Block Seven turns up the heat

The talented Ashraf sisters welcome 2012 with their designer winter collection.

KARACHI:

Anoushey Ashraf knows how to wear a lot of hats. She has established herself in the past as a VJ with a cult following, a host for some of the biggest shows in the industry and a designer with her label Block Seven in 2010. This winter, Ashraf along with her two sisters, Natasha Qizilbash and Alizeh Ashraf, put on their designer hats again and created an exclusive 2012 post winter collection which has been on display at The Forum from January 3 and will continue till January 7.    

With over 200 designs on display, the collection consists primarily of formal and semiformal tops, casual t-shirts, jerseys, free-sized tops, kurtis, chiffon-based partywear and a range of jeggings and leggings. With prices ranging from Rs995 to Rs3,200, the exhibited pieces were better than the label’s previous offerings in terms of their creativity and design aesthetics. The brand also slashed their prices with this collection so they could cater to a wider audience.

According to Ashraf, inspiration for the collection came from “what looks good on teenage girls, is comfortable and fun to wear.” The inclusion of pants in their collection was surprising, since in the past the designers have concentrated on different kinds of tops. On why they added jeggings to the mix, Ashraf says, “it was the massive demand for pants from our client’s side that made us want to experiment with them.”

When it comes to Ashraf’s design philosophy, there seemed to be a lot of emphasis on net fabric. “Last time, we concentrated on lace, however, we believe net will make a comeback this year so we incorporated a lot of it,” she says.

This collection also saw the change of its brand ambassadors. Formerly, Hira Tareen and Ayesha Omar were the faces of the brand but now the designers have selected their niece Anushka to be the new face of the brand.

On her future plans for the brand, she says, “We have exhibited enough and have established our brand in the market. It is high time that we opened up a store. Hopefully, before March 2012, we’ll have a store open in Karachi either on Zamzama or in Clifton.”

Published in The Express Tribune, January 5^th, 2012.