Asrar Yaqoob made his PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week debut at the ‘Bank Alfalah Rising Talent Show’ segment with a collection titled ‘Camel Art’. The women’s wear collection drew inspiration from an art form known as Camel Art, a specific art form that is traditionally done on camel skin by the nomads of Cholistan. The pieces in ‘Camel Art’ were a mixture of art and culture that presented the story of how nomad people lived and travelled along with their belongings. The collection was based in a colour palette of camel skin, brown and multicolor accents in luxe fabrics including cotton carandi, printed mareena, pure leather and laser cut fabric. ‘Camel Art’ was a reflection of the ideal summer collection due to its fabric and feel. It featured lightweight flowy fabrics and drapes which provided breathing space. The designer had used vibrant printed linings to give a summery look to the pieces.
Emerging designer Hisham Malik made his debut at the ‘Bank Alfalah Rising Talent Show’ segment of PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week 2015 with a collection titled ‘Zirah’. The collection took its inspiration from the remarkable women that served as its muse. In particular, it drew references from the designer’s discussions with several accomplished professional women. A few common threads ran through the dialogues – feminine strength and concordant complexity. Specifically, modern professional women are revising the definition of an able leader, by embracing their femininity and exhibiting fortitude in a composed manner. Similarly, these women lead multi-faceted yet harmonious lives, made possible through their ability to delve into intricacies while balancing summation of their many roles and identities. The collection was based in a diversity of lux fabrics including cotton net, kamaliya khaddar, dupioni silk, devore, raw silk, chiffon and embossed silk in a sublime colour palette comprising of lake blue, crème, blush pink, silver grey and black. The collection showcased modern but relaxed tailoring, kimono and Japanese inspired shapes and sculptural draping with intricate embellishments including fabric loop applique, contemporary zardozi work and anchor thread shadow work. The collection featured trends such as soft structures, business-wear details and Japanese inspired details.
New talent Najia Qazi made her PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week debut in the ‘Bank Alfalah Rising Talent Show’ segment with a women’s wear collection titled ‘Sar Bakaf’. The collection was inspired by the tale of the great saintly figure named Sarmad during the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb’s time period, depicted in the famous Pakistani artist Sadequain’s painting. This particular saint had unbridgeable religious differences with the Emperor, who despised him in turn and ordered his head to be chopped off. What was witnessed after the beheading was a sight many bore witness to; the saint carried his chopped head in his hand and walked around Jamia Masjid. Such a sight was a testimony to his saintly status, but also led to fear and terror amongst the town’s people as well. The idea of ‘Sar Bakaf’ led the designer to create rebellious, distorted elements blended with a tailored look along with interesting details in sleeves, accomplished through the use of zippers and frayed hemlines. The pieces in the collection were based on sheer organza and men’s wear suiting fabric that were embellished with drapes, egg shells, fabric paints and machine embroidery. The collection was based in a colour palette of earthy hues, slate, charcoal, weed green with hints of burnt orange balanced with shades of white. Garments in ‘Sar Bakaf’ could be worn as separates such as in skirts and pants which had been paired up with boxy jackets and crop tops. The collection demonstrated drapes and asymmetrical cut lines in line with current seasonal trends.
Nida Waqar showcased a collection titled ‘Creatures and Curious Minds’ during the ‘Bank Alfalah Rising Talent Show’ at PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week 2015. The designer made her PSFW debut with a women’s wear collection that was inspired by the scientific illustrations of natural specimens, in the thesaurus ‘Cabinet of Natural Curiosities’ compiled by the Dutch pharmacist and collector Albertus Seba. The conceptual framework focused on Seba’s one of a kind Cabinet of Curiosities where nature is intelligently juxtaposed with creativity, curiosity is crafted in science and elements of the natural world are intertwined with an air of mystery unique to Seba’s collection. The silhouettes were exaggerated, inspired by the anatomy of few of Seba’s beautifully illustrated natural specimens. Significant features of the collection included asymmetrical jackets, deconstructed pleated collars, twisted sleeves and the jacket dress. Layering was incorporated with separates being paired together to create the final look, prints combined with transparency to create the curiosity element in the garments and the collection as a whole. The insects were developed in luxe materials through hand embroideries to keep the intricacy of the illustrations intact and give the insects a much theatrical welcome to the fashion world. Embellishments included sequins, threads and beads. The beauty and precision of the hand drawn illustrations in the thesaurus were also translated through digital prints for the garments. Luxe silks and organzas were used by the designer to develop an avant-garde collection which was based in a colour palette comprising of a diversity of shades that shifted from soft amber, off-white and delta grey, to saffron yellow with marsala and olive green in accents. Trends highlighted in the collection consisted of asymmetrical silhouettes, deconstructed tailoring and canary yellow hues.
