Rising star of fashion: In conversation with Madiha Raza

That a critical and hungry fashion fraternity sat up and took notice of Madiha Raza's debut speaks volumes about her talent and potential. The young designer is one to be taken seriously, and she stated as much with her edgy yet mature 'Flight of Birds' collection at Maybelline New York Millennial Fashion 2014.

“I was very nervous, but also super excited," Madiha says, as we hark back to the moment she was recognised as player in this game.

With her young brand Handmade having a strong truck art and pop culture influence, Madiha's collection for the show — inspired by tropical birds — was a welcome surprise; an unabashed statement and evidence that this young designer is unafraid to challenge herself.

Initial sketches of Madiha's 'Flight of Birds' collection. – Photo courtesy: redalicerao.com

Digital prints, laser cutting, layering and textures do not faze Madiha, who is a bold young entrepreneur.

Madiha's 'Flight of Birds' collection at the Maybelline New York Millennial Fashion 2014. – Photo credit: movieshoovy.blogspot.com

Trained as a textile designer from Karachi’s Indus Valley School of Art and Architect (IVSAA) in 2009, where she also currently works as a part-time faculty in the same program, Madiha launched her brand Handmade with her sister Imrana in 2010.

For four years (2010-2014), before joining the IVSAA as a faculty, Madiha worked at Gulabo with Maheen Khan, the doyenne of Pakistani fashion who has widely mentored the fashion fraternity.

“She [Maheen Khan] is the reason I know fashion,” says the budding young designer. “I don’t need to go international when I have a mentor like her [here in Pakistan]. She herself is an institute.”

Madiha Raza

As she goes from clothing, fashion accessories and home furnishings to window blinds and various paper craft items, Madiha says her work has gradually evolved in the form of products she creates for Handmade. In a competitive industry, she has held her own and waltzed onto the fashion scene with visible verve.

Although Madiha chose to venture out of her comfort zone for the Millennial Fashion show, she believes that it is more important for designers to master what they’re good at.

“A designer should not move away from their comfort zone. He or she should try to master it,” she says. This was the first time she moved away from her signature style to explore a different area.

“I love truck art, it’s my true inspiration for Handmade,” she said. “For the Millennial Fashion show, I chose birds because I wanted to challenge myself to do something other than truck art.”

But she is quick to add: “And I am not moving away from truck art!”

Though many an artiste has jumped on the truck art bandwagon in its indigenous form onto their accouterments, Madiha takes it a stretch further, integrating her own designs, while managing to stay true to the original idea with her choice of design elements and colours.

Some of Madiha's 'Handmade' collection. – Photo courtesy: Handmade Facebook page

Her love for colours, and her ability to seamlessly feed her inspirations onto garments and accessories is unique.

"I just love colours and you can see it in my work,” gushes Madiha who loves working with vibrant shades that exude energy.

Madiha's 'Flight of Birds' collection at the Maybelline New York Millennial Fashion 2014. – Photo credit: movieshoovy.blogspot.com

Madiha says studying at the IVSAA helped her understand the raw material fashion designers have to work with.

“At IVSAA we learned the basics of textiles, which includes weaving, print and basics of fashion,” she explains. “And they encouraged us to explore different materials.”

She conveys that Pakistan currently has only two schools for professional fashion design training – IVSAA and Pakistan Institute of Fashion and Design (PIFD) – and that the country needs more institutes which offer dressmaking, sewing and impressions.

With a reference to her experience of mentoring textile students at the IVSAA, Madiha feels that many are afraid of experimenting, which is possibly the reason many feel that the thesis shows at fashion design schools in Pakistan are substandard.

“What sets me apart [from this trend] is that I am very true to myself. That is my strength as a designer. I do what I know I can do,” she says. “Luckily, I have the best support system – my sister Imrana – who is always there for me.”

Talking about what drives her, Madiha, who has managed to develop her own signature style at such an early stage in her career, simply says: “I love to experiment a lot – I hate boredom.”

Having earned a spot at the Fashion Pakistan Week Spring/Summer 2015, Madiha says it’s too early to share what she will be showcasing: “You will see digital prints, laser cutting, layering and textures again, but in a totally new way. Right now, everything is under process.”