uch like the political situation in Pakistan, it seems fashion too is passing through a particularly tumultuous phase. Gone are the council-based fashion weeks with only one edition of Bridal Couture Week a year organized by Hum TV in Lahore to look forward to, where the focus remains mostly on bridals and festive wear.

Fortunately, a few brave souls are keeping fashion’s flame alive and fueling the fashion scene to keep it from being totally snuffed out. These forays into fashion, no matter how big or small, deserve recognition and acknowledgment, at least until fashion weeks are fully and finally resuscitated.

One such attempt is the Winter Fashion Gala (WFG) organized by menswear designer Zubair Shah last week, and presented in collaboration with the Russian Centre for Science and Culture aka the Friendship House in Karachi.

WFG brought both established and emerging fashion brands and designers under its umbrella, as well as the final thesis of the graduating fashion students of the National Textile University (NTU) under the brand name of Culturista.

The vibrant and buzzing WFG Green Carpet was hosted by Television actress and model Natalia Karanjia who entertained guests ranging from the Fashion Journalism class at the Institute of Business Management to socialites such as Danish Tapal and Saqlain Haider of Infini Concepts, and Sillage CEO and the gym gear and sportswear brand owner IBEX M.

Menswear designer Zubair Shah opened the runway presentations with a collection titled Chocolat, which borrowed tones from dark chocolate, milk chocolate and white chocolate for his design palette, featuring three-piece formal suits and smartly fitted jackets in winter thick weave fabrics such as corduroy, etc. He then put on the ramp a collection of jumpsuits in exciting prints and styled with pendants and wooden beads. Finally, he showed a collection of bold print jackets styled with feather-padded shoulders for a drastic, dramatic effect. The showstopper in this segment was YouTube channel iPlus News HD presenter and host Syeda Nazia.

Culturista x NTU presented a highly experimental collection in costumes with westernized cuts and silhouettes with ball gowns, frilly tops, sari dresses and more in vibrant shades and tones.

Gym wear and sportswear brand IBEX energized the ramp with smartly fitted workout gear in both women’s wear and menswear, accessorized with gym kit bags. Hoodies, zip-up jackets in pale colours for women and gym vests with deep armholes for men particularly stood out in the segment.

Sillage Fragrances also presented its new range of perfumes on the occasion.

Born on the WFG runway as the fledgling festive wear brand Aamir Jee who presented the traditional heavily embellished shalwar kameez silhouette complete with the flowing chiffon duppatta in myriad shades ranging from wine reds to blacks and pastels.

Another new brand, Seema Shah Bridals, presented an eastern trousseau collection with painstakingly handcrafted chatta-patti borders, zari lace, diamante and pearl embellishments and kiran lace trimmings on luxe fabrics.

For the grand finale, Zubair Shah’s ajrak print jackets alighted on the ramp with traditional handwoven susi kurtas cut in geometrical patterns, and worn over coloured dhoti shalwars with Sindhi embroidery front panels.

The overall effect was truly mesmerising. For his showstopper outfit, he presented model and international celebrity fitness judge and trainer Aasif Rehmaan in a smart frilled jacket in ralli print with mirror work. He finished off the look with a Rajasthani turban. The singular women’s wear in the segment consisted of a chunri lehenga choli with mirror work.

The Director of the Russian Centre, Mr Ruslan Mikhailovich Prokhorov, was presented with a Zubair Shah ajrak jacket to denote regional culture and traditional hospitality.

The WFG show direction and choreography was by Aasif Rehmaan, with Natalia Karanjia as the Green Carpet host and YouTube channel iPlus News HD host Syeda Nazia as the co-host. Zurain Imam styled all models, with hair, makeup and grooming by Ilyas Salon, ETN-ECS as the beauty partner. Backstage management was overseen by Akbar Mirza Sharif, and the students of the Fashion Journalism class at the Institute of Business Management (IoBM) served as green carpet and front stage ushers, as well as backstage helpers.