It has been ten years since Hum TV’s Bridal Couture Week took off in Lahore; the only difference being that the title sponsor was Pantene back then and it is Telenor today. This tenth anniversary edition was a historical moment for the popular entertainment channel; not only had Hum TV achieved a decade of successful air time but it had also successfully launched the soundtrack of its first in-house film production, Bin Roye. The Hum Awards, held recently in Dubai had received a lot of fanfare and the channel was on cloud nine for all the hype and talk-time it had been creating.

The hype, however, still did not justify the ‘fashion’ that unraveled on the BCW catwalks. The white runway – with a backdrop of flower-decked stairways and faux-furnished windows - was more Disney than designer appropriate. Likewise, there were more celebrities than designers around.Wasim and Shaniera Akram, HSY, Urwa Hocane, Farhan Saeed, Faysal Qureshi, Saud and many more stars and starlets were spotted, strengthening their association with the channel. The most celebrated of them all had to be the Bin Roye cast, led by Humayun Saeed, Armeena Khan and Junaid Khan (Mahira Khan was delayed).The celebrity appearances and a handful of spirited dance performances - well executed but unfortunately on Bollywood songs - added to the drama and entertainment that BCW has become infamous for. The runway content, however, failed to feed the soul with fashion. Instead, it starved one of it.

Instep explores the depths of what has kept Hum TV’s Bridal Couture Week a regular feature despite endless criticism, and whether there is some hidden potential that is yet to be discovered.

The dilemma: Is it fashion or entertainment?

To be fair, all was not grim at this year’s ostentatious TBCW held at the massive Palm Marquee in Karachi; we’ll try to ignore the fact that it’s more of a wedding venue. Amongst the long list of collections, Adnan Pardesy offered a treat to the eyes with his collection Kama. Intricate embroideries depicting contemporary architecture over a solid base, traditional chattapatti lehengas and ornate saris made for a collection that offered opulence for a wedding extravaganza. HSY remained true to his signature with some strong, striking pieces. Emerging designer Sana Abbas showed potential while retail brand Almirah introduced some interesting shawls for grooms - though during the wrong season (it is summer). From among the Gold Stars - eight famous couturiers showing one outfit each - Sana Safinaz, Shamaeel and Elan stood their own even with the limited opportunity to show their breadth of work.

Ironically, the engaging activity came in form of enthusiastic dances, celebrity appearances and music, particularly Bin Roye’s soundtrack that was launched on the third and final day of TBCW with Humayun Saeed, Armeena Rana Khan and Junaid Khan walking the ramp. In short, the show in its tenth year was once again tailor made for the television audience, promising them enough star power to keep them hooked to their screens. As VP Special Projects Khalid Soorty described, "BCW is essentially fashion with a dash of entertainment as a relief to the attending audience between shows, since bridal makeovers in between shows do require a bit of time." Speaking on criticism, he added, "I wonder why this point wasn’t raised when other fashion weeks emulated the same in a number of their shows."

Agreed. We have seen Salman Khan’s doppelganger perform at Nomi Ansari’s showcase at the PFDC L’Oreal Paris Bridal Week as well as Josh, Meesha Shafi and QB - amongst others - take to the runway, back in 2011. But rarely have these performances taken away from fashion; one can safely say that they have complemented it. Kamiar Rokni puts things in perspective.

"BCW is a slightly different kettle of fish," he commented."I feel they are not pretending to be strictly fashion either. It is more to do with the business of fashion mixed with commercial entertainment for the television audience. However, it’s still a fantastic platform since designers get tremendous amount of publicity."

Of course, being aired on television screens means lending designers more eyeballs, not to forget that BCW participation comes with coverage in the Hum TV magazine, Glam, as well as the glossy book that is published after every edition. But then why is it that some of the most popular bridal couturiers of the country have opted to never showcase at BCW, be it doyennes like Faiza Samee or younger designers like Misha Lakhani? One such designer, who has regularly shown at the PLBW and is currently hot on the market for her innovative wedding wear, feels it has more to do with the standard it has set.

"I can do only one bridal fashion week a year and PLBW is more consistent with its criteria. It’s backed by the council and they are pickier in terms of what deserves the platform." The designer chose to remain unnamed.

Soorty countered the argument with explaining the real purpose behind BCW. "One of the motives when starting this was to create growth by giving budding designers a platform to show their work," he shared while speaking to Instep. "If you think about it, there is a dearth of platforms where one can showcase. If I’m not mistaken, in other bridal events, which are scarce to begin with, not more than two emerging designers get a chance to showcase at a time. This lack of outlets to showcase is the very reason we do the number of shows we do and maintain the kind of balance we have."

There is a visible commitment by the team to showcase new designers and not just prominent ones who wouldn’t otherwise get a chance to put their work out there. "BCW is a great platform to showcase one’s collection because the coverage they provide is like no other. Before I showcased my collection at BCW, the brand was just catering to clients within Pakistan, now it is catering to clientele all over the world," revealed Sana Abbas, who has been consistently showing at BCW since making a debut in 2013.

However, with neither one of the fashion councils involved in the screening process and hardly any buyers that would eventually be a testament to a collection’s commercial value, BCW fails to resolve its identity crisis. It is grand, exuberantly expensive and a celebration of Hum TV’s cozy alliances with the celebrity world but it’s hardly couture or fashion. It toes the line rather the push creative boundaries.

Looking into the future:
potential and possibilities

Having said that, the platform and its concept has the potential of becoming a credible display of Pakistani fashion in the world and a celebrated fashion outing within the country, provided changes are put in place. While there is no comparison whatsoever, if one is to look across the border at Lakme Fashion Week, it also follows the same format in terms of celebrity galore, commercial appeal and its commitment to promote fashion’s most promising rather than prominent names.

Every year Lakme Fashion Week launches many a career in the Indian fashion industry and within a consumer market, which like Pakistan, has its loyalty towards senior bridal wear designers. However, it doesn’t dare to do so without the Fashion Design Council of India running the show from behind the scenes or without significant access to buyers, which is exactly what Bridal Couture Week needs to do if it aims to be the perfect ancillary to PLBW.

It could, in fact, very well build on the idea of having the two fashion councils, PFDC and FPC, work together - something that experienced fashion critics have long been stressing upon. If not then it at least must include credible names in wedding wear, like Bunto Kazmi, Nilofer Shahid and Faiza Samee on its panel in order to make the fashion content more ambitious, novel and relevant. According to Soorty, bringing the councils on board "is always an option if it results in a win-win situation for all".

What it also needs to do is welcome constructive criticism and subsequently iron out those wrinkles. It’s ironic that despite being sharply critiqued, the same designers regularly showcase their collections at BCW with little or no improvement unlike other fashion weeks - that either forces a designer to do better or makes them realize that it’s perhaps not their cup of tea.

Finally, fewer shows and a tighter, more stringent fashion week that focuses on the best of the best in the emerging lot should be BCW’s ultimate agenda. With these changes in place, BCW may experience a turning point, for it sure has what it takes to put Pakistani fashion on the world map and offer good mileage to the still relatively young Pakistani fashion industry.