Going places in the fashion world

Designer label Zari Faisal soon to open pop-up store on Tariq Road stock at Ensemble Islamabad

KARACHI:

For someone who has been in the fashion industry for less than five years, Zarlasht Faisal, owner of brand Zari Faisal has quickly shot to fame. She has been going places with her fashion label, quite literally, as after having established her presence at multi-designer store Ensemble in Dolmen Mall, she’s now making her way to Tariq Road with a pop-up store. She also has plans of stocking at Ensemble in the capital.

“It seems like I have a natural affiliation with Ensemble,” says Zarlasht about housing her collections at the store. “I opened my pop-up store there, where an entire section is now allocated for my clothes,” she adds. Zari Faisal’s offerings include bridal-wear, formal kurtas and scarves. With a passion for all-things fashion, Zarlasht felt motivated to make her products accessible for a greater audience. The designer is also foraying into footwear with a hand-painted chappals collection ready to go on sale online in about two weeks. Details of the project are being kept under wraps for now.



The brand aims at establishing its physical presence. “There are certain hurdles when it comes to Pakistani consumers. They want to feel the product in their hands before buying it. As we’re a small brand in the process of growing, we need to be innovative without breaking our backs,” she notes.



Painting the world of imagination

When the designer set foot in the industry in 2011, she used social forums as her prime source of communication with clients. “We’ve grown over time with the help of social media,” shares Zarlasht. She started off with photographs of six kurtis that she posted on Facebook for customised orders. With the social networking website as her launch pad, she initially handled all the details related to her brand herself and was driven to open a pop-up store in 2013, where she displayed her items for three days.

The Zari Faisal Facebook page has now been outsourced to a social media consultancy firm. Zarlasht  says, “Previously, I used to handle social media on my own but now, I’ve outsourced it because I feel that keeps communication alive and gives the brand the boost it needs.”

Zarlasht holds Pakistan has a ‘fabulous’ fashion scene, which was her reason for venturing into the profession. With an all-girls design team of five, her brand is slowly but surely making its way on the fashion frontline. “Now that the team knows how to go about things the way I want them to, I just need to instruct them a bit and they do the rest.”



Taking fashion one step at a time

Zarlasht laments how many people these days go after big brands and even bigger price tags. “Big brands are associated with big logos on social media. This isn’t only happening locally but also globally. I have no problem with it but I feel it’s creating a gap between those who have money and those who don’t.”

But Zarlasht believes in making one’s own identity. “You should stick to your individual style. It’s not about logos, it’s about how you own and flaunt your style. A branded kurti can be paired with a bag purchased from any bazaar and you can still rock the look,” she says. “One needs to embrace one’s style and go with it as far as one’s comfortable with it.”

Published in The Express Tribune, October 28^th, 2015.

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