he newly initiated sustainable fashion forum titled Fashion Couture Walk 2023 (FCW23) was recently presented by the Russian Centre for Culture & Science aka The Russian Friendship House situated in PECHS, Karachi, and organized by Zubair Shah.

FCW23 featured the design
acumen of five menswear and women’s wear designers, namely Zubair Shah Premium Menswear (Grand Finale), Bella Raggaza by Nuzhat, Culturista by Urooj, Haya by Waleed Meer, and Rameez Khan. The red carpet host was emerging television actress and model Natalia Karanjia. The show direction was by Sheheryar Shaukat and choreography by Nabeel Ali.

Zubair Shah Premium Menswear

@zubair.shah.premium menswear (ZSM) is an emerging young brand that started out during Covid-19 online and then gradually branched out. Both eastern wear & western menswear remaIn ZSM’s forte and the brand’s trademark identity.

The signature use of candy colours and highly stylized, radical cuts by ZSM makes it a prominent name in local menswear fashion. Head and shoulders above its contemporaries, surpassing even some of the more established menswear brands during its year-long journey, ZSM seeks to recreate, redesign and re-energize the dull and static local menswear scene by infusing newer, younger and more dynamically charged lifeblood into the mainstream menswear fashion industry, thereby challenging, contesting and competing with all other emerging & established brands for the top slot.

Working with young, talented and emerging celebrities for its print and online shoots and fashion spreads, as well as established, celebrated models, has always been the hallmark of the ZSM brand and its signature identity, be it nee actors Umer Aalam, Komail Anum, Rehan Nazim, Yasir Ali Khan and celebrity fitness trainers and fashion models Aasif Rehmaan and Rao Zeeshan, and others.

Under the FCW23 umbrella, ZSM presented a very unique
22-piece outstanding collection based on three main themes: Power Suits, re-imagining & redesigning the old-schoolsafari suit for Gen X-ers and finally the grooms’ wear segment complimented by a capsule collection of enamouring and scintillating bridal wear with painstakingly hand-stitched old-world charm embellishments such as chatta-patti ghararas and farshi shararas, gota work, zari lace, sequins, diamantes, pearls, kiran trimmings and chatta-patti borders.

For its catwalk debut show, Team ZSM collaborated with various professionals to produce a highly intoxicating, engaging and pumping soundtrack with the classic Eye of the Tiger by Survivor and the newer sensation Roar by Katie Perry to which to present its highly stylized menswear collection on the ramp with individual bespoke Power Suits highlighted by matching spray-painted biker helmets paired with Truck-Art shoes and pocket squares, and its young take on Safari Suits stylized by African safari animals’ impression face masks.

For the Bride & Groom segment, Zuabir Shah chose five segments: Mayoun, Mehndi, Nikah, Rukhsati and Valima in which he showed a tastefully full-on bling-infused collection of bedazzling and celebratory outfits that did full justice to the theme of festive and wedding wear.

A well-rounded and flawlessly conceived collection that drew a huge round of applause from the audience and served as a befitting Grand Finale. Later, the Director of the Russian Centre for Culture & Science (Russian Friendship House) Mr. Ruslan Mikhailovich Prokhorov, and office-bearers Ms Ranu Gul and Fariha Aqib honoured designer Zubair Shah by presenting him with a Letter of Appreciation for an overall well-executed and presented collection.

Culturista by Urooj

A young fashion graduate, Urooj aka Culturista chose to show her final thesis presentation inspired by the Blue Mosque in Turkiye’s Istanbul and the blue tile pottery found in Hala, Sindh.

Cottons and linens featured freely in her segment bearing blue-dye motifs and impressions on myriad cuts and silhouettes in eastern, western and fusion wear, which elevated its aesthetic appeal and drew rave appreciation from among the audience.

Bella Raggaza by Nuzhat

Bella Raggaza by Nuzhat presented commercially friendly festive and wedding wear ensembles on the FCW23 ramp in a wide range of colours, cuts and embellishments.

The silhouette remained classically eastern and the bling-on-bling element in the outfits had a mass appeal which is the rave every wedding season.

Haya by Waleed Meer

Haya presented both classical Baloch women’s wear and mens-wear outfits with signature panel embroidery on a base of plain white fabric for men and printed floral fabrics for women. The designer did not stray from the cultural norms and stayed true to the basics of the colourful Baloch heritage and culture.

Rameez Khan

Rameez Khan produced very commercially viable menswear on the FCW23 ramp with eastern sherwani cuts and some western cuts as well. It had individual retail pieces which are freely found in the many commercial shopping hubs scattered all over the city’s commercial landscape.