The Pakistan Fashion Design Council in collaboration with Sunsilk presented the second day of the sixth PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week. In keeping with the objective of furthering fashion retail and synergizing high end design, textile manufacturers and buyers, fashion week included ramp shows by leading retail labels as well as textile houses along with a fully functional, state of the art exhibition area. Day-2 featured four Voile shows from Pakistan’s leading Textile Houses and eight designer prét shows in the later evening.
On Day-2 of the PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week, title sponsors Sunsilk unveiled an exclusively designed collectible shampoo bottle in collaboration with fashion designer Hassan Sheheryar Yasin, in addition to facilitating the red carpet, green room and backstage areas at the event. Leading skincare brand Pond’s invigorated the red carpet with its Reveal Lounge which displayed a collection piece each from designers who will be showcasing their collections on Day-3 of PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week. Associate sponsors ZONG hosted the media lounge. In addition to being a beverage partner, Diet Pepsi also facilitated the live video streaming of the event worldwide. Popular food brand Magnum operated a custom-made “Magnum Bar”. PFDC’s official bank, Bank Alfalah, hosted a custom-designed VIP lounge with Dunhill hosting a lounge of their own at the Fashion Week. All these activities will continue to be available for the remaining days of PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week. With Nokia and Daraz.pk as the associate sponsors, all these unique activities are first-time endeavours undertaken at PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week and are demonstrative of the growing acclaim the platform has attained. Further, Day-1 of PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week 2013 was styled by the creative team at TONI&GUY – Lahore with male model styling by Khawar Riaz.
Voile Shows
The Voile Show segment of the second day of PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week 2013 was opened by Ittehad Textiles who showcased a spring/summer collection which comprised of four unique segments. Each segment drew inspiration from a different culture and era that varied from florals and English culture to classic Audrey Hepburn and a touch of ethnic funks. The collection was derived from fabrics like lawn, chiffons and silks that incorporated cuts like A-line, flowy gowns, straight pants and jump suits upon which embroidery, tilla work and lace work that had been adjusted. The diverse colour palette chiefly made use of pastels and whites, featuring trendy womenswear with four menswear pieces as well.
The next show was presented by Sitara Textile’s brand Rajah’s, which showcased a series of menswear collections including Emir, Rayon, Khan-i-Khanan, Premium, Smart, Gemstone, Crown, Glory, Fajr Lawn, Harem, Emerald, Grace and Mir Bakhshi Latha. The collections were made from 100% pure superfine Egyptian cotton which included embroidered and plain kurtas with stripped patterns, textures and sharp color tones. The collections catered to both men and women, drawing inspiration from the glory of the Mughal Empire.
The third Voile show of the day featured Moon Textiles who showcased three collections titled ‘Moon Digital, Trends, Batik Lawn’. Drawing inspiration from the deep philosophy behind art and the inherent beauty of culture, the collection made use of fabrics such as Swiss Voile, chiffon and lawn combined with embroidered patches and satin borders. It catered specifically to women and employed the creative use of vibrant new colour combinations. The outfits have also incorporated architectural designs to add a fresh dimension to upcoming trends.
The final Voile show of the day was presented by Lala Textiles. Inspired with all that is summer Lala Textiles’ collection “Ethnic Chic” moved away from the traditional look of lawn and presented variations with prints that will stand out this summer. With an edge on cuts fusing chiffons, ethnic prints and florals to create an interesting mix of lawns and chiffons for summer 2013. With bold and classic black and white lines, the serene and beautiful hues of blues, bright and bold hot pinks and summer fresh oranges had been presented through floral pants, cropped shirts, long flowing dresses keeping elements of traditional kurtas.
Designer Showcases
Act 1
Shehla Chatoor
PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Weel 2013’s Prèt Show on Day-2 was opened by fashion designer Shehla Chatoor who presented her Spring/Summer 2013 Collection, an ode to the eloquence of architecture and the splendor of ornament. For this collection, Shehla had transformed fabrics into a sublime sculptural form with elegant lines and a defined silhouette. The designer had primarily used silks coupled with gold chains, metallic mesh, streaming tassels and lattice-like leather cut-work embellishments to complete the look. The collection featured fluid and sinuous togas, cocktail dresses and wraps that draped the body with grace and femininity. To give life to the structural form, Shehla had printed her own signature fabric with a confluence of colour using elaborate cameo motifs and swirling arabesques. Each print had been hand-made in-house to create an orchestra of design emblazoned with playful putti in beribboned cartouches, mythic gargoyles, resplendent acanthuses and elaborate festoon friezes. For this season, Shehla contrasted vibrant lime green and striking orange with subtle nudes, opulent yellows and golds, all laced through with perennial black. To complete her concept, Shehla had manufactured bespoke accessories and hand bags, as well as gladiator sandals and shoes. Fashion designer Sadaf Malaterre and fashion model Amna Babar also walked the ramp for Shehla Chatoor’s fashion showcase.
