Omar Mansoor, Maheen Khan: Coming out of the cocoon

Designers Omar Mansoor and Maheen Khan on taking Koya initiative to international market

LAHORE:

London-based Pakistani designer Omar Mansoor is living proof that you can take the boy out of the country, but never the country out of the boy. Although he moved to the UK over a decade ago, Mansoor still has his roots well in place. The designer is currently gearing up to showcase his collection for Autumn/Winter 2016, which is but a tribute to veteran Pakistani fashion guru, Maheen Khan, and her brainchild, the Koya Initiative. The new collection will be showcased at the upcoming London Fashion Week (LFW) and Paris Fashion Week (PFW) on February 20 and March 5 respectively.

The Koya initative was launched by Maheen Khan to breathe new life into the dying craft of hand-woven silk. While the showcase received much praise in Pakistan, Khan wanted to take Koya to the international markets and provide a sustainable solution for the weavers. This was where Mansoor stepped in. The two met in London over the summer, wherein Khan explained the fabric and purpose of the Koya Initiative to the budding designer and Mansoor was sold immediately. “Maheen wants the craft to come to the attention of international designers and mainstream buyers — that is where I come in,” he told The Express Tribune.





Other designers have been encouraged to embrace the fabric and use it in their future collections but Mansoor is the only one who has gone for it thus far. He not only plans to make the cloth available to individual clients in the UK but also promote it on ramps in London and Paris. “Inevitably, my own brand will also get promoted, but I want Pakistan and Koya to be noticed on a global platform,” he said.

The Koya material has been transported to him mostly in shades of off-white but the designer has used it in pewter tones splashed with gold. “I am going for a sculptural effect, with necklines that have been molded in a 3D manner,” shared Mansoor. The gold comprises of tilla work, which pushes the price of the material up. “The price might increase but my finished ensembles will be priced in the mid-range, starting at £150; they have to be wearable,” he added.



Ever the patriot, Khan’s collection for FPW 2014, titled To Karachi with Love, paid homage to her hometown and Khan displayed her work with Koya at the last season of Fashion Pakistan Week and at ‘A Flower From Every Meadow’ which was striking exhibit at the Mohatta Palace. For the latter, Maheen put forth a thought-provoking installation, created from hand-woven silk that embodied Koya. The craft was brought to the mainstream through a collaborative initiative between Khan and Obaidul Rahman, of Hilal Silk Palace, and also came to be known as Koya.



Khan shared that Obaid’s participation in the project was seminal as he understood the dangers of dying craft and his family business, Hilal Silk Palace, owned the last few silk worms of Pakistan, in Changa Manga.

Other than Khan, Khaadi is another brand that uses hand-loomed cotton and makes it accessible for all. Other than this, such rare works of craftsmanship are usually left to collect dust at most fashion showcases, eventually becoming a part of the past. But Khan is determined to change that, “Anybody who uses this fabric will be adding to the Koya Initiative of sustaining silk weavers,” she said. The initiative inspires wonder for the talent that lies within the cocoons (Koyas) of Pakistan, along with a sense of responsibility to promote that talent at platforms like LFW and PFW.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 5^th,  2016.

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