The Sartorial Word: Where no ‘coffee table’ has gone before

By drawing a nexus between architecture and fashion, YOC’A and HSY have commendably explored an untapped domain.

Fashion meets home décor in Hassan Sheheryar Yasin (HSY) and YOC’A’s upcoming collaborative collection of classic, timeless furniture that is reminiscent of Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s glorious life.

The limited edition collection comprises of 48 pieces, each of which stands on its own. From a magnificent leather work desk to a cushion, every design reflects YOC’A’s individualistic, and HSY’s artistic, styles of work. It makes one wish to see more of such collaborations.

YOC’A’s solo work has garnered recognition for the creative, one-of-a-kind options it offers. The trio behind the brand — Sarah Najmi Bilgrami, Zayd Bilgrami and Ahsan Najmi, who hail from an architectural background, have put their collective experience and studies in Design to good use. Catering to a niche market, the brand focuses on avant-garde designs.

YOC’A sticks out a mile with its collections that showcase an architecture-fashion nexus. The brand furnished the L’Oréal Pars lounge at the PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week last year. This year, YOC’A decorated Sania Maskatiya’s new store at Karachi’s Dolmen City mall with eye-catching bucket chairs depicting the designer’s ‘Uraan’ collection, among other pieces.

YOC’A and HSY are all set for their exhibition called ‘Unity Faith Discipline — A Retrospect’ (December 15 till 17). Sarah says, “All designers, no matter what they create, thrive on design. It’s what excites us. HSY’s unique perspective paired with our sense of aesthetics has resulted in diverse and innovative pieces.” She shared that YOC’A members weren’t personally acquainted with HSY from before, but his name immediately sprang to their minds because he has such a distinctive style.

The exhibition, which will take place in HSY’s studio, will transform the space into an urbane, upscale world of our founding father. The collection constitutes pieces for the bedroom, study room, dining hall and lounge that qualify to become family heirlooms. The pieces that instantly catch the eye include a work desk with a glass top beneath which is a map of the early railroad tracks that are carved in leather, and the coffee tables with circular glass bases. In addition, the collection also includes a quirky gramophone with space to insert a USB device. HSY’s signature style is evident in the intricately embroidered patterns on the furniture fabric and ombre shades on the leather cushion covers.

With a collection as unique as this, the exhibit will be a sure-fire way of reviving the richness of post-colonial Pakistan. Following this collaboration, YOC’A plans to partner with a number of designers within the next two years including Bunto Kazmi, Maheen Khan, Khadijah Shah of Élan, Sania Maskatiya, and Menahel and Mehreen.

“We talked to each of these designers and fortunately, we’re all on the same wavelength,” says Sarah. “Synergy and combining ideas are extremely important. For instance, Bunto Kazmi’s work as a couturier is iconic, yet, she’s extremely straightforward and open to suggestions,” she adds. Sarah, who says that she was a “Bunto Kazmi bride” herself, is well-acquainted with Kazmi’s exquisite tapestries. “For her to extend her aesthetic sense to furnishings will be superb.”

The brand has opted for collaborating with Maheen Khan because of her classy take on design and Sania for her playful use of colour and the youthfulness inherent in her work. “Khadijah Shah is a very close friend of mine and we asked her to be part of our collaboration simply because we love her innate elegance,” says Sarah. As for Menahel and Mehreen, Sarah says that “Aside from being good friends, they are fabulous designers. They just had to be part of this project. We didn’t choose designers based on their repute. Rather, we’ve opted for the ones that we admire the most.”

YOC’A plans on collaborating with some of the country’s most illustrious designers and it’ll be interesting to see how their work translates into YOC’A’s canvas of polished wood and brass. “Let’s see how the first exhibition goes,” says Sarah.

It’s pleasant to see that furniture is venturing into new territories in Pakistan. We commend YOC’A and HSY to boldly go, as Star Trek would put, where no ‘coffee table’ has gone before!

The writer is a fashion and lifestyle journalist with an obsessive, compulsive need to write. Log on for more fashion updates on Twitter @maliharehman.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 8^th, 2013.

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