An ode to Jinnah: Get ready for fashionable furniture

Collaborative collection reflects the romance of the post-partition era and the history of Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s...

LAHORE:

The love for our country has always been a unifying factor for people from all walks of life; be it the Yeh Hum Naheen campaign against terrorism or the Vibrant Pakistan fashion showcase at the Amsterdam Fashion Week. Now, for the first time, Pakistan will witness a rather unique collaboration that promises an accurate representation of Pakistan’s history. Couturier Hassan Sheheryar Yasin (HSY) and home décor experts, Sarah Najmi Bilgrami, Ahsan Najmi and Zayd Bilgrami, at YOC’A have joined hands to present a collection that, in all its intricacy, speaks volumes about the life of our nation’s founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah.

The Express Tribune sat down with the team at YOC’A and HSY himself for an exclusive tete-a-tete. “I have always wanted to do furniture but I never knew how to do it since my expertise lies in constructing clothes, not crafting furniture,” says HSY. “But when I was introduced to YOC’A, our visions were so in sync that we knew this collaboration had to happen.”

The exclusive limited edition collection is titled Unity Faith Discipline – A Retrospect, and comprises 48 pieces channelling the romance of Jinnah’s era. “It has a throwback feel to it and is entrenched in Pakistani history,” emphasises Bilgrami. “We have used old maps of Pakistani railway lines and postcards which Jinnah himself wrote, and emblazoned them on coffee tables and cushions.”

While the team at YOC’A is focusing on furniture design, HSY contributes his expertise in creative aesthetics through intricate embroideries and embellishments. Furniture enthusiasts can expect a veritable design museum of vintage furniture and home accessories reflecting the culture of the post-partition era. For the collection, YOC’A and HSY have created pieces of furniture for four different living spaces, with the aim of taking people down memory lane. One can say that this collaboration is a tale of two cities, combining the glamour of Lahore with the cosmopolitan nature of Karachi.

“It’s a ‘passion project’, not a fashion project,” says HSY. “These pieces are timeless and comfortable. They exude a very slick vibe and aren’t like your typical aunty furniture.” The design house has used thread embroideries on leather to give the pieces a unique feel. “We developed special motifs for this collection,” adds HSY.

The couture designer shares that it has been quite difficult for him to keep the exciting project under wraps for over a year. “I cannot keep anything to myself, but this was very important to me and it was something we wanted to be the first to do.”

The collection will be exhibited through an interior exhibition-installation from December 15 till December 17 at the HSY Studio in Lahore. Following that, it will be available for preview and order in Karachi later in the month.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 28^th, 2013.

Like Life & Style on Facebook, follow @ETLifeandStyle on Twitter for the latest in fashion, gossip and entertainment.