Lawn wars: Chen One enters the fray

KARACHI:

Chen One’s Pareesa Lawn Collection 2011, should be included in every woman’s wardrobe. Designed specifically for university students and working women, the collection consists of pretty and charming designs with large motifs.

Priced between Rs3,000-8,000, Pareesa lawn comes in three fabrics: the pure lawn collection, the Swiss royale and the cotton silk. As many as 40 designs are represented in the collection, and each has a single colour variation. Imran Butt, the head designer of the Pareesa Lawn said: “Our target audience is a trendier lot. The pure lawn fabric collection is for working women, whilst the Swiss Royale is a collection meant for evening wear and the Cotton Silk collection is precisely for those who don’t use synthetic fabric ... Chen One is not a retail brand, like so many others are in the market. We are a fashion brand and cater to a class of people who like the bohemian and the funky.”

The launch of Pareesa Lawn took place on April 26 at the Marriott Hotel. The event kicked-off two hours after the scheduled time, but the show was worth the wait. Pareesa unveiled a playful collection with vibrant, bright colours and strong hues like blue, lilac, yellow and green.

Like HSY Prints, Pareesa Lawn has lawn shirts for men in tropical patterns.

Actor Adnan Siddiqui was spotted at the event. “The [men’s] collection is very nice, but it has a Hawaiian feel to it. I wonder why a Hawaiian collection like this was brought forward, when we don’t have the beaches and weather to compliment it? Certainly, the collection is not meant for me!”

According to Butt, most of the textile giants find inspiration in Indian saris. “And now the people fulfilling their demands are designers who stylised the Indian booti designs on the fabric,and lo and behold you have an entire collection ready,” he said. This has been happening in Pakistan for the past one decade or more, he said.

“Embroidery is not part of a simple lawn print and neither should it be, for when for I think of lawn fabric, I only see the colourful prints that make-up the entire collection,” he added. “People generally use small motifs; I prefer bigger ones, so any woman can claim to style it herself, either in the front or back of an outfit!”

Published in The Express Tribune, April 30^th, 2011.