Extending the Shaan e Pakistan umbrella to fashion, Huma Nassr – CEO and brainchild of the platform – this week in Karachi spearheaded a forum titled Fashion Summit 2021. The one-day event spanned over several panel discussions revolving around the growing role of fashion in the economic and digital space. Fraternity experts - designers, models, stylists and journalists – sat on the panels to brainstorm the way forward.

The Fashion Summit, that was originally scheduled to unveil in Sri Lanka last year (a plan foiled by the global coronavirus pandemic), came to Karachi but this was the first in three such programs designed for Lahore and Dubai as well.

This year’s theme was a celebration of Pakistan’s rich textile tradition.

“Pakistan is known for its top-notch textiles,” Huma Nassr said in her keynote address to the audience. “We cater to fashion giants around the globe and our textile builds ties for this country with the rest of the world. As a director of Shaan-e-Pakistan, we will continue to bring cultures together while also showcasing our country’s hospitality. Our aim is to use the medium of textiles to connect people, exchange visions of iconic visionaries for the betterment of Pakistan.”

A number of established designers participated in the program. Shamaeel Ansari, one of the most established names in Pakistan’s fashion landscape, attended as one of the distinguished speakers. “Fashion is the armour for the reality of every day,” she said in her address. “The industry is developed; now let’s take it further.“ Shamaeel further spoke on the fashion industry’s past, present and what needs to happen in the future.

Other designers present were Umar Sayeed, one of the country’s most established bridal couturiers, and Huma Adnan, who these days has been working with refugees to create handcrafted jewellery that reflect the design ethos of the region. Her panel ended with a short fashion presentation of her work with the refugees.

Also seen on various panels were designers and industry experts including Sadaf Malaterre, Humayun Alamgir, super model Mushk Kaleem and style director Tabesh Khoja amongst many others.

The Shaan e Pakistan umbrella is now five years old and has established an identity as a platform that intends to create cultural ties between Pakistan and the world through fashion, food and music. While SeP has had several events over the years, one of its subsidiaries – SEPMA (Shaan e Pakistan Music Awards) – inaugurated in 2019 evolved as its biggest success. It took place digitally in 2020, as the whole world was in partial lockdown.

The inaugural fashion platform, however, was promoted as a ‘phygital’ event, meaning it was part physical and part digital. It will soon be made available online for those who could not attend, the organisers informed.