Day 4 – PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week 2014 (Review and Photos)
Visit these links for the other days: Day 1 (10th April 2014), Day 2 (11th April 2014) and Day 3 (12th April 2014)
[Lahore: 14th April 2014] The Pakistan Fashion Design Council in collaboration with Sunsilk presented the fourth and final day of the PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week 2014. Day-4 featured Voile shows with Five Star Textile Limited, Warda Prints, Nimsay by Nimra Textile and Lakhany Silk Mills and designer prét-a-porter shows by Rizwan Beyg, Zara Shahjahan, Saira Shakira, Khaadi Khaas, Akif Mahmood and HSY later in the evening.
Photo Credits: Faisal Farooqui and his team at Dragonfly
Speaking about the PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week platform, Chairperson of the Executive Committee of the PFDC, Sehyr Saigol said: “As we approach the 10th iteration of our critically acclaimed fashion weeks, the PFDC shifts gears, bringing the momentum inwards, recognizing the even greater need to work with brands to build market access and visibility within Pakistan. To this end we embrace an approach that focuses on building and institutionalising the strength of designers and brands through national retail prowess and accessibility. To further this, the PFDC instituted a clear mandate on designer accessibility, not accepting any applications from established brands to participate at the PSFW show platform unless they demonstrate a visible commitment to retail presence and accessibility. In this same spirit, we are proud to have pioneered the concept of multi-brand High Street retail with our PFDC High Street store, and what is even more significant, is its growth in the last year alone. At the PSFW, we now have 3 dedicated show days for High Street brands. We also work very closely with all of our emerging designers and several mainstream brands, to help hone their collections for the runway and retail alike. The idea is to help more established brands grow their markets and access and to also introduce entirely new talent to the industry – the PFDC pioneered the entire concept of a new designer program precisely to work closely with burgeoning talent in the country and then provide such talent the production and retail support through the PFDC’s own stores. We are fortunate to have such committed sponsors and partners for the work we do at the PFDC, which gives us the flexibility and impetus to continue to grow our fashion week platforms.”
“The PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week is a key annual event for Unilever and provides us a great opportunity to take contemporary fashion into the homes of the Pakistani consumers. We recognize that Pakistan’s Fashion industry is now a major player in contributing to the development journey of this country and we are delighted that our brand Sunsilk is a part of such a fantastic effort. We are a company that believes in doing well by doing good and that is why our brands have stood the test of time and are household names today. Sunsilk is one of our many brands that are loved by the people in this country.” said Asanga Ranasinghe, VP Home and Personal Care for Unilever Pakistan.
Voile Shows
Five Star Textile Industries kicked off the Voile Show segment on the final day of PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week 2014 with their Spring/Summer 2014 line of collections titled Vogue, Divine, Classic and Larose. Their signature collection, Vogue, was based in digital prints comprising of graphic florals, flowing silhouettes and paisley motifs. Divine comprised of festive prints with a blend of color and patterns. The Classic collection was Five Star’s celebration of their signature classic prints transitioning from traditional to classic chic. Larose was Five Star’s standard category with floral prints and intricate design details.
After Five Star Textile Industries’ presentation, Warda Prints made their PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week debut with a Spring/Summer 2014 collection titled ‘Glamorous Hattie’s’. With an electric shock colour palette, the collection was inspired by historical textile patterns, historical walls and floor tiles whose designs originated from the Middle Age, the Renaissance, later European and Islamic cultures. The collection featured contemporary trends with bold prints based in silks and chiffons with conspicuous color combinations.
The third show of the Voile Show segment was presented by Nimsay Redefining Style by Nimra Textile who showcased their Spring/Summer 2014 collection titled ‘Flora’. The collection took inspiration from different themes including Folk Artisan, Flora & Fauna and Graphic Monochrome where the brand had worked on fine lawn with silk patches and chiffon dupatta with cuts which included short shirts with narrow bottom trousers. The collection was based in a diverse colour palette which featured black, white, bright and intensive orange and red in combination with light pastel tones along with a dark racing green and light reseda in combination with white, silver, marine, blue and black, which assisted the brand in creating a contemporary contrast. Key trends that were highlighted included flora, fauna, tribal, Latin folk and Ethno.
The concluding Voile show of the day was showcased by Lakhany Silk Mills who presented their Spring/Summer 2014 collection. Indeed, Lakhany Silk Mills is a veteran textile manufacturing entity, known in the industry for their in-depth knowledge of the business and their products. The company specializes in producing high class products made from superior material, utilizing their state of the art technology & equipment.
