Zainab Chottani opened doors to her first store in Lahore this past weekend and a star-studded crowd came out to celebrate her accomplishment.
With bridal season at its peak in January, it was the perfect time for Zainab Chottani’s Winter Festive collection to hit the stores. The festive capsule comprises luxury fabrics such as silk, net, organza and a lot of velvet on a very rich palette. Zainab has chosen jewel tones this time, embellished with Swarovski crystals which are ideal for the shadi season.
Models were seen sashaying in outfits from Zainab’s latest collection, which also went on sale online at the same time. Film star Resham was seen in an elegant emerald green Zainab Chottani dress. Another star in the spotlight was Iqra Aziz, who is not just stealing hearts with her performances on television but her personal style aesthetic is also creating buzz these days. Clad in a ruby and black Zainab Chottani outfit, Iqra was all smiles for the cameras surrounding her.
With the evolving nature of retail business worldwide, local designers are also trying to keep up with the pace and Zainab also believes the same, she shared her thoughts after the event. However, she thinks the physical presence (in terms of stores) of a brand is equally important.
Talking to Something Haute, Zainab revealed why she opted to open a store in Lahore.
“We have an up and running online store for the last five years and we have a huge, growing overseas clientele through that. But with our online store functioning for years, we were still getting massive number of inquiries from all over Punjab every single day. It’s like it was understood that we already have one there, so we finally made this decision. Also, we know that being available up close always makes a difference and having a store in Lahore is not only catering to Lahore, but also to the surrounding areas,†she said.
The three storey store in Lahore is designed keeping in mind the various fashion categories she expertly works on, ranging from RTW prêt wear, luxury prêt, lawn and bridal wear. One floor is designated to bridal ‘appointment only’ studio, while ready to wear luxury prêt and prêt are on the other two floors.
Zainab talked about her love for bridal wear and shared, “My forte has always been bridals; perhaps because I have always loved designing bridals since childhood. I was that little girl who loved looking at dulhans and I already started sketching bridals in my tweens.â€
Fashion aficionados must have noticed a recent change in Zainab’s outlook as she has started wearing the hijab after performing Hajj last year. Zainab said that she is learning and refining her designs with each passing day but she hasn’t faced any challenges after her foray into modest fashion.
“I would say my design aesthetics are still the same but yes, I have been gradually refining it as it is a natural process going in accordance to my perception,†Zainab said.
Watch the video to get a sneak peek into the new store:
