All about bridals

Organisers scale down Bridal Couture Week to three days of fashion shows and no stalls.

LAHORE: Although Bridal Couture Week (BCW) promised to be a purely commercial event replete with shows as well as an exhibition space and stalls for every organ of the wedding industry to participate, it will now just be a showcase of clothing akin to a fashion week without the exhibits.

Security concerns and time constraints have been cited the reasons for the change in plans. “We got 350 inquiries for the stalls but in such a limited time we were unable to entertain all the requests. We couldn’t change the date due to certain logistical reasons so we decided to go ahead this year as a fashion showcase. Next time we will have a larger exhibition space,” explained Jalal Salahuddin of JnS, the event managers for BCW.

For this year’s edition, the invite-only event will be a three-day fashion showcase with six to seven shows per day and will feature 18 designers including prominent names such as Nilofer Shahid and HSY to others such as Fahad Hussayn, Amna Ajmal, Sehar Ali and Hoorain amongst more mass market brands like Lajwanti. Each day will feature the work of a different make-up salon and so far Sabs and Depilex have confirmed attendance. Jewellery brands like Damas and Shafaq Habib will also have dedicated shows to display their designs.

What to look forward to:

Hassan Sheheryar Yasin, the choreographer and co-producer, talked to The Express Tribune about what makes the Bridal Couture Week ‘the’ event of the season: “It’s the right season and the right time to do an event like this when the sense of entertainment is high from the wedding season,” he said.

“It’s the perfect place to gauge what is hot and what is not. You always see the big guns of the fashion industry showcase, but never get to see the smaller names. You will see fresh blood and an entirely new spectrum of talent. Some will be good, some bad, but at least we will get to see a new direction emerging in the fashion industry vis-a-vis bridals. It will be intriguing for me as designer to see what trends emerge in bridal fashion and I am sure it will be equally intriguing for the consumers.

Muzaffar Ali, the renowned bridal couture designer from India, will also be participating and showcasing his latest collection titled ‘Kotwari’, as will be Nilofer Shahid.

“It is a purely commercial event that is being conducted independently of any fashion council. The fact that it is being held in collaboration with the largest entertainment media group (Eye TV Network) in the country is going to ensure that everyone participating gets maximum mileage through constant broadcast media projection.

The ramp is going to be 140 feet long! This is the longest ramp to have ever been made in Pakistan so far.

We want to create a totally different vibe for BCW compared to other fashion weeks. Our location for the shows is also a first: it’s the rooftop!”

Published in The Express Tribune, November 25^th, 2010.