Mohsin Naveed Ranjha needs no introduction. A friend to celebrities, Mohsin knows what success feels like and looks like. He often collaborates with A-listers (that include the likes of Ranveer Singh and Tan France of Queer Eye fame), is on every woman’s list of favourite designers during the demanding wedding season, and is constantly expanding and growing his brand, with stores in the biggest cities of Pakistan.
He generates this interest rather carefully. Mohsin is one of the few fashion designers of the country who manages to walk right between mainstream consumer demands and art, between older times and modern expectations. His clothes are delicate, intricate, beautiful – they appeal to a wide cross-section of women everywhere – and his latest collection, perfectly timed for the upcoming Eid season, maintains the same ethos.
Cham Cham Cham, Mohsin’s Womenswear Eid Edit for 2022, is all set to launch on April 11. The collection is all about beautiful, bold and vibrant tones, such as cobalt and crimson, paired with shades of ivory and gold; the embroideries are inspired by Mughal gardens and architecture. While Mughal motifs are a recurring trend in Pakistani fashion, not every designer can strike a balance between producing something regal and something that’s also wearable. Mohsin’s new collection does just that.
He makes us nostalgic with the use of fabrics such as karandi, a blend of cotton and silk, and embellishes them with densely embroidered resham and matte gold tilla. Organza dupattas in shades of ivory and pink are adorned with gold embroidered motifs.
Even the heavily embroidered jora appears lightweight and easy to carry because the craftsmanship is delicate and precise; he uses pearls and beads carefully to make the outfit beautiful but not necessarily loud. The embroidery is detailed, no doubt, but done in such a manner that one could either dress up the outfit and wear it to a summer wedding, or dress it down and wear it to an Eid dinner. The colour palette may have something to do with that also; Mohsin barely ever uses more than two colours in one ensemble. Without the distraction of too many colours, one can pay more attention to the style and embroidery instead.
Even the sillhouettes have an old-world charm. A full length peshwas with long churidar sleeves, oversized kurtas with wide-legged shalwars, embroidered organza dupattas with a gota finish, ghararas with a jaal and patch work motifs make up Mohsin’s newest offering, and we are sure the cuts and styles appeal to all age groups, which is what makes Cham Cham Cham a visually appealing treat!
