Day Two at the PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week was the strongest day that I remember ever seeing at a fashion week in Pakistan. The lineup was strong but we know that lineups and names don’t necessarily live up to expectations. Not this time. Each and every designers who I thought should show super stuff delivered and it made for a fantastic day for fashion.
Nomi Ansari
Collection: Joyride
Nomi Ansari set the pace for the day. His collection was racy, fun and so perfectly well constructed. Colour is Nomi’s norm and anyone who knows him gets the China-colour-kitsch signature that he carries around as his ethos. This is where he came into his own strength. People have been making comparisons with western collections but emjois and cut outs are all the rage, whether in a Moschino print or an Anya Hindmarch handbag and Nomi made the trend his own. What a fun, fabulous and fearless collection.Â
Ali Xeeshan
Collection: Voodoo
He does claim to possess an atelier nor does he call himself King of Couture. Ali Xeeshan Theatre Studio is what he goes by and his forte is theatrics. They translate to his collections, and are designed for women who aren’t afraid of standing out. He designs to his hearts delight and I absolutely adore his energy and the fact that he’s unaffected by what people think! Voodoo was another quirky, love or hate collection, which I loved for its attitude!
Sania Maskatiya
Collection: Decorer
With this collection, Sania Maskatiya outshone herself and proved there’s more to her than prints! Mature, refreshing and very innovative, this was a textile designer, who is responsible for making digital prints go big in Pakistan, step out of her comfort zone and work with solids. The fact that she managed to retain her signature through it is even more impressive.
Mahgul
Collection: The Indus Society
This was Mahgul Rashid’s first full collection and was very solid at that. She stuck to her strength and kept her love for art as her ethos, blinding herself to commercial influences. There was an interesting play with silhouette, shape and layering. The collection did require some editing but overall, for a first timer, it was a strong and memorable step ahead.
Karma Pink
Collection: Studio 54
The night ended with some Saturday Night Fever as Karma Pink hit the jackpot with Studio 54! This collection went beyond the success of The Gatsby Collection and Maheen Kardar, with her love for bling, went all the way with sequins and crystals. This was a fantastic end to day 2 and all it needed was someone to turn the runway into a dance floor!Â
– Photographs: Dragonfly
