Haute Luxe: Sana Safinaz

The brand exhibited their spring/summer pret line at The House of Ensemble.

KARACHI:

Whenever Sana Safinaz stock their pieces at The House of Ensemble, a mad rush accompanies their collection. However, when the duo displayed their spring/summer pret line this Monday at Ensemble, there was a noticeable decline in attendance. One could attribute the low turnout to either the lack of awareness about the exhibition or the recent marketing fiasco that the brand suffered earlier this year.

With a collection consisting primarily cotton, net, chiffon and silk and the prices ranging from Rs16,500 to Rs45,000, most of the outfits were heavily embellished with flowy shirts in darker colours like black and maroon and in lighter hues like beige and light pink.

Regarding the pret line, the director of House of Ensemble, Shezray Husain said, “Sana Safinaz is good value for money. You can see the fine detailing in their pieces and the outfits can be worn everywhere from a dinner party to a shaadi reception or Eid.”

Husain said, “Over the years, the duo has developed a lifestyle brand. Ensemble has been stocking their export line for the past four years and without any effort from our side, it gets sold.”

For a pret line, the prices seemed a bit steep. “Sana Safinaz is a brand that has to be in your wardrobe. It’s expensive but you need to have it,” said a customer Moneeza Usman.

However, not everyone shared the same opinion on the brand. Shazia Naveed, a customer at the exhibition, said, “The kind of embroidery and embellishments on the pieces can easily be found at Karachi’s Ghausia cloth market or Gizri bazaar.”

While the numbers attending the exhibition may have been fewer this year and the criticism all around plenty, the 100 pieces on display were mostly sold out.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 11^th, 2012.