The glitz and glam of PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week (PSFW) continued on Day 2 with nine collections and a strong focus on highlighting new talent, ethnic craft, and achievements in fashion design.
On display during the afternoon shows were budding designers like Rici Melion, Sameer Karasu, Zasimo, Hana, while Chapter 2, Sana Safinaz, Saira Shakira and The House of Kamiar Rokni showcased their collections during the evening – along with a segment for the Aquafina Rising Talent.
Overall, the day remained relatively strong and the collections clearly showed that an extensive editing process has gone into the line-up. One after another, the designers were able to work in cohesion, and in comparison to how the second day usually plateaus, it proved otherwise.
Onto the collections…
Chapter 2 – Threads of Time
Shamoon Sultan and his team brought forward a craft-friendly collection, which proved the stand out strength of the simplicity of fabric and pop of colour. Exploring the colours of dawn blended with those of dusk, the shades of blue and yellows intertwined beautifully. Adding onto it were whites with pops of colours, pastel hues and contrasting golds that emboldened the handloom craft that was styled in eye-catching silhouettes.
Sana Safinaz – Boheme Luxe
Adding onto the legacy that the couturiers have created in the last two decades, Sana Safinaz presented Boheme Luxe, a bridal prêt collection that served as a continuation to their showcase from Fashion Pakistan Week’s Message from the East. The capsule was inspired by colour palettes from Afghan craft with references to Mughal art and architecture, and thus, focused on creating a variety of fabric, embellishments and thread work which changed the concept of what wedding wear should look like.
Aquafina Rising Talent
Each season PFDC gives an opportunity to budding fashion designers and debutantes to showcase their talent in the ‘rising talent’ segment and this year Hafsa Mahmood, Mahnur Azam, and Zeeshan Mohyuddin were chosen as the three young designers who debuted their collections at the PSFW runway. In all three capsule collections, creating fashion forward prêt was clearly the focal point, which proved refreshing if compared with what we have seen in the past.
In regards to their collections, Hafsa, Mahnur, and Zeeshan were all proof of the brilliance that young minds hold in their skill set, as their mix of concepts, and their silhouettes proved excellence in design. A special shout-out to Zeeshan here, whose collection effortlessly pulled off androgynous fashion, which could rival any big high-street brand in the country.
Saira * Shakira
Doing away with heavily embellished lehngas and bridals, Saira*Shakira’s collection ‘The Secret Garden’ was like a breath of fresh air. Bringing in polka dots and stripes with eclectic embellishments, the variety of crafts and ornamentation techniques like sequins and oodles of Brazilian embroidery did wonders to their cuts and contours. In true PSFW sense, this was the prêt that has been missing on the runways for a while now.
The House of Kamiar Rokni
Ending the second day at PSFW 19, The House of Kamiar Rokni introduced a diffusion collection which intertwined folk and neo-global ideas to create a display that was a celebration of ethnicity within a traditional yet international narrative. The colour-popping collection incorporated multiple traditional textiles and treatments using block printing, a hippie chic sensibility of tie & dye, and brocade, to create a collection that can be worn from anywhere in casual to luxury evening and formal wear. It, in many ways, was a true Kamiar classic and proved that the couturier and his fashion house are en pointe with the colour palette that is internationally all the rage, while also being one with the soil by showcasing the perfect silhouettes for the eastern-wear clientele.
Photography by Faisal Farooqui
