Safinaz manages to look cool, even first thing in the morning at work. She wears a design from her Silk 2012 collection, advocating the streamlined trouser and short shirt.
It’s always satisfying to walk into the Sana Safinaz studio in Karachi because it buzzes with positive energy. The luxury-pret room is always brimming over with women pulling at the new samples in the racks, the bridal studio looks resplendent with sparkling ensembles, the office space paints the same picture of pretty girls huddled over sketches, orders, pictures or financial reports and Sana & Safinaz, amidst all of this, are perpetually zipping across all rooms with their hands more than full.
I visited on Friday, the day Karachi experienced an unexpected rain shower, for some lawn information and walked out with a lot more. Now, first of all you have to realise that lawn information, of any brand let alone Sana Safinaz, is as tightly guarded as a trade secret. No one let’s even a kitten’s whisker out of the bag until the campaign is ready to be officially launched. So you can imagine my delight (and surprise) when I got to see the two suitcases full of lawn outfits that had returned from the campaign. Neha looks ethereal in the clothes and Guddu Shani have done a great job on the campaign, as always.
A video still from the Sana Safinaz TVC. Feast your eyes! Courtesy Guddu Shani
Here’s some insight into Sana Safinaz lawn this year, for all you eager beavers…
People keep asking whether this year’s lawn will change and introduce something new?
Safinaz: We have a distinct aesthetic and we’re going to stick to it. And I do feel that our aesthetics do stand out from everyone else. I’m not just sticking patterns together and saying it’s a great jora. There’s a design philosophy that goes into every outfit. And you know, we’ve introduced so many changes to how lawn is worn, but we can’t let go of our philosophy.
What is that philosophy?
I’m designing lawn and thinking pret jora. I’m actually thinking of making you an outfit that looks like our fully worked designs.
There are people in the market doing a great job, giving women a lawn jora with a dupatta for 500 rupees. That’s not us. My philosophy is ‘dress up lawn’. I can wear my own lawn joras in the evening and that’s what I want to advocate. I want lawn to be smart and with it. It’s fine to dress it up and wear it at weddings even. Dress up lawn is a phenomena and now everyone’s doing it.
Women like to think that they’ve been wearing it forever and want change but they haven’t. They were happy wearing their silks and chiffons in summer with their sweat patches under their arms. We want them to dress up and yet feel as cool as a cucumber. We have started a new trend!
What about hemlines?
We’ve been wearing short hemlines for almost two years and women are experimenting but they are resistant to change. However, short for the daytime is becoming your essential. We’ve done the long and trailing for five years and even we want a change now. Long and trailing is not a casual, day look.
You started ‘dress up lawn’ and started giving women embroidered necklines and ‘goody bags’ with the lawn joras. Has the goody bag changed this year?
We’re still giving you silk and chiffon dupattas and some of our fabric has an extra weave and even tilla. But we have streamlined the long, embroidered necklines. This year we’re introducing beaded necklines.
