esigner Munib Nawaz is not a new face in the fashion scene and, of course, needs no introduction. Known for his craftsmanship in menswear, the renowned designer has been in this field for almost two decades now. According to Munib, though it has been quite a while since he has been designing, it’s still fresh, and it’s still what he wakes up to do. “It’s still what I get to do and is a big part of what I want to do and who I am!” he tells Instep.

Quite recently, the team of film Kamli – Sarmad Khoosat, Omair Rana and Hamza Khawaja – was spotted wearing Munib Nawaz creations for one of their film promotions. However, he claims to be extremely blessed to get to work with different celebrities, including Atif Aslam, Hasan Raheem, Ali Sethi, Talal Qureshi, Arooj Aftab and many others.

As far as Munib’s design philosophy is concerned, he explains, “It’s not a philosophy, it’s just me being myself at that moment. My designs are a tribute to the people who love to be themselves, their true authentic selves. People who are unique and don’t want the same road that everyone else has walked.”

To put it simply, the designer says that his signature style is authenticity, passion and love for what he does. “The aesthetics can be summed up as - look like a rockstar, feel like royalty and act like a gentleman!” he shares, adding that he takes his design inspiration from life, which is beautiful and incredibly insane at the same time.

Talking about launching his new line and what it’s all about, Munib Nawaz reveals, “Gone is the time of lines and lines. Now it’s all about content, every day and in every way. We work with some amazing people who help us create content and that idea is slowly growing now.” He continues, “As for the next collection, it is based on some postcards I saw from some historical places, which made me think of years gone by and how visuals can make such a big impact in maintaining semblance in the future. So, hopefully, I’d be able to leave some visuals that will remain relevant.”

He further went on to say that when it comes to staying updated with the latest trends, he is lucky to have wonderful people in his life who update him with a lot of things. “Besides them, I still find enough time every day to read. In fact, I have a partially analytical mind, and I keep drawing conclusions and assumptions, which feed into my curiosities. From there, I build an understanding of trends,” he explains.

On what he would change about Pakistani fashion, Munib shares, “I love our fashion, and I would change myself if I ever needed to change something externally. My suggestion is that more people should reach out to others for help and collaborate, rather than doing everything themselves.”

Apart from that, the designer is quite happy with the fact that many international stars have been looking up content and fashion from Pakistan. “Whether it was the global fame of Pasoori or Saim Sadiq’s film, Joyland or brand Rastah making clothes for global celebrities, it’s just awesome to see Pakistan growing as a brand. I believe that’s something we have been doing over the years and will continue to represent our country and brand at every stage.

That brought us to the question, what’s up for summer? “My new love is bodybuilding. I really enjoy packing on some muscle, and it’s a fantastic feeling when you start to control your body. The efficiency it brings is impressive. I am also taking some wellness courses and trying to understand how I can control my feelings,” responds Munib Nawaz.

In fact, the designer shares that Covid has been insanely interesting for him, and it was during that time, that he unlearned and relearned a lot of stuff. He not only started his running blog but was also able to connect with so many runners around the world and learn from them. Moreover, he started taking his cooking seriously and ended up running a restaurant, Saku Hana. “My restaurant is doing fantastically well and soon we will be launching our Chinese menu as well as our breakfast menu and much more. As for the brand, it is growing digitally, plus my sportswear line is also slowly gearing up. Not to forget my YouTube podcast! So, there is quite a bit happening,” he concludes.