The stellar, well-organized show attracted many important, high profile attendees such as James Caan, Lord Noon, Ahlya Fateh, Kamel Hothi, Pinky Liliani, Dr. Ghazala Hamid, CEO of DVK group & Fashion Parade’s main sponsor Deepak Kantuwala, Nevid Ahmed and the Deputy High Commissioner Pakistan Embassy, Imran Mirza among others.
The event, organized by Mustang Productions and Encylcomedia PR, started on time with a reception for the guests followed by an exhibition. The actual show was divided into two segments with the iconic pioneer of the Pakistan fashion industry, Maheen Khan, opening for the show with her collection “Nostalgia”, evoking the decadence of a time when maharanis and princesses of Hind ruled the roost with their exemplary beauty and political acumen. Sleek, starry fabrics like chiffons, silk and moonlight in a wide palette of colors pertinent to the historic era such as blazing reds, mustards as well as more muted tones like mauves and beige were used.
The drapery and cuts were elegant, on the whole exuding a timeless, Eastern aura. Lisa Jayne Millinery, a Hertfordshire based milliner created 1920s headbands and feather like headdresses as well as a beautiful white pearled parasol for Maheen.
Next up was the dazzling prêt collection by Sania Mastakiya. Ttitled Hazan, it centered mainly on her trademark graphic patterned and printed silk cropped pants paired with tops & tunics in sleek silk. Hazan took its inspiration from Turkish "Gomleks" and combined traditional ottoman scripts and Islamic patterns to create a visual delight, thus representing traditional art in the modern era by employing the use of a subtle color palette paired with contemporary silhouettes. Sania’s collection was a perfect exemplar of fusion wear.
The young and talented designer from Lahore, Mashaal Moazzam, presented her line "Reflections of a woman", designed for the woman who is rooted in traditions but faces the world on her terms. About her target audience and collection she remarked: "She is bold, beautiful and intelligent and that is reflected in the clothes she wears. The color palette ranges from emerald green, shades of red, blue and gold. The inspiration behind my theme is Pakistani woman, as she is much more than what the world perceives her to be. Her resilient spirit is depicted through the richness of colors and determination to succeed inspired the collection." Lisa Jayne also fashioned peacock jeweled fans for Mashaal’s collection.
The first segment was closed by Layla Chatoor, with her collection Garden of Eden, which comprised of fusion wear pieces featuring Western cuts with Eastern embellishments and sensibilities. It was a beautiful collection with motifs such as birds, flowers and vines, all integral to the topography of Eden as we visualize. Layla, whose glamorous gold gown worn by Humaima Malick became the most talked about dress at LSA this year, showed a collection that aimed to bring out the angelic side in a woman who dons them. Luxe yet breezy fabrics such as French tulle with gold and silver threads with lots of crystals had been used by the designer to conjure a visually delightful picture of what she perceives femininity and beauty to be.
The show commenced after a short break of few minutes with Sara Rohail Asghar’s collection, "Aroos Zeba". Her collection derived its inspiration from the ancient and glorious Persian heritage. Aroos Zeba highlighted intricate motifs and layering and brought about a beautiful amalgamation of bridal wear and Persian heritage.
Nazneen Tariq was the second one to showcase her work on the ramp. Her jewelry line "Romancing the stones" consisted of unique pieces which exemplified the qualities of elegance, distinction and value. Her jewellery was made of pure silver with rhodium of white gold along with precious stones. Natalia Kaut, a London based luxury women’s wear designer who has been published in VOGUE UK, GQ and Elle was featured alongside. 4 of her stunning black dresses and the skirts/tops were created using fabrics from silk to PVC.
Fahad Hussain showcased his "Print Museum" Collection. The limited edition “Print Museum” collection featured live digital prints in ten beautiful designs inspired by different art forms and movements in both silk and chiffon.
Second last was Mariam Najmi’s "Ethereal Autumn" collection. Her brand Roshan Pret’s Collection embodied a richness of colour, an intricacy of design and an aura of elegance celebrating all women.
The finale of the show was a celebration of colors ‘Movember’ by Nomi Ansari. ‘Movember’ was a fun, playful mix of cottons, silks and chiffons with velvet trimmings & details and lots of pop art. Audiences were blown away by the headgears provided by Mustang to the designer, art statements in their own right.
The indubitable show stopper was Hammasa Kohistani, a UK-based Pakistani supermodel with accolades to her name such as the Miss England title (formerly) and the brand ambassadorships of Lux UK as well as Beats.
Mustang’s creative team sourced and created all the accessories for the show. Mustang’s CEO Sadia Siddiqui, who is a reliable name in the UK fashion industry and wishes to bridge the gap between Pakistani and British fashion industry, hopes to hold another such event for Pakistani designers in UK very soon. She partnered for the first time with a Pakistani company, Encyclomedia PR, for the Media & PR support.
Renowned Fashion photographer, Adnan Qazi was the fashion coordinator of this event. The young and dynamic UK based stylist, Iffat Raja, featured in publications like Vogue & Elle, was behind the styling of the event. The audience and designers showed an overwhelming response for the Fashion Parade, with a general view that more high fashion events of the sort should be promoted within the South Asian diaspora in UK.
The Fashion Parade 2013 materialized into a flurry of colors, aesthetics and stylized beauty on November 15 at the Asia House.
