Seeing a catwalk, ablaze with lights, laid out in a crowded auditorium, brought on a sense of nostalgia.

There was a time when the catwalk was all in a day’s work for the media fraternity, an imperative part of the multiple fashion weeks and shows that would be littered all through the yearly fashion calendar. Now, though, with the local fashion industry grappling with a mercurial economy and a dearth of sponsorship, the catwalk rarely makes an appearance.

Credit goes to the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) for ensuring that a two-day ‘fashion week’ was part of their roster for the textile-centric TEXPO 2024. A host of foreign buyers — predominantly from prosaic textile backgrounds rather than from global fashion industries — attended the event.

It is always hoped that, even though most of the visitors may not belong particularly to the field of fashion, viewing the work of some of the country’s finest ateliers may steer them towards placing orders for ready-to-wear, embroideries, indigenous luxe fabrics etc. But this has rarely happened previously and, knowing this, one always falls back on the hope that, in these tiresome times, when the world may view Pakistan as violent and terror-ridden, at least the show would be able to put forward a ‘soft image’ of the country.

The recent two-day ‘Fashion Week’ in Karachi organised by the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan reminded one of glory days gone by. And that not everything on a catwalk can be called fashion

A soft image is fine. A soft but unappealing image is not. My problem is with putting forward images of untidy, incomprehensible clothes presented under the guise of ‘high fashion.’

The sense of deja vu persisted while watching the fashion show over a span of two days, but not always in a good way. There were a few good collections amidst a plethora of lacklustre, forgettable line-ups that seemed to have been put together in a rush.

But let’s start this analysis with the collections that stood out.

The Pink Tree Company flexed some serious fashion muscle with designs that ranged from quirky, carefree cotton tunics and pants in white to an autumnal capsule crafted from khaddar with beaded embellishments and an exquisite range of formals created with crushed, block-printed malmal and woven jamdani.

The all-white clothes were “dedicated to people who are oppressed” around the world; the models wore Pashteen caps and the outfits were etched with faces of various personalities and some of their most renowned quotes. There was so much more that one noticed — such as the handcrafted brass jewellery created by Saima Haq, and pretty bags by Adeela Sulaiman of Oddbird Art. A lot of attention had obviously been given to the little details that set a collection apart.

Similarly, designer Zainab Chottani put her best foot forward, with a line-up that stood out for its detailed kantha threadwork and brilliant mélange of colours. Leaves and tree stumps and intertwining vines signifying the tree of life stretched across the designer’s canvas of pure silk, raw silk and chiffon, embroidered on to statement jackets and tunics and amplified through bright colour-blocks.

The clothes were testament to Zainab’s clout as a designer. She played with her strengths — colour, texture, embroidery and fusion cuts — to create a line-up that was very cohesive, very covetable and also, very memorable. Also noticeable in the show was a range of funky jewellery, all part of a newly launched line by former model Vaneeza Ahmed, who was also the showstopper for Zainab.

While Zainab Chottani may not have realised it, her show also inadvertently sent out a message to her peers in the industry: just because your collection is going to be showcased on a catwalk, you don’t have to go silly trying to create anglicised gowns.

In most cases, what you may consider to be ‘avant-garde’ only ends up looking like an ugly desi ‘goan’ rather than a state-of-the-art gown. Work with what you’re best at, what you sell the most and you may just be able to put together a standout show.

Now that we’re done with that much-needed lesson, another riveting collection was put forward by Fahad Hussayn. This was the designer’s ‘Faction’ line — the edgy, fun counterpart to his heavy-duty bridals — and what caught the eye were the separate pieces rather than the overall designs.

A quilted jacket in black with a bejewelled tiger roaring at the back, for instance, was more noticeable than the blingy, very experimental short dress that it was paired with. The handbags were gorgeous, as were the capes, the lightly embroidered men’s tunics, the shirt and pants with faux fur and the statement jewellery.

