BFM spreads its wings, flies south

Body Focus Museum, a gloriously high-end and minimalist space owned by design genius Iman Ahmed, is an essential, must-go space for die-hard fashion enthusiasts. It’s where fans of the brand have been going, for almost three decades, for well-tailored trousers and tunics and a gorgeous and well-stocked range of casuals, especially denim. It’s one of the biggest fashion and design treasures of the city but one has to admit that the trek to PECHS to get there is a huge deterrent. Navigating through Shahra e Faisal, especially during rush hour, is not exactly pleasant if you happen to live in South Karachi.

This is exactly why Iman Ahmed decided to open her second space, this time a Home Studio, in DHA, Karachi and it’ll be opening by the end of this week. It is “this side of town” for many women, much more convenient for the population of fashion-buyers who rarely venture outside Clifton and Defense. Karachi is a huge city and for those living at the other end, business will continue as usual at the BFM in PECHS.

“You won’t feel that something is missing (in DHA) and the option of going to the flagship is always there,” the very elusive Iman Ahmed spoke to me. She’s a woman of very few words but what she says usually has more meaning than the chatter and clutter to tend to hear in the fashion industry.

The new Home Studio, situated on main Hafiz, is a tasteful and comprehensive space that will feature Body Focus casuals, luxury pret and a small capsule of formals. It won’t exactly be a walk-in retail outlet and customers will be requested to call before coming in, purely for safety and convenience purposes. It will be open between 11am and 1pm whereas the flagship store in PECHS will be open between 3pm and 5pm. So many time and accessibility restrictions may be restrictive for fashion buyers who are now used to easily accessible high street retail operations but then BFM is a high fashion brand and doesn’t compete with high street. It’s for connoisseurs of good taste and luxury, even when looking for casuals.

“The common denomination for everything I do has to be simplicity,” Iman summed up her design philosophy, apparent in the white and minimalist ethos of the new outlet. “Simple and to the point.”