Asifa & Nabeel: Stepping into new territory

Design house Asifa and Nabeel launch their revamped outlet.

LAHORE:

Over time, designer duo Asifa and Nabeel have delved into both prêt and couture. By experimenting, they have realised that prêt is not their cup of tea, and that they should stick to what they know best — bridal couture.

The pair has gained momentum for its formals and bridals, and with retail stores opening up left right and centre, the design house shifted their premises from the ever bustling MM Alam Road to Y Block in DHA. The design house is known for its meticulous attention to detail, and the art of transforming Mughal decadence into pieces of regal attire.



Asifa & Nabeel have designed dresses bejeweled with luxurious Nawabi impressions, beautifully modified Shahi handwork and a fusion of traditional cuts. According to Asifa’s & Nabeel’s philosophy, style is the expression of your inner persona, and when combined with charisma and elegance, there remains no need to speak who you are. Nearly every piece in their collection exudes luxury through adornment; with pearls, stones and Swarovski crystals.

The design house chose a double story store for their new outlet. “Our studio was getting too cramped, and the Gulberg area was becoming extremely congested so we thought to make the move right before Ramazan,” says Asifa of Asifa and Nabeel at the launch. “We also wanted to launch our Ramazan collection this year,” she continued. With excessive demand for ready-to-wear merchandise, Asifa and Nabeel come out with their line of ready to wear summer kurtas, adding to their current their luxury prêt and bespoke couture collections.

“Our clients have been asking us to do prêt wear for a while, but we didn’t have the time or the space to come up with a prêt line,” she continues, “with Iftar parties coming up, women want to not just wear cotton and lawn but also want to have some fancier chiffon outfits.”



After an increase in production, the designers now have streamlined a collection of cotton shirts under Rs 5000, along with formal prêt wear ranging up to Rs 40,000

Asifa & Nabeel with their Rajput roots, restyle Mughul art onto fabric, revealing their signature style of eastern culture blended with modern patterns and designs.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 3^rd, 2014.

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