Revolutionizing Fashion

Revolutionizing Fashion
Printed in 'Nation On Campus' [The Nation]
4th January, 2006

The Maria.B website states that “MARIA.B DESIGNS (PVT) LTD is the largest manufacturer and retailer of women's fashion garments in Pakistan” [http://www.mariab.com]. Following is an intimate interview with Maria in which we discuss her impressive and successful career over a cup of hot steaming ‘kashmiri chai’ at her house in Lahore.

1. What is your qualification as a designer?

I graduated from Pakistan School of Fashion Design [PSFD]. Before that I did my A Levels from Karachi Grammar School. After fashion school I went straight into work.

2. When did you decide to create the label MARIA.B and why?

I decided in second year at PSFD. I didn’t want to start something from the home or do just bridal wear. I wanted to reach out to people and have fashion and street wear accessible to everybody.

3. Which countries besides Pakistan does MARIA.B cater to?

We have an Asian clientele whether it’s in the UK, US, Netherlands, Pakistan or India for that matter. Not only that, but recently some people said that my clothes work very well for the Arab women because they want trendy stuff like bootleg pants and short shirts. That’s the market I especially want to expand into, the Muslim belt of countries.

4. What was it like to be the first Pakistani to win an international fashion competition?

It was surreal. I was a part of the first batch of PSFD students going to Belgium and I remember thinking to myself very casually “ok so we are just going to be one of the 50 countries there and probably won’t win anyway”. The experience was amazing though because I got selected to participate on the basis of my portfolio and the judges actually said that mine was the best portfolio they had seen so far.

5. How has winning that competition helped you since?

It made a difference in the beginning because it gave me a lot of confidence. I thought if I can win by going to Belgium and competing with students from fashion schools from all over the world and make my own impact in the process, then I can do anything. It gave me a high and encouraged me to start something of my own. If you look at the Pakistani fashion industry, unfortunately people just want to play achievement down and they want to discourage anyone who is successful. There are these older designers that are just hanging onto their ‘glory’ and when I first came in to the scene they wanted to literally rip me apart.

6. What wide range of garments does MARIA.B offer to women?

I do everything from casuals, semi-formal party wear, formals to bridals. The casuals and formals include the prêt a porter [ready to wear] line and then the couture [high fashion] bridal line is totally separate. I did Western wear for a while but that’s not my particular clientele. My clientele would occasionally wear the sleeveless or short shirt but 85% of them wouldn’t. When one is catering to a large group of people, these restrictions do creep in and they should be taken as a challenge. When you’re retailing in the market as a designer you can’t afford to make choices for the client. You have to give your client what they want otherwise you fail.

7. What is MARIA.B’s design philosophy?

My design philosophy is generally centered on my belief in fusion. I am a big believer in the fusion and gelling together of Eastern and Western influences so that I can come up with something that is internationally viable. The designing however should not be overbearingly Western or overbearingly Eastern. There needs to be a perfect balance..

8. Who does the make-up and grooming for most of your shoots?

The two or three make-up artists that I have worked with are all fabulous and I choose them according to the nature of the shoot. I have a good idea now about which make-up artist [or photographer for that matter] would do well with which theme.

9. How important do you think it is for a designer to have photo shoots appear in magazines/publications regularly? Why?

It is extremely important because as a designer I am selling an image. It is a form of marketing and because we have always put so much stress on this aspect of marketing ourselves, the Maria.B label has become a big name in just two years. We actually built our brand through the shoots and now a Maria.B shoot is recognized instantly by people.

10. How have you grown as a designer in the last four years?

I have learnt a lot. When I was in college I had these huge dreams and I told myself I would make all kinds of clothes and be very experimental but now I know it doesn’t work. You have to create what sells and I learnt that the hard way. At the end of the day market forces are what drive the designer. You have to make your mark and give your clothes that special edge within the confines of those forces.

11. Which is your most memorable fashion show and why?

It is the Paris collection because the scale was very big and I hardly get to show Western clothes in Pakistan. My whole Paris collection was made up of Western wear. I enjoyed it for the freedom I had.

12. Do you think an education in fashion is absolutely necessary for a designer?

Yes, pretty much. Aesthetically I don’t think anyone can teach you anything. Either you have it or you don’t. However, if as a designer I am not technically educated then the stitcher, cutter and other people that work for me will not respect me as a designer and I won’t be able to guide them properly. They would take me for a ride if I didn’t know anything about the technicality of making a garment.

13. Do you have an accessory line?

I have started an accessory line and I have hired a girl for that. She has studied Accessory Design from FIT in the States. We have a completely separate accessory department with shoes and bags now.

14. Do you think having an online presence is important for designers?

Yes it is and although we have a website I have neglected it. I don’t have the time and I need people to manage it. A lot of our customers wanted us to have online sales but I have not gotten to that yet as far as an e-service is concerned where the customer can just click on the garment they want and choose the size.

By: Fariha Rashed