Broadening horizons in the world of fashion

Designer Mahgul Rashid is creating a separate identity for her eponymous label.

LAHORE: Last year at PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week, Mahgul Rashid launched her label Mahgul for Nasreen Shaikh under the umbrella of her grandmother’s existing design house Nasreen Shaikh. This diffusion project was incubated under the tutelage of Nasreen Shaikh to help her granddaughter develop and establish her brand. After creating an identity for herself in the market, Mahgul Rashid announced the rebranding of her design house to Mahgul at her all-day exhibition of the brands latest prêt-à-porter collection, Ayal.

The idea behind designers working under the umbrella of an established design house is not a new one. Both, nationally and internationally we have seen designers take the reins of mega design houses while having their own labels alongside. The easiest examples here would be Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton, John Galliano for Dior, Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel and Riccardo Tisci for Givenchy. While looking at our local designers, we have Misha Lakhani who started off by working with master couturier Bunto Kazmi and Deena Rehman with HSY.

“The idea to rebrand came a few weeks ago,” says Mahgul Rashid on the occasion, “We are launching ourselves at PFDC L’oreal Paris Bridal Week in the emerging talent segment and as a brand we felt it was time to branch out and create a separate identity.”

The bridal market in Pakistan has a separate identity of its own and has a cult following. Mahgul’s decision to rebrand shows the kind of progress her brand has made in the last year. People are not used to brands changing names in Pakistan “but people know me as the creative head of Mahgul for Nasreen Shaikh so it has been an easy transition. We always knew that we’ll have to rebrand but I feel that more than rebranding this is just a name omission.”

Under the brand name Mahgul, the design house will enter the bridal market in October. 

Published in The Express Tribune, June 5^th, 2014.

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