Stylefile: Zain Ahmad on Anil Kapoor wearing Rastah jacket in Jugjugg Jeeyo

We caught up with the co-founder of the clothing brand to get an insight into how the veteran Bollywood actor ended up donning a quirky and fun jacket.

Karachi:There is no denying that Pakistan is quite rich when it comes to design and style. Our designers have proved time and again that their creations are elegant and innovative, and this is why various stars across the globe opt for outfits by Pakistani designers. Remember when actor Kumail Nanjiani chose to wear a custom-made purple and gold sherwani by renowned designer Umar Sayeed for the world premiere of his MCU movie, Eternals? Not to forget, the Queer Eye star Tan France, who donned Lahore-based designer Mohsin Naveed Ranjha’s creations on different occasions. Then there was Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan who picked out a Faraz Manan creation for a Diwali advertisement, and the list goes on.

One thing is for sure: it’s always a proud moment for Pakistan whenever we spot an international celebrity flaunting our designers’ creations despite having access to numerous luxury couture brands. Quite recently, veteran Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor, who needs no introduction, donned a jacket by Pakistani urban wear brand Rastah in his latest outing.

The eclectic clothing label’s co-founder, Zain Ahmad, took to social media to share his “surprise.” Zain posted a picture of the film’s cast on his Twitter handle and captioned it, “Woke up today and was pleasantly surprised to see the legend Anil Kapoor in Rastah for his new film Jugjugg Jeeyo!”

Zain posted something similar on the brand’s official Instagram account. He wrote, “Made our hearts so happy to see Bollywood legend Anil Kapoor wearing a Rastah jacket in his new film...”

In a bid to learn more, Instep Today got in touch with Zain Ahmad, who was featured on Forbes’ 30 under 30 list for his work in May. According to Forbes, the clothing brand “champions sustainable and artisanal designs, with items being designed, sourced and produced by local artisans in limited quantities in Pakistan.”

According to him, he was literally surprised to see the Jugjugg Jeeyo actor wearing one of their designs in the movie. “Actually, I gave that jacket to Harshvardhan, Anil Kapoor’s son, about two years ago,” Zain tells Instep Today.

“I guess Harsh gave it to his dad to see if it would work for the film, and that’s how the creation made its way into the movie.”

In an earlier interview with a local magazine, Zain spoke about his collaboration with Harshvardhan Kapoor and that they got in touch through a mutual friend a few years ago. He shared that it all started when he sent Harsh some designs, and he continues to do so whenever they launch a new collection. Earlier this year, an image of Harshvardhan did rounds on social media in which he is sporting a custom-made yarn-dyed jacket by Rastah.

The Bollywood actor also shared the film’s poster on his official Insta handle, in which he is rocking the eccentric blue jacket by the brand that “aims at decontextualizing and reinterpreting south Asian heritage and artisanship.” As far as the design is concerned, Zain shares, “The jacket is entirely made from handwoven denim and then paneled with handmade and hand-printed fabric.”

He went on to stress that both hand printing and hand weaving are dying arts because people aren’t willing to pay the price demanded by artisans; hence a lot of these artisans have left their craft. “Since Rastah is positioned as a global brand, it’s able to work with these artisans and meet their financial expectations as well,” adds Zain.

Since the fashion label’s launch, its funky and trendy outfits have been worn by numerous stars, such as Oscar-winning actor Riz Ahmed a couple of times.

“Quite recently, Riz wore a creation by Rastah for his performance at Glastonbury,” informs Zain. Apart from that, Karan Johar and rapper French Montana have been spotted in the label’s quirky outfits, and we are all for it!