Pashmina Ahmed: The versatile couturier

Pashmina Ahmed talks about the minuscule market for western wear in Pakistan.

ISLAMABAD:

Pashmina Ahmed, 25, walks into Nirvana Cafe dressed modestly in a dark shalwar kamiz.  She’s not a fan of trends and believes that individual style trumps latest leanings of the fashion industry.

Ahmed belongs to the school of young and upcoming designers — including Deeba & Zoe — who’ve forayed into the challenging world of western wear in Pakistan. A 2008 graduate from the London College of Fashion, Ahmed’s west-centric interests took her to the catwalks of Karachi Fashion week 2009.

Her first party/evening wear collection, Plush, sold under the label Trial and Error, got people talking about her strategic use of block colours — fuchsia, black and cobalt blue. She was pleased with the sales and stocked her collection at Labels in Karachi while keeping the prices low for her target clientele, who are typically in their early to late twenties.

However, she is not pleased with the relatively small market for western-wear in Pakistan. “It’s difficult to sell western wear,” said Ahmed. “People here are not very appreciative of this genre of apparel . Since people travel a lot, they have their reservations about spending more than Rs 4000 on local designs, especially when they can buy cheaper pieces from H&M or Zara.”

Early success

Her Paris-inspired ‘Mona Darling’ collection, which includes day and evening wear, highlights Ahmed’s love of all things Parisian, evident in her bold Andy Warhol-esque prints of the iconic Mona Lisa, rouge tops, ornate vests and broad, slightly masculine, pants. This sartorial repertoire was also featured at the Karachi Fashion Week 2010 and was sold out during the fashion week sales. “I received countless orders for this collection. I think people were really into the concept.”  She also showcased ‘Mona Darling’ at a London club during the summer 2010 Collection at Knightsbridge.

To add to the line’s success, Islamabad magazine Text-Teen also featured the bright, francophone designs in their first issue. However, like most experimental designers in Pakistan, Ahmed’s seemingly smooth ride started getting bumpy as the reality of financial dilemmas popped up.

“I eventually had to weigh the pros and cons of the business because I was concerned about income; I was spending too much on materials and production,” Ahmed said candidly, reiterating the problem of the diminutive market for locally-designed western wear in Pakistan, particularly in Islamabad.

Revamping brand philosophy

It was this realisation that spurned her to revamp her brand philosophy to include eastern themes. She started making formal and semi-formal suits and joras, which she took to Canada and Houston. Although her heart wasn’t in it, the massive sales reinvigorated her drive and allowed her to meet the income mark.

Even though the designer is frustrated with the current lack of appreciation for western clothes, Ahmed still maintains that the local fashion industry is very encouraging of new talent. In fact she is thankful for the amount of support she received as a newbie at the Karachi Fashion Week.

Ahmed is currently brainstorming for her upcoming autumn/fall line, which she plans on launching during late summer. “For the collection, expect a lot of solids and blocks as well as studs. It’s going to be an eclectic mix with a lot of eastern themes,” she explains with enthusiasm.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 27^th, 2011.