Fahad Hussayn is an expert at delivering fashion experiences rather than just showcasing clothes, and this line-up exemplified this. Everything, from the clothes to the bags and the jewellery, was crafted in-house and the styling and the music — created by Hamza Banday — was carefully curated.

As someone who has seen Fahad’s work over the years, I am aware of his passion for design, but even someone who isn’t acquainted with the designer’s journey would have to admit that his work — the occasional fashion show and the frequent shoots — are works of art rather than merely a means of selling clothes.

There were other line-ups that were hit and miss — usually more hit, less miss. Shamaeel Ansari worked with applique, embroidery and print to create a collection that fit into the export-centric mandate that a TDAP show should ideally follow. Sanam Chaudhri put forward luxe gowns, some very cool pants and jackets that dazzled with beaded tassels and embroidery.

Sania Maskatiya’s printed co-ords and dresses were very pretty but would have been more memorable had they not become ubiquitous, courtesy the host of copycats that have been replicating them for the past six months or so. Humayun Alamgir’s suiting was also well-stitched, although one preferred the occasional spurts of print and colour to the black and white tuxes.

One wondered, though, if a lot of the collections showcased on the catwalk had been put together in a rush. News of this event had only filtered out about four-odd weeks ago. Designers may have had difficulty coming up with an all-new line-up while also catering to their regular clientele and meeting deadlines for their seasonal collections.

It was hardly enough time to come up with a cohesive, inventive line-up and also figure out the finer details of styling and accessories. In this scenario, did most designers simply rustle out designs that they already had in stock? This could have been the case. A lot of the collections left one wanting to be enthralled and only getting mildly pleased.

But let’s move on to the many that couldn’t even please. There were the yawn-worthy shows by high-street brands who had simply rolled out whatever seasonal stock they had in store. There was the leather brand that assailed the audience with not one, but two unremarkable line-ups, on successive days. There was the designer who tends to have a student-like urge to experiment to the point that the clothes look like costumes that belong in a sci-fi movie.

There were the ones who went off showcasing untidily stitched garments in a show that was supposed to be meant for exporters from around the world. And then there was the collection that leaned towards the macabre, with clothes that were mostly unfathomable.

Of course, there were models that danced and a smattering of celebrity showstoppers but, surely, there needs to be more to fashion than just tamasha!

One could name names of the many that brought the event down but that would lead to a veritable bloodbath. So, we’ll steer the topic to what the TDAP could have done to improve this show.

Surely, the authorities can’t jostle their way into ateliers and shake some sense into the masses of so-called designers that have infiltrated the local fashion industry. What they can do, though, is be more discerning about who to include in their line-up.

Back when fashion councils were in their heyday, the editing of collections was considered an important step in the curation of a show. Why couldn’t collections for this show also get edited? A day dedicated to high-end, trendsetting fashion would have been far better than two days where, aside from a few good men and women, everything else was lacklustre or worse.

This is important even more now because very few fashion events take place at this point in time. The TDAP has a responsibility to celebrate the very best in Pakistani fashion, not just because it is being viewed by visitors from around the world, but also because the local customers are also watching avidly.

Similarly, with the current dearth of fashion shows, designers also need to ensure that, when they do showcase their work, they put together cohesive, creative collections that are memorable.

One does appreciate that the show ended early in the night, rather than go on till late. Gogi by Hassan Riaz handled the choreography well enough, although one missed seeing certain familiar faces in the modelling pool. There were some very well-known models, though, who held centre-stage, selected by designers to wear their best outfits.

Media from key publications across the country was present to see the show, the ones from outside of Karachi having been flown in. The organisers did try their best to maximise the show’s mileage.

Also, one appreciates the effort invested into Pakistani fashion at a time when most others don’t seem to be bothered. As someone commiserated with me after the first day of the show, ‘At least there’s a catwalk.’

Well, then, at least we have that, in these tired times when sponsors are few and some of the country’s best ateliers are lumped together with disastrous ones on a single ramp. At least we got to see a catwalk.

Perhaps, beggars can’t be choosers.

Published in Dawn, ICON, November 3rd, 2024