PHOTO: ZARIFAISAL
Ace designer Zari Faisal is on a mission to highlight the beauty of diversity and to change beauty ideals prevalent not only in this part of the world but globally. In a recent shoot, the designer opted for a model who isn’t your typical Pakistani fashion model.
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PHOTO: ZARIFAISALSpeaking about how important diversity is to her, Zari told The Express Tribune saying, "Some of the most beautiful women I have seen are dark skinned. Look at how much flak Amna Ilyas used to get and she went on to become one of the top models of Pakistan. I just loved that she had this in-your-face attitude for everyone who doubted her, and I want to see our brand become that platform for all kinds of girls."
PHOTO: ZARIFAISAL"I don't think there is one particular standard of beauty. It's just that we have made it as such,” the designer said, speaking about her latest shoot which features Amal Baarbe, a Somali national, and Amna Haq -- both of whom are medical students who have no prior experience in modelling.
“Amal and I just randomly happened to talk when she messaged in on our facebook page and initially we thought someone was playing a prank on us because how did we manage to have the awesome luck of finding a modest fashion model, who is a medical student in Pakistan from Somalia? But it seems like the stars just aligned for us! It was lovely to meet her and we look forward to working with many many different profiles of women from Pakistan," Zari recalled.
PHOTO: ZARIFAISALZari's fashion house is also planning to further work towards a modest fashion line for women who cover their heads. "We feel that a lot of people are still not doing modest fashion as part of their mainstream campaigns and we don't understand why because it is a profile of some very, very empowered women globally. Diversity is beautiful. Let's all encourage more of it!”
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The designer went on to say this isn’t a one-off experiment and plans to build a diverse team. “This includes darker skinned girls, plus-sized models, petite girls, girls who cover their heads and so on. We feel that we appeal to women who are extremely diverse, and I truly believe that this representation must now come across in our brand communication as well. Sky is the limit," says Zari.
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