Taking the reins of the showstopper spot

Designers and models talk about growing trend of celebrities walking the ramp at fashion weeks

LAHORE:

The trend of celebrities taking up the top spot among designer showcases has been on the rise. Fashion Pakistan Week Winter/Festive (FPW) and the latest bridal extravaganza Telenor Bridal Couture Week (TBCW) witnessed a myriad of designer heavyweights roping in notable personalities from the entertainment industry, who either opened or closed their shows. Where many designers maintained the tradition of choosing renowned models such as Mehreen Syed as their showstoppers, others opted for celebrities such as Humaima Malick to rivet the audiences’ attention.

From designer Umer Sayeed opening his show with the Ho Mann Jahaan cast to singer Zoe Viccaji and actors Sana Bucha and Waqar Ali Khan walking for Deepak Perwani, FPW comprised multiple celebrities marking their presence at the event. But are these celebrities, who are so often the centre of attention on other mediums, now seem to be stealing the spotlight that models sometimes take years to earn. Speaking to The Express Tribune, models and designers spilled the beans on whether or not celebrities should take up the coveted showstopper spot at fashion weeks.

“Such things happen,” said model Fouzia Aman. “Celebrities are stars and this doesn’t matter to me. I am beyond this.” Cybil Chowdhry, too, is unfettered by this phenomenon, and adds that for someone with a personality like her own, such things don’t matter.

Fayezah Ansari, on the other hand, believes that while celebrity showstoppers dominate the runway when sporting bridal outfits, prêt-wear remains the domain of professional models at large. “You see, when we wear prét, we need to walk in a signature model style. Celebs can walk the ramp for a bridal showcase, where all kinds of halla gulla is needed. But for fashion weeks that showcase prêt-wear, the ramp should strictly be limited for models.”

Actor Fizza Ali and model Cybil Chowdhry walk for Shazia Kiyani at TBCW

Couturier Zainab Chottani expressed distaste towards bagging celebrity showstoppers, stating lack of professionalism as a major drawback. “Models are the best. When celebrities walk the ramp, it creates a lot of hype, taking the show to another level. These fashion weeks are meant for the masses. I used to feature celebrities as showstoppers, but I stopped when they started backing out at the last minute.”

Supermodel Mehreen Syed, a designer favourite and who also has a huge public following, said she never felt threatened by this new trend. “I have never felt insecure. I walk the ramp with confidence. Most of the designers choose me as their showstopper because, according to them, I do justice to their joras and those same joras sell the most.” This season, Syed featured as the showstopper for HSY, Nilofer Shahid, Umer Sayeed, and Faraz Manan.

Picking from where Chottani left off, designer Arsalan Iqbal doesn’t feel the need to hire celebrity showstoppers either. “Celebs cannot be the perfect models for the ramp. An ex model-turned-actor can still be requested to walk the ramp. But I’ve never done that either. I never had a celeb run my show for me and don’t think I ever will. TV is where these celebrities belong.”



However, Ansari holds a different point of view. She believes that models, when compared to celebrities, are not relatable for the masses. “When celebs walk the ramp, they radiate star power. Models such as Cybil and Sabeeka Imam are not recognised by, say, the paanwala. But celebrities such as Reema, Meera and Mehwish Hyatt are always recognised from afar,” she explained. Models Areeba Habib and Nadia Hussain were of the same opinion regarding this, and said what is most important is to make one’s presence felt on the runway. “If you have your own presence on stage, this shouldn’t bother you at all,” noted Hussain.

Having been a part of the modelling scene for almost two decades, Rubab Masood pointed out how trends have changed over time. “When I started off, there were only solo shows and no concept of fashion weeks. Things have gradually picked up pace and now, masala is required on the ramp. This is all that Indian and Pakistani entertainment industries are about,” she said.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 19^th, 2015.

Like Life & Style on Facebook, follow @ETLifeandStyle on Twitter for the latest in fashion, gossip and entertainment.