KARACHI:
Mahin Hussain, a textile design student from IVS, has an undying love for digital prints — be it her signature bags or the lawn collection that she recently launched. Speaking about her latest venture, Mahin Hussain Limited Edition Prints, which just wrapped up a one-day exhibiton of five prints, she says, “I believe Eid time is that shopping mode for people in which they are more inclined towards getting clothes instead of bags. I really wanted to translate my prints into a good Eid product.”
The designer has ventured into a completely new form of retail, which made her quite nervous about the public’s response to her unconventional offering. “I was very skeptical about it, for it is a different ball game altogether,” she says. “Firstly, I am very choosy about the prints. Secondly, to do lawn with borders and embroidery is a little too much for my taste and thirdly, I don’t get the concept of the typical three-piece suits.”
The collection essentially consists of vibrant hues with a dash of dark prints to keep the contras in tact. Consumers will find her signature style and design aesthetics because the fabric is an extension of her own design philosophy.
The collection consists of three lawn shirt pieces and the other two are two-piece suits consisting of a dupatta and a shirt. Hussain says that even though there is little variety, she tried to showcase a flexibility in this collection. “Now, the shirt piece can even be worn around the neck as a scarf. It has to be functional.”
“There is a huge appeal for print and it comes naturally to me when I design my bags. As for now, with the help of fabric, I want my prints to be everywhere. It is a canvas and you can play around with it.”
Now that she has started her own fabrics, is she planning on expanding and moving towards a larger scale of production? “My core philosophy caters to a niche market. I do want to sell more but it has to look good. I am certainly not doing something which is out there already. Not everyone wants to look the same as the other,” she says.
Hussain not only has diversity in her limited set of prints, but she has also managed to add a little bit of quirk. Interestingly, men were also spotted looking for something for themselves; the yellow Peshawari chappal fabric design was a hot-seller because of the recent Paul Smith drama.
The designer’s younger sister Zainab Hussain collaborated with her for this project as well. Up next for Hussain is a Bakra Eid collection. “I will head full-steam into that. I know the water currents now and I will jump into it.”
The collection consisted of five digital prints designs named:
— Roses on Grass
— Summer Bird in Blue
— Painted Floral
— Chiffon Circus
— Peshawari Chappals
Published in The Express Tribune, July 15th, 2014.
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Good job Mahin & Zainub! Excellent piece of work. Keep going!