Adnan Pardesy took muslin and made magic
Adnan Pardesy:the AIFD graduate who can easily be labeled as fashion’s new King of Couture created a dream out of muslin. Adnan’s philosophy is to showcase couture that can be diffused into ready to wear and if I weren’t wearing a diffused piece, I may have never understood how. Every piece in this fabulous colour blocked collection had condensed yard upon yard of fabric to create the three dimensional detailing that the designer is known for. Adnan certainly is a fashion force to look out for!
PIFD graduate Batur’s brave collection took a departure from folklore
Batur: PIFD graduate Batur’s rebellious aesthetic may not go down well with everyone but truth of the matter is that this young designer had guts to resist the ethnic path and take an edgy route instead. The cat’s ear sleeves are what caught the eye…dropped or perked up, they will surely have an impact when incorporated as a trend.
Yahsir Waheed: This has to be my favourite Yahsir Waheed collection yet. The designer stuck with his fascination for fabric – ajrak this time – and dyed the fabric to give it a contemporary twist. Replete with frayed jackets and patchwork shirts, this androgynous collection would be a hot-seller if it ever makes it to the racks for retail.
Yahsir Waheed’s contemporary take on ajrak was wow!
Khaadi Khaas: If Adnan Pardesy and Yahsir Waheed set the pace for the day, then Shamoon Sultan strengthened his already indestructible reputation with this collection that was dedicated to the city of Karachi. Refreshing after getting an overdose of Punjabi folklore, this collection was all about leitmotifs of Karachi city: crows on wire, daily newspapers, birds in cages hinting at captivity on a deeper level and more. The silhouettes were classic Khaadi and the collection was all about colour and print.
From crows on wires to birds in captivity, Khaadi’s take on Karachi was spot on.
With interesting embellishment techniques, Hammad belonged more in a couture show.
 Hammad: There was some interesting embellishment technique to this collection that surely would have been more appropriate for a bridal than R2W fashion week. Hammad is a designer who graduated with Mohsin and Akif and chose to retail for a year before making a runway debut. Smart move.
Ammar Belal: The designer known to stand out for his western and usually completely inapplicable design aesthetic played it safe with his Disco Inferno collection. He sacrificed theatrics and drama – expected from a collection all about the fabulous eighties – and focused on a slightly more wearable collection. What gives Ammar strength is his understanding of the genre he chooses to design in and the consistency with which he does it, no matter what its commercial value may or may not be. That is the mark of a great designer!
Western, and proud of it! Ammar Belal is unapologetic about his take on fashion and that’s exactly what makes him consistently strong.
