Published in 'In Chorus'
August 2007 Issue
By Fariha Rashed
Saturday night at the Royal Palm Golf & Country Club saw the official launch of Pakistan Fashion Week, currently running in its first year. The ambience created at the Dome [hall], was nothing less then magnetic. The room was swarming with celebrities, designers, models, photographers, stylists, actors and media. This was an unprecedented and very professionally organized media launch. Glamorous and tasteful are the words that best define the evening. The Fashion Week is scheduled to open on November 4-8 in Lahore at the Royal Palm. According to Jodi Pritchard, head of International Marketing Director and Special Projects [IMG Fashion], Lahore has been chosen as the city to host fashion week, because of its inherent culture that truly represents Pakistan as a whole.
Initially, guests were directed into a large lobby elegantly divided into separate enclosures. Each enclosure was exclusive to various top news channels. All celebrities present, took a stroll around the winding white ramp-like flooring interestingly created on the hall’s otherwise dull carpet. TV hosts invited designers and celebrities one by one to sit in their respective channels’ enclosures, to be interviewed in front of large plasma screens hanging at the back. People walked around sipping on cocktails and chattering as the interviews continued. Tall, yet rather lopsided mannequins, displaying Pakistani high fashion were scattered about the room. One witnessed a media explosion never seen before in Pakistan. One also witnessed a shocking unity between the Lahori and Karachi industries, unseen prior to this event. It seems took only for an international organization such as IMG [International Management Group] World to get involved, for our opposing forces in the fashion world to come together and work hand in hand for a promising Fashion Week all set for November this year. Film stars Reema, Meera and designers from the fashion capitals of Pakistan including Nomi Ansari and Deepak Perwani showed up at the event, although arriving late due to flight delays owing to bad weather.
IMG Fashion, which for decades has been organizing a surplus of fashion weeks all over the world, New York, Sydney, LA, Miami, Moscow to name a few, will be staging Pakistan’s very first Pakistan Fashion Week. This will be done in conjunction with media partners, Jang Group and GEO TV. The event will be largely organized by Events Unlimited, a Karachi based company headed by Mr. Asim Qureshi. This event management company is the first to be appointed as organizer member of the prestigious AEO based in the UK. Pakistan Fashion Week will showcase some of the best designers from Pakistan, to important buyers, media personalities and industry insiders. Therefore it promises to be one of the most significant moments in fashion history, for Pakistan.
Eventually, the guests and media persons were directed towards the main conference area which had a stage set with sofas, a table and a backdrop reading ‘Pakistan Fashion Week’ in big bold letters. Low, comfortable sofas were placed all across the area to seat everyone and plasma screens were fitted at both sides of the room playing an exclusive package related to global Fashion Weeks. Subsequently, a unique press conference organized more like a chat show unfolded. Leading the conference, Simon P Lock, Managing Director, IMG Fashion for Asia Pacific, welcomed three different sets of three guests each onto the stage for a brief question and answer session. Simon welcomed his first set of guests on stage with a touch of humor which lasted throughout the conference. ‘Welcome to Simon’s couch’ he said to Imran Aslam - President GEO Television Network, Sarmad Ali, Managing Director/Marketing - Jang Group and Asim Qureshi, CEO Events Unlimited, as they took their places on stage. Simon expressed his pleasure at having GEO and Jang involved in this venture as “they passionately want the message of Pakistani fashion to get across at an international level”, he said. Imran Aslam pointed out that they wanted to provide a platform for Pakistani designers and that they needed to ensure that Pakistani fashion does not go out of style. “Fashion never goes out of style”, he said. “It’s really going to paint a new image for Pakistan and make household names of Pakistani fashion designers”, agreed Simon.
Imran enthusiastically exclaimed “This is going to be one hell of a show!” With great passion he went on to say that Pakistan should not become a country known for its handicrafts alone. “The issue is to take our fashion out there into the world of retail. We’re known for our embroideries but Pakistan should now be a place for business,” Imran said excitedly with the crowd nodding in agreement. He also said that Pakistan was a well guarded secret that needs to be let out there. “Take our fashion out to the retail stores of the world. It’s a business of hemlines”, said Imran as the entire audience broke into a laugh. Imran also revealed that Pakistan Fashion Week would be promoted and covered in new segments, for one hour daily, on Geo and Aag TV. This would be coupled with pictorials running in The News and Jang. Simon added that viewing of online video streaming related to Pakistan Fashion Week would be available the world over. Sarmad Ali explained that 70% of their online traffic comes from abroad and the Pakistan Fashion Week website would be linked to that of IMG, thus pulling in more international traffic.
At this point Asim Qureshi said, “Simon, I really want to thank you for putting Pakistan on the international circuit! Hats off to you man!” The three went on to explain how Pakistan Fashion Week would be promoted through widespread media coverage. This would include radio and TV broadcasts as well as web casts [live coverage on the internet]. This kind of coverage, though standard practice for international fashion weeks, is completely new to Pakistan. “Our job as the organizers is to get the industry empowered” said Asim. He also warned that industry unity is vital for the success of PFW. He commented further that there is a lack of awareness in terms of the business of fashion in Pakistan, and the success of PFW also heavily depends on creating this awareness. “Our training in Sydney was very important with regard to achieving this goal” he explained.
Every individual’s role in PFW was discussed and two very important announcements were made. Simon Lock confirmed that Colin McDowell, one of the world’s most renowned fashion historians and pioneer of Fashion Fringe, has been placed on board as Special Advisor for Pakistan Fashion Week. Subsequently, while on stage, Nabila, Hasan Sheheryar and Sonya Battla, making up the advisory board for PFW, revealed that Pakistan Fashion Week would be taking a teaser to India during Lakme India Fashion Week in September. PFW would be organizing a fashion show in India in which Pakistani designers would be sending select outfits to give international buyers a feel for PFW. The show would have a certain mood and be thematic in nature. It would serve as a trailer of sorts for Pakistan Fashion Week. The main purpose for setting up this show would be to highlight to buyers the difference in Indian and Pakistani fashion. Nabila also jokingly added while addressing Simon that “we will be holding workshops to help our industry learn from your mistakes”. The workshops would apparently aid Pakistani designers learn from and improve upon the West’s work. Simon expressed that the Pakistani industry, through PFW, would undergo a transition. They would be transitioning from producing couture to producing ready-to-wear.
The media launch of Pakistan Fashion Week was unique and undoubtedly a roaring success. It’s quite obvious that IMG and Events Unlimited are geared up to take Pakistani fashion to another level altogether. One would like to believe that with time and with the help of ventures such as PFW, the industry will be united and redefined. Simon Locke is right in saying that this is a good first step.
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