![ Models present creations during the fashion show.—Dawn 1

KARACHI: The stage was literally set at the main campus of Iqra University on Saturday evening to celebrate the creativity and ingenuity of the students of the Asian Institute of Fashion Design (AIFD), and to mark 24 years of the institute.

The glitterati and fashion-friendly crowd was in attendance, prominent among them being Deepak Perwani, Wardha Saleem, Yousuf Bashir Qureshi, and with ace designer Rizwan Beyg keeping the style quotient in check and with Tehmina Khaled and her team at Take-II managing the event.

The well-attended show started remarkably on time and from the beginning to the end it held the audience captive with sheer ingenuity in creative design from the participating fledgling designers of tomorrow.

Of course there were the odd ones out, but mostly the crowd cheered on the bold and brazen attempts made by the young guns of style to project their innovation, creativity and unique take on fashion.

AIFD students showcase their work to mark 24th anniversary of their institute

Under the watchful eye of Rizwan Beyg, it all came together on the fashion runway in a blaze of colours, myriad cuts and highly experimental silhouettes. The outfits would rightfully be categorised as costumes, given the students’ attempts at innovation and self-expression.

As the models styled immaculately by Nabila sashayed down the runway in outfit after outfit, what was presented was a study in fabrics, construction techniques, cuts and styles that spoke volumes of the unbridled attempts at uniqueness and showmanship that is refreshing to watch at such student shows.

Talking to Rizwan Beyg after the show, he affirmed the fact that he had curated the collections with his personal take and eye for style, at times reining in the urge to go overboard, and his expert eye for style pumped up the style factor on outfits that already fit the creativity bill.

Fashion is one of the long-lasting casualties of Covid-19, and its harsh effects still continue to resonate through its corridors with many a red carpets having been rolled up and ramps dismantled due to lack of funding, and otherwise.

Other individuals, simply disillusioned by all the infighting between the country’s self-claimed style brigade and their self-serving agendas, have chosen to look away and seek out other avenues to explore further.

“What is needed at the moment is to look beyond boring bridals and explore and celebrate the true creativity of fashion by venturing forth and taking brave new strides, pretty much like how I did with Hum Showcase,” added Rizwan Beyg. I couldn’t agree more. But in some way and in a manner of speaking, the AIFD’s students show was an exercise in taking baby steps in that very direction for it steered clear of commercially viable bridals and attempted to explore the very essence of experimentation in mainstream fashion.

Wise men say that the journey of a thousand miles begins but with a single step, and hopefully this single step towards creativity in fashion was what AIFD’s students’ show was all about.

Published in Dawn, November 25th, 2024