ISLAMABAD: The wedding season is upon Islamabad, and women are on the hunt for dresses that will outdo their social competitors. In the past, with not many avenues available in city, people would be forced to go to Lahore, Karachi and even abroad.
This year though the Islamabadis have an alternative in the form of Zahra Raza’s L’atelier, a fashion house that stocks major fashion brands under a single roof. This comes as a boon for women who cannot afford or do not have the time to fly-off to Karachi or India- they now have a reasonable ready-to-wear outlet right around the corner.
Since the initial launch in August this year, Raza has diversified the collection by adding two Delhi-based designers, Kavita Bhartiya and Anjum Modi. The two designers are known for their exquisite collections and are a breath of fresh air in the Pakistani fashion industry, according to Raza.
For the upcoming season, the French-inspired fashion house has added Studio Petticoat by Debyani and Divya, a fashion label from India that specialises in couture. Then there’s Roma Narsinghani, with her exuberating western style cuts that use flamboyant colours and prints.
Nomi Ansari, whose collection is available in Lahore and Karachi, has also brought his collection to Islamabad for the first time. His playful collection is perfect for mehndis and dholkis.
L ’atelier has also introduced footwear from the popular Lesac and Manera in Karachi.
Raza, to achieve her goal of making L ’atelier a diverse and affordable fashion house, travels all over Pakistan and India and handpicks exclusive and beautiful items.
The fashion house has also started a one-of-a-kind bridal-consultancy programme, where would-be brides can meet representatives of Mehdi, Sana Safinaz and HSY, and discuss colours, cuts and styles that would suit them.
Raza said she wanted to provide a “complete” shopping experience for women. “I want to open up a cafe and an express salon inside the L ’atelier structure, so that women can come and get pampered and do their shopping all at the same time,” she said.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 3rd, 2010.
COMMENTS (2)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