MARIA.B. set to showcase Luxury/Pret collection at PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week, titled “Ladakh Connection” inspired by Kashmir
[Lahore: 1st April 2014]: Following the launch of MARIA.B.’s pioneering Mbroidered collection and trend setting range of Arabi lawn prints the designer label is set to showcase a collection of luxury/pret wear at the PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week [PSFW] in April 2014. MARIA.B. will also be hosting a special exhibition stall at PSFW, commemorating the brand’s 15 years in fashion. Inspired by the designer’s own ancestral Kashmiri roots, the collection will be retailed across 25 MARIA.B standalone stores in Pakistan in July 2014.
Based in a range of pure karandi, silk organzas, silk chiffons and digital prints, the collection’s colour palette draws equally from Kashmir’s natural beauty and aristocratic heritage as it does from its ravages of war. The collection reflects a modern take on the rich Kashmiri tribal culture with an emphasis on interpreting vintage Kashmiri craft and silhouettes into a modern, wearable collection.
Speaking about her brand in general and her specific inspiration for the “Ladakh Connection” collection, Maria Butt, CEO MARIA.B. said, “This year marks the fifteenth year of the MARIA.B label which I first launched with a vision to revolutionise and make accessible, women’s retail in the country and I am proud to have upheld and expanded on this vision. Having first started with one small stitching unit in Lahore, today the brand is among the most diverse in Pakistan with prêt a porter, couture, formal wear, lawn, embroidered fabrics and cottons all within one affordable label with an extensive retail networks of 25 standalone outlets in 12 different cities (MARIA.B. has outlets in Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad, Faisalabad, Peshawar, Abbottabad, Mardan, Gujranwala, Multan, Sargodha, Mandi Bahauddin and Rahim Yar Khan with plans to launch a new outlet in Rawalpindi soon) across the country, while also exporting to 6 international destinations (MARIA.B exports to India, UK, USA, Bangladesh, UAE and Qatar). I am particularly excited about the “Ladakh Connection” collection I am showcasing at PSFW as it is a manifestation of my emotional attachment to the fabled land of my ancestors, Kashmir. It was while researching that I discovered that my paternal ancestors came from Ladak in Northern Kashmir, where the art and cultural influences are significantly Central Asian. I’ve played around with silhouettes paying predominant homage to the ‘firil’ – an oversized Kashmiri kurta, mostly worn knee length.”
