Setting a new record for a country with the most fashion councils is Pakistan as CEO Triple E, Mr Arshad Siddiqui, has registered a council of his own under the title ‘Pakistan Fashion Council’.
“This council will be for all designers of Pakistan as well as people associated with the fashion industry such as stylists, journalists, etc,” Mr Siddiqui spoke to me from Islamabad where he is hosting PFW’s first project, Islamabad Fashion Week. “Some people (established designers) have been treating fashion as their personal jaageer (property) and this is an attempt to make it accessible to all.”
He furthered that Tariq Amin had been appointed CEO of the council for three years and memberships were open for all designers, established and especially upcoming. Providing details, he added that his company Triple E would initially be undertaking all expenses. A jury of foreign fashion experts had currently been set to select the best designer at IFW, who would then be sponsored and sent to show at New York Fashion Week.
It’s interesting to note that the newly formed PFC has registered all rights to the titles Karachi Fashion Week, Islamabad Fashion Week and Lahore Fashion Week and will be hosting fashion weeks in all three cities around the year.
“Lahore Fashion Week will be held in Lahore this June,” Mr Siddiqui confirmed.
It is surely a matter of concern that instead of integrating, Pakistan’s fashion industry is about to suffer further disintegration and fashion events are about to become messier and more confusing than they already are with multiple functioning (and dysfunctional) fashion weeks at hand. But one has to admit that no one is to blame more than the design fraternity themselves.
Had senior designers shown some unity and maturity at the very beginning of the game, it would not have come to this. What now? Well fashion is a very bankable product these days and it is apparently up for grabs so may the highest bidder win the deal!