Somal Halepoto
Following Shehla’s presentation, Somal Halepoto showcased her Spring/Summer prét-a-porter collection titled ‘Bahaar’. The collection drew inspiration from the spring season itself while also reflecting the vulnerable daintiness as reflected in the beauty of a woman. With this collection, Somal worked across fabrics such as silks and satins with cuts being an interfusion of Western and Eastern silhouettes with handmade embellishments and block prints to complete the look. Mainly using hues of pastels in pink and blue, the designer had also used accents of candy pink and neon, as well as black and white. Key trends highlighted in this collection were a variety of short and long shirts, ‘boyfriend’ cut blazers, ponchos, and tapered cut pants.
Ayesha Hashwani
Fashion designer Ayesha Hashwani’s ‘Cruise Collection 2013’ was the third prét show of the day. Based on the upcoming holiday season, the designer channeled glamourous separates this season in bright tones paired with appliqued, embroidered and printed trousers. Based in fabrics from cottons to silks and chiffons, Ayesha had used a vibrant colour palette including canary yellow, lime, tangerine, fuchsia, teal to shaded fabrics.
Nickie Nina
The final show of Act 1 was presented by acclaimed design label Nickie Nina who showcased their Spring/Summer prét-a-porter collection titled ‘Swinging Byzantium’. As the name suggests, the label had drawn inspiration from Byzantine and Medieval heraldry coupled with the 1960’s Mod movement. Featuring colours such as gold, black, burnt orange, poppy red, lemon zest, Monaco blue and royal blue nectarine, the collection was based in rich fabrics such as silk, net, chantilly lace with digital prints, block prints and stone and swarovski crystal embellishments. Key trends that were showcased in this collection were bold prints, metallic accents, short A-line hems and tapered pants.
Act 2
Feeha Jamshed
Act 2 of PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week Day-2 was opened by Feeha Jamshed who presented her Spring/Summer Collection at the PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week. The collection was inspired from how women had discovered and transformed themselves from the beginning of 19th century through the 60s and finally reaching the quintessential 90s working women. For her collection, Feeha used colours such as blacks, whites and metallic on an array of experimental surfaces such as sequined, embroidered fabrics and leathers. The entire collection was based on the cuts of 90s with the 60s prints and vice versa and predominately consisted of a variety of pants: cigarette shaped, skinny harem, sailor cropped, cu-lots, draped pants and pixie tunics with a slight safari vibe. The collection also featured a variety of sleeves and various textures throughout the pieces completing the masculinity in feminine clothing.
Yahsir Waheed
The second show of Act 2 was presented by Yahsir Waheed who showcased his Spring/Summer collection titled ‘Ai No Corrida’ meaning, the realm of senses. The collection was designer Yahsir Waheed’s tribute to the vibrant folk art of Pakistan and employed fabrics such as cotton, linen, chiffon and silk in white and black with splashes of colors such as bright fuchsia and saffron all combined together with modern cuts, to give a contemporary feel and look to the collection. Key trends featured were a subtle hint of androgyny as seen in an array of oversized trousers, exaggerated sleeves combined with a general silhouette which was oversized and exaggerated.
Asifa & Nabeel
Following Yahsir’s presentation was renowned designer label Asifa & Nabeel who presented their collection titled ‘Par to Noor’, which translated to ray of light. The collection was entirely inspired by Omar and his work – an artist with life altering disabilities who had met everyday challenges through his art. The motifs and colours used in the collection had been developed alongside the artist, inspired from his paintings. Fabrics used for this collection included chiffon, cotton, raw silk and organza and featured both womenswear and menswear. Cuts were short shirts with bloomers, shalwars and pantaloons as lowers and silhouettes which were straight and tapered using a colour palette based in beige, dark spring green, coffee gold, black, white and pale vanilla/off-white. Omar was also brought onto the ramp where he received a standing ovation for his courageous work as an artist.
Fahad Hussayn
Day-2’s finale was presented by Lahore based fashion designer Fahad Hussayn who showcased his Spring/Summer Collection titled ‘Praxus’. Fahad Hussayn’s inspiration behind the collection came from his love and appreciation of the people of Pakistan who had faced every adversity with bravery and courage during the last few years. The collection’s name ‘Praxus’ means a mythical inspired imaginary world of warriors, warriors who fight for love. In order to further covey his inspiration the designer used colors like ivory and shades of metallic gold coupled with limited edition silk prints, custom designed fabrics and flock prints on net. The collection pieces also featured metallic embroideries along with silhouettes and patchwork used to create desired optical illusions in crystal facets. Fashion model Nooray Bhatti walked the ramp as Fahad Hussayn’s showstopper.
The show is being produced and choreographed by HSY Events, with front stage management by Maheen Kardar Ali, backstage management by Maria Baig, logistics and operations by Eleventh Retail, digital support by Maria Butt and B Solutions and photography by Faisal Farooqui and the team at Dragonfly. Foreign media management is being handled by Latitude, national PR by Lotus Client Management & Public Relations, with Sara Shahid of Sublime by Sara as the official spokesperson for the PFDC.