‘Indians never knew Pakistan was so modern’

Businesswoman Mini Bindra says people love Pakistani cuts and designs.

LAHORE:

Since Pakistan does not have a platform like Bollywood to showcase its talent, people across the border who are not familiar with Pakistani design aesthetics often wonder how we dress. But thanks to Mini Bindra, one of the franchisers of Pakistan Fashion Design Council (PFDC) — The Boulevard, Pakistani fashion is now retailed in Delhi.

“It has been great working with designers from Pakistan,” says Bindra, who is currently in Pakistan on the lookout for for new summer collections and prêt wear. “I was totally mesmerised by what I saw here and even though it has only been three months since we opened our store in Delhi, the response has been great.”

The idea of opening PFDC in India came to the Bindra family when they visited Lahore during fashion week; enamoured by Pakistani craftsmanship, the family went into talks with Sehyr Saigol, chairperson of PFDC and Saad Ali, CEO of PFDC to make this happen. In Pakistan, PFDC is a council that is serving the purpose of promoting designers under one umbrella, however, PFDC in India is a family-run business. “We are on the more serious side of selling because for us a lot is at stake since we have invested in the franchise.”



With luxury prêt and prêt-a-porter selling like hot cakes, Bindra claims that Indians were “shocked” to see the versatility of design and cuts coming from Pakistan. “I often get this comment: ‘We never knew Pakistan was this modern!’ It is the contemporary feel to the work that makes it sell,” she explains. “The colour combinations and cuts are so different from what are used in India that it is a refreshing change for us.”

“People are generally awestruck at the contemporary nature of the work Pakistan has to offer,” she continues. “Even though combinations with whites and blacks are beautiful, we do not order them because it is uncustomary to wear white or black to weddings [in India].”

While Indian designers are known to Pakistan thanks to ventures like The House of Ensemble that retail their designs, the same cannot be said for our designers in India. But Bindra says the publicity is not an issue. “We don’t really need to say or do much because the Pakistan in PFDC does it for us. People are always looking for new items and something different to wear and that is where PFDC stands in Delhi.”

When asked who was doing the best in India, she diplomatically answered, “It is too soon to tell, we need six months to gauge what is going on but everyone is doing great and playing at their strengths.”

“I had bought outfits from Karma before we even started with PFDC but I also personally love Élan,” Bindra revealed. “I wish Indian people adopted Pakistani cuts because I feel they suit the average woman more. The ethereal flowing cuts are not only flattering but are also slimming.” While Bindra agreed that there are significant differences between the workmanship in both the countries, she says the difference lies in the way designers style their clothes which differentiates them.

She also talked about the challenges the business faces at the hands of customs officers. “Although everything works smoothly, our orders get delayed due to custom searches and as a result obviously our prices are higher than what you would expect in Pakistan. We are deliberately not putting increased mark-ups because we want to introduce this style to the people properly and it has worked for us,” she says.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 21^st, 2013.             

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