Maheen Khan, the CEO of the Fashion Pakistan Council, has always had an untainted vision of our fashion industry. Her mastery in shape and easy-to-wear silhouette is unparalleled. Her collection is fun, chic and bohemian.
Khan says that her brainchild Gulabo was born out of her love for Karachi — the love of colour, the spicy food, the romance, the poetry and the love of life in the streets of Pakistan. She was the first designer who ever drew inspiration from the City of Lights. The high-end street wear, which was inspired by the colourful streets of the city continues to set trends for the rest to follow.
Khan’s off-the-street-couture, popular for its vibrant and seemingly energetic truck art, is representative of her patriotism and love for the country. Gulabo’s designs exemplify the creative spirit of the nation. Be it Pakistan Day, Independence Day or the Cricket World Cup, you can always count on this label when looking for clothes with a patriotic feel and the ‘Go Green’ mantra. The catchy one-liners on vibrant kurtis and t-shirts that instantly put a smile on your face and the hilarious famous truck art quotes are all true to Khan’s definition of Gulabo, which is “having fun with fashion”.
Her brand knows no bounds and is constantly expanding. Did Khan envisage it to be where it is today? “Gulabo seems to have a momentum of its own! But isn’t that typically Pakistani? We are everywhere,” she says. In Fashion Pakistan Week in February, Khan paid tribute to the architectural significance of the city, she moved on from truck art prints on to dense road maps, drawings of monuments and vehicles juxtaposed with paint splashes bringing out the undying vibrant spirit of the city on the runway. Around the same time, she also took her collection to virtual space as she launched an e-store, making her brand global. However, Khan is restlessly innovative and is now further expanding horizons and introducing two new lines, Shaam and Rangeela, at Dolmen City Mall.
Khan says the name Shaam and Rangeela for her next collections were inevitable after a name like Gulabo. She went on to give a little insight on what we should be expecting from the two new lines. “Shaam is for the on trend woman, who loves both traditional and contemporary styles. She would wear classic Gulabo by day and in the evening she would like something totally different. So, in came Shaam,” she says. “Rangeela is conceptualised because we thought it’s time to bring back colour in men’s wardrobes, though I suspect a lot of women will grab a Rangeela.”
Gulabo has been more of a trademark for Pakistani patriotism; will these two lines follow the same rule? Or is there more to it? “There is no Gulabo style — its appeal is broad. Fashion has no borders and at Gulabo we celebrate Pakistan’s heritage, as well as embrace fashion from across the oceans,” says Khan. “Rangeela will definitely follow the same philosophy, but Shaam is a different side of the Pakistani woman.”
Gulabo is essentially made up of truck art; what has been her key inspiration behind Shaam and Rangeela? “Promoting Pakistan — its heritage, architecture, love of colour, and making it iconic through fashion,” says the designer.
The collections will be inaugurated on July 8 and stocks will be available in store from July 9.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 8th, 2014.
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