Eye Candy by Mahin

Mahin Hussain’s collection of clutches and totes in rich hues is highly eclectic

KARACHI:

Pakistani designers have been creating and selling great shoes for a while now. Of course people tend to travel and pick up shoes from abroad, but every woman has at least one pair of desi chapals in her closet. When it comes to bags, however, we’re often stumped. There is a huge gap in the market, and many designers have started to pick up on it, including the über talented Mahin Hussain.

The mastermind creates two collections each year including Autumnl/Winter and Spring/Summer. Last year, she created a capsule collection in celebration of Independence Day. The collection comprised of printed bags, which were intended to “pay homage to Jinnah’s ideology and inject some positive spirit into society”. Not surprisingly, women loved the funky desi-esque collection. Hence, Mahin decided to stick to designs that echo local culture.

The inspiration for her latest collection is truck art. While it’s true that that many have been inspired by truck art, Mahin has successfully managed to make her collection unique. Through the use of imagery she has managed to create a highly eclectic collection consisting of her usual variety of clutches and totes in vibrant colors. What is interesting about this collection is the embellished image of a peacock and this, Mahin states, was a “conscious effort to add an element of pomp and splendor”.

Although Mahin’s label has focused primarily on leather in the past, this collection is entirely in fabric. Despite leather being a popular choice of material for many Pakistani accessory designers, Mahin understood that not only would this be “economical” but it would also have “mass appeal”. The designer points out that the prices of the bags rang from Rs1,800 to Rs3,600 making the collection quite affordable for young college students as well as an “easy purchase” for older women. As a customer at Ensemble, a boutique that stocks Mahin’s bags, said, “Women of all ages love Mahin’s bags. They keep getting sold. Each time I like a bag, it’s sold by my second visit”.

Mahin’s collections tend to be a fun fusion of east meets west. Her latest collection also has a range of graphic cushions that “attempt to add that special Pakistani flavor to people’s homes”. She aptly believes that “we must apply a more contemporary design aesthetic to our rich heritage and make it more global”.

upcoming Spring/Summer 2011 collection will be one that will highly appeal to the fashion conscious Pakistani woman. Her description of the collection as one consisting of “fiery colors, lively geometric patterns, contrasting textures and tactile materials” got us super excited and is definitely one that we are looking forward to.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 18^th,  2011.