Designer Showcases
Act 1
Rizwan Beyg
PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week 2014’s Prèt Show on the fourth and final day was opened by acclaimed Pakistani couturier Rizwan Beyg who showcased for the second consecutive time at PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week. Having previously shown a truck art inspired collection in the previous edition of PSFW, Rizwan had worked closely with original truck artists to create a line of clothing using ethical practices for his label’s latest collection. The evolution in truck art to move to a digitally printed affordable line was a natural progression for the Rizwan Beyg label where the designer had modernized the basic idea of truck art for a collection of wearable and affordable digitally produced prints keeping the basic essence of truck art at the forefront. Showcasing a vibrant colour palette, Rizwan had employed the concepts of flora and fauna using funky and trendy silhouettes. Key elements for this collection were the reinvention of bell-bottoms, flirty ruffle skirts, tailored jackets, jeans, off-shoulder fun tops, the classic sari and the signature 70’s wedges. The collection also included menswear pieces comprising of jackets, hoodies and jeans and was indeed an evolved version of the collection showcased by the designer last year at PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week.
Zara Shahjahan
Following Rizwan Beyg, designer Zara Shahjahan showcased her prét a porter collection ‘Love Bug’ at PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week 2014. Inspired by Jungle florals, the collection was based on silks, organza, sheer tulle, straight and structured silhouettes and insect inspired 3D embellishments developed in-house at the Zara Shahjahan studio. With a vibrant colour palette using solid colors on whites and off whites, lime green, lemon yellow, dark blue and black dominated the collection. Key trends that were highlighted included sheer surface fabrics, cropped tops and pants, boxy straight silhouettes and short tunics.
Saira Shakira
The final designer showcase of Act 1 was by fashion label Saira Shakira Making who made their runway debut at PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week with a pret a porter collection titled ‘Cirque du Vanite’ inspired by ‘the circus’. For this women’s wear collection, the brand had used a mixture of stiff, soft and sheer fabrics such as organza, chiffons, gold tissue and silks to create a structured yet feminine look. With a monochromatic colour palette, the collection was primarily based in black and white, with gold and deep red as accent colours. Key trends that were highlighted included floral, tribal and geometric prints in pleats and sheer fabric with high hemlines.
Act 2
Khaadi Khaas
The first show of Act 2 was presented by acclaimed designer brand Khaadi Khaas. The Khaadi Khaas collection for PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week 2014 was inspired by the baroque era. For this collection, the label had incorporated numerous big floral digital prints in exaggerated silhouettes to portray the feeling of summer. With a mix of original digital prints and embroidered ensembles, the collection had Eastern silhouettes with options of separates with a lot of layering using embroidered net and lawn. The collection was mostly in beiges with contrasting accents to add a burst of colour along with the brand’s vibrant floral digital prints. Key trends highlighted were layers, lighter coats and jackets to dress up and dress down.
Akif Mahmood
Following Khaadi Khaaz, Akif Mahmood showcased the label’s Spring/Summer 2014 collection titled ‘Matadora’ at PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week. As the title suggested, Akif drew inspiration from Spanish bull-fighters and their festoon with intricately embellished costumes that represented Spanish culture and history. Presenting simple and straight cuts, Akif had used fabrics such as cottons, silk and raw-silk for a more structured look, fusing his signature intricate patterns to embellish the Matador jackets and pants with gota and dori work with colours such as black, off white, maroon and blue mixed with bright and bold prints.; Key collection trends that were highlighted included boleros, short jackets and capes to add an interesting layer to this spring season’s look.
HSY
Day-4’s finale was presented by acclaimed couturier HSY. In the spirit of his 20th year motto, “Giving is the new Achieving” Hassan Sheheryar Yasin brought to PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week 2014 a collection titled ‘Sher’ which was in homage to and in support of, women empowerment. To this end, Team HSY collaborated with the Anjuman-e-Khuddam-e-Rasul Allah (AKRA), a renowned community based NGO in Shergarh, district Okara, which is working towards improving education and poverty alleviation. The collection featured both men’s wear and women’s wear based in luxurious fabrics including pure chiffons, silks, and georgettes paired with indigenous embroideries fashioned by the female artisans of the village Shergarh. ‘Sher’ was based in a diverse colour palette inspired by earthy colours naturally observed in the rural environment, particularly in Shergarh. The colour of wood, water, pure indigo, beiges, chili red and tumeric yellow were prominently featured in the collection. Highlighted trends included looser silhouettes, varying options of short and long hemlines, indigenous embroideries, summer jackets and overalls.
