colours and embellishment that is never too much but just right. She shared that her next collection is in process and would feature heavier pieces. “I don’t like monotony so I want each one to look different,” she smiled. We look forward to seeing where the talented designer takes her brand in the future.
