Ammara Khan to take off on a solo flight, tonight

It’s raining in Lahore but nothing can dampen Ammara Khan’s spirits as she prepares to step into a new era for her brand. After working with couture for over a decade, the elusive designer is flying solo with a debut ready-to-wear collection tonight, and the launch pad promises to be sharp, smart and memorable.

“It’s not a show in the traditional sense,” she shared with me before the show, “but we are very excited to launch our debut ready-to-wear collection and are holding a celebratory event for it tonight.”

My introduction to Ammara Khan was through a bridal ensemble she designed for my niece two years ago and I can say, without a moment’s hesitation, that it was one of the most beautiful bridal outfits I had ever seen. It’s biggest strength: it had aesthetic balance. Evidently, her training at fashion school in New York and Polimoda Italy came into play.

And so, over the years Ammara has made her presence felt in fashion’s elite inner circle, making an appearance or two at fashion week, but not inclining towards full-on public exposure. Now is when she felt it was time to take her label a step further into the public eye. I wondered and asked her what had kept her label alive in a landscape that was super competitive?

“Couture for me is a form of self-expression to channel my creativity which grows and evolves with time, as I do personally,” she said as we caught up before the show. “This is why I feel my work continues to be relevant because it is so current.”

“Also, at Ammara Khan couture doesn’t just stop at design; it is our undying love for craft, attention to detail and our focus on quality that results in our clients coming back to us time and time again. Like art, our couture is something that stands the test of time, whether that be in style or in quality. Furthermore, we take pride in our commitment to nurturing relationships with our patrons – it’s never transactional for us but a small step towards a long-term association.

Aamna Haider Isani: You last showed at PLBW in 2015 and now, 2 years later, are flying solo this week. What motivated this decision?

Ammara Khan: My past showings at PLBW were bridal couture. Since then I have not participated in any fashion week or done any solo shows. Having said that I have been coming up with annual bridal couture collections and over the last year several seasonal capsule offerings. I just feel that for the brand this approach has really worked well. My collections are more current and representative of the season for which they are planned, offering my client much more than a single annual collection to choose from.

AHI: And now you’re stepping into the ready to wear market…

AK: Yes, this is our debut Ready-to Wear Winter 2017 collection, including our very first print designs, and the event tonight is a celebration of this launch.

I have been wanting to do ready-to-wear for quite some time. It was natural progression for the brand. Our clients wanted this and so did I. However, I wanted to be ready and fully satisfied with the effort and the outcome. There could be no compromises. We had to stay true to our heritage even in our ready to wear and this could not be rushed.

• We’ll keep you posted on the show…