Whispers of luxury: Recontextualising quiet luxury in the landscape of Pakistani fashion

In the age of social media and the enabling of real-time access to all things virtually tangible, it comes as no surprise that fashion trends originating in one corner of the world can now often be seen across the globe, all at the same time. Whereas before, it would take months and years, even, for a fashion trend to migrate from the West to the South-Asian region, now the transmission of aesthetics is almost instantaneous.

As different fashion trends, aesthetics, and cores continue to dominate fashion-related discourse on digital media platforms—most notably Tik Tok—there is one trend whose voice, contrary to its name, has been the loudest amongst the many Y2K-inspired, maximalist aesthetics. Quiet luxury, also known as stealth wealth, is a fashion trend that is increasingly being embraced by the likes of various luxury and high-end clothing brands, as well as millennial/Gen-Z fashion icons like Kylie Jenner and Kendal Jenner.

What’s so quiet about Pakistani fashion?

The quiet luxury or stealth wealth aesthetic is characterised by a deliberate lack of logos and other distinct brand-identity markers. For a brand to be considered quiet luxury, it needs to be high-end and known for using the best quality fabrics in the market—to the extent that their use of top-quality raw material is seen as their biggest selling point, rather than the logos and adornment that they may decorate their clothing and accessories with. Minimalistic and understated pieces are the way to go when it comes to embodying the stealth wealth aesthetic.

“Quiet luxury is a prevailing concept in the fashion world, championing subtlety, understatement, and timeless elegance, as opposed to ostentatious logos or conspicuous consumption,” notes fashion journalist and stylist Obaid Atique while defining the concept of quiet luxury.

With television shows like succession and viral internet moments like Sofia Richie’s French wedding emphasising the concept of dressing oneself up in understated, minimalistic, and premium quality clothing and accessories, more and more people are gravitating towards the stealth wealth aesthetic and luxury brands famous for their legacy of promoting quiet luxury as a way of dressing and living.

Reimagining the quiet luxury trend in South Asia

When reimagining the quiet luxury trend in the South-Asian context, one needs to make some concessions. Unlike the quiet luxury trend seen in the West, the stealth wealth aesthetic as adapted in Pakistan focuses less on the element of minimalistic design and stresses more upon the exclusivity aspect of certain high-end brands and ateliers.

One would argue that there is nothing quiet about Pakistani wedding couture or even local prêt-à-porter and while that may be true, it is also arguable that the concept of quiet luxury in Pakistan is rooted in the existence of fashion houses that boast a long-standing legacy of high-quality fabric and excellent craftsmanship. These are not easily accessible and are seen as offering the most exclusive designs, known for coming with hefty price-tags.

“In the rich tapestry of Pakistan’s fashion landscape, there is a myriad of choices, ranging from intricately woven fabrics to understated cuts and impeccably crafted timeless couture,” elaborated Atique when highlighting the idea that quiet luxury does, indeed, have proponents and subscribers in local fashion.

A significant phrase that is often used to describe quiet luxury is ‘old money aesthetic’, which ultimately translates into a type of aesthetic that only those with generational wealth would likely channel through their choice of clothing and accessorisation.

“Only the nouveau rich wear logos and flashy things,” stated Aamir Ali Shah—a fashion blogger with over 25 K followers on Instagram—while highlighting the idea that the benefactors and possessors of generational wealth tend to be a lot more sophisticated and demure in how they dress, as opposed to members of the opposite camp who are more prone to displaying all the extravagance that money can buy through their physical appearance and garb.

Fashion magnates reworking the concept of quiet luxury

When it comes to boutiques, fashion designers, and ateliers that best capture the quiet luxury, stealth wealth, or old-money aesthetic, there are some distinguished names that take the spotlight. For instance, veteran designers like Bunto Kazmi and Rizwan Beyg have, for decades now, created designs that personify the highest level of luxury.

“In Pakistan, we have acclaimed designers who have wholeheartedly embraced the concept of quiet luxury. These distinguished fashion houses place a premium on subtlety, timeless elegance, and exceptional craftsmanship, eschewing flashy logos and overt extravagance,” reiterated Atique on the subject of whether the quiet luxury principle applies to the design philosophy of any of the luxury brands and couturiers in Pakistan.

Even though a bespoke Bunto Kazmi bridal or a custom-made Rizwan Beyg wedding formal may be laden with and sparkling with embellishments, completely shunning the idea of minimalism, their designs would still speak to two indisputable and intertwined aspects of quiet luxury: high price-tags and exclusivity. What makes the ensembles of these two designers so exclusive is that they are only viewed as affordable options by the richest of the elite class in Pakistan. Their legacy in Pakistani wedding couture remains strong and unchallenged to this day, making their designs highly coveted, but inaccessible for anyone who does not possess a pedigree that traces back to abundant wealth and prestige.

What further enhances the exclusive nature of Bunto Kazmi and Rizwan Beyg bridal and wedding-formal outfits is the use of the rarest and finest of handwoven fabrics. They also employ ethnic embroidery techniques that are indigenous to different regions of Pakistan and incorporate those embellishment materials and patterns whose history can be traced all the way back to the pre-Partition era and have been reserved as art forms by generations of artisans ever since.

Other fashion designers and couturiers that quietly cut, tailor, embroider, and embellish their creations with the essence of stealth wealth and the old money aesthetic unique types of embellishments are designers Misha Lakhani, Deena Rahman, Menahel and Mehreen, Dr Haroon, and Shehla Chatoor to name a few. While their designs never compromise on the shine and extravagance and tend to hold a defining aesthetic, they are decorated with indigenous embroideries and unique types of embellishments that elevate them to the status of luxury designer wear or couture.

Thus, by virtue of the rare fabrics they are stitched from and the adornments they carry, these pieces come to be seen as one-of-a-kind and are eagerly sought after, while remaining out of reach for many and exclusive for sale to only the minute percentage of elite class members who have the money, prestige, and fame to access and purchase them—much like the elusive Hermes Birkin bag desired the world-over as the most luxurious handbag and the ultimate marker of one’s belief in the necessary quietness of luxury.