Gul Ahmed
Fashion Weeks are essentially a place for fashion designers to showcase their collection on the ramp, but in Pakistan, what we are witnessing is the birth of a new trend: greater presence of fashion retailers at fashion shows.
The Express Tribune talks to fashion retailing heavyweights and attendants at the Fashion Pakistan Week (FPW) 6 to get their take on whether fashion weeks should be used as a platform by fashion retailers to display their work.
Zahir Rahimtoola, the CEO of multi-designer retail store Labels, who attended FPW 6, says, “Fashion weeks are not platforms for retailers and should be purely confined to designers because fashion weeks are the business of fashion and not retail.”
However, in the same breath, he asserts, “Unfortunately, in Pakistan, there are very few avenues available to showcase collections, hence the lines are merged.
Moreover, due to a lack of transient population, retail is a small business. Thus, it is difficult to have multi forums.
Ideally, fashion weeks should be limited to designers, retailers should have a marketplace fair, and jewellery/accessories designers should have a jewellery/accessory show, thereby each segment getting its own importance and facilitating business.”
Contrarily, Ayesha Jafar, marketing manager at Sheep says, “Fashion weeks are a great platform for retailers. They provide an opportunity for us to showcase our brand personality to a much wider audience along with giving us a chance to experiment.”
But for Maleeha C Nasir, who runs the show at Daaman, “Retail brands are significant as long as they have an identifiable aesthetic and are design driven.” “I feel that fashion week is a wonderful platform for everyone to show what direction they feel fashion should take. Designer brands like Daaman have an identity and fashion weeks can help to establish that identity further. However, if there is a complete disconnect between what you show and what you stock at your store, then the whole process becomes irrelevant.”
Waleed Zaman, creative director at Kayesria that had one of the best showcases at FPW 6, says, “For greater awareness, it is good [for retailers] to display [their collections] at fashion weeks.”
Gul Ahmed’s senior marketing manager, Yasin Yousuf says, “Diesel and Zara are both huge fashion powerhouses with a strong presence on the ramp. Similarly, Gul Ahmed is not just a retailer, but one of the original design houses in Pakistan.”
Zaman believes, “It is not always couture designers who present the most creative or inspiring lines. From a public relations-point of view, it is a successfully profitable venture. But the real concept or raison d’être of fashion shows is fashion buying. This is what is lacking in our fashion weeks.”
Jafar feels that the security situation in the country prevents buyers from coming to Pakistan. However, Yousuf says, “Fashion weeks are definitely one of the best platforms to showcase latest trends, but it is only one platform amongst many. Exclusive viewings to fashion journalists and fashion bloggers are also becoming more and more important in today’s digital world.”
Rahimtoola argues, “Prêt is essentially a by-product to support designer awareness. Having said that, major designers such as Sana Safinaz, Sania Maskatiya, Ayesha Hashwani, Deepak Perwani and Nida Azwer, have ventured into the marketspace with some success. However, time will tell if they are able to multiply their retail options at a pace that they can enter the realm of big businesses.”
Jafar holds that “[Fashion weeks] are not the best platform, but they are and can be used for a retailer to project their personality on the runway. What is retailed is everyday clothes, where wearability is the main factor.”
Yousuf sees fashion as being “all about creativity, innovation, differentiation and change. We see these principles holding true in the years to come.”
Imran Khan, creative director at Khaadi, says, “We have showcased [our collections] at fashion weeks, but only for the Pakistan Fashion Design Council with our experimental line called Khaadi Khaas, primarily, for people to see our creative sense and experimental designs.”
“Khaadi is a retail brand, but not a high-end fashion brand. At Khaadi Khaas, we do experimental stuff, that’s what we want others to see on the ramp.” On the topic of Daaman and Sheep showcasing at fashion weeks, Khan says, “They are catering to a niche market. Also, they are a small set up, doing experimental stuff in retail. Sheep is today where Khaadi was ten years ago.”
Published in The Express Tribune, March 2nd, 2014.
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