Maria B goes regal at the London Fashion Parade

Maria talks about her latest collection, The Blooms of Izmir

London Fashion Parade was held on February 6, in which many Pakistani designers showcased their talent. From Nilofar Shahid to Nomi Ansari, six designers from Pakistan were invited to represent the country in one of the most significant fashion events.

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Maria B was also one of the designers to showcase her latest collection at London Fashion Parade. Speaking to The Express Tribune, Maria B opened up about 'The Blooms of Izmir', her latest collection. The celebrated designer spilled the beans about her inspiration, essence and materials on her contemporary collection.

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“The inspiration behind the collection is my recent travels to Turkey. I fell in love with the Ottoman architecture and therefore, the collection is called ‘The Blooms of Izmir.’ I love the way nature was playing in juxtaposition with the beautiful architecture, and not only the architecture but the castles itself,” said Maria. “There are a lot of three dimensional flowers. It is very feminine and has all this lattice work at the back in terms of the Islamic architecture in Izmir and Turkey itself. So, that was the theme and the collection was based on my travel.”



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Maria also spoke about the essence of her ‘The Blooms of Izmir,’ saying it’s a very ladylike assortment. “It is a very feminine collection; it has various aspects of women in it. Primarily, you will see flowers throughout, teamed with Turkish architectural motives. The silhouette is clean. There is no fuss; there are not too many ruffles,” she revealed. “It’s basically a western oriented collection, because I was in London when I specifically designed it. Therefore, the clothes are very wearable in the west. The colour palette ranges from pastels to pearls and incorporates bold red and black too – all the colours that you associate with women.”



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From chiffons to kim khwab, Maria also shed light on the materials she favoured in the collection. She confirmed, “In terms of the materials, we have used a lot of nets, a lot of chiffons, and a lot of kim khwab which has a western tone to it. There’s lots of pure organza, a lot of sequin work and embroidery. There are lots of hand woven details that give a very regal effect to the collection.”

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Regarding her past experiences at international fashion shows, Maria professed that London Fashion Parade was the best exhibit she has ever been to. “Yes, I have participated in various fashion shows and events; in England, New York, Chicago, and Prêt-à-Porter Paris. This is surely not the first time but this particular Fashion Parade was my first participation in any Fashion Parade,” stated the designer. “By far, I can say, it was one of the best I’ve ever done internationally. It was extremely professional, the team was fantastic and the marketing was exceptional too. It was worth the entire wait and the efforts.”

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