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Fashion week and the hairafter

By Haiya Bokhari
Mon, 03, 16

It isn’t enough that your shampoo cleans and protects your hair; it must look good while doing the job. Starting in 2013, Sunsilk - to commemorate its partnership with PFDC Fashion Week (PSFW) - began collaborating with leading designers from across the country to create exclusive, bespoke prints to adorn their shampoo bottles.

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Sunsilk unveils the Fashion Edition 2016 bottles in collaboration with four leading designers.

Karachi: It isn’t enough that your shampoo cleans and protects your hair; it must look good while doing the job. Starting in 2013, Sunsilk - to commemorate its partnership with PFDC Fashion Week (PSFW) - began collaborating with leading designers from across the country to create exclusive, bespoke prints to adorn their shampoo bottles. This year the hair brand chose to partner - up with Sana Safinaz, Khaadi, Nomi Ansari and Deepak Perwani to add some pizzazz to their purple, black, pink and mustard clad bottles, respectively. At a jazzy launch ceremony held at Alliance Francaise, models revealed the first set of looks while the remaining will be exhibited at PSFW taking place in Lahore later this week.

The event, starting later than expected due to security concerns and political unrest in the city, commenced by showcasing four looks designed by stylist extraordinaire Nabila Maqsood to reflect the different variants of the Sunsilk shampoos. Dressed in outfits by Zaheer Abbas, Fauzia Aman modeled sleek, perfectly straight hair with rose gold highlights; Fia showcased an edgy bob for black shine while Farwa Kazim’s hair was carefully sculpted for hair fall solutions and Hira Ijaz’s luscious locks were styled to represent thick and long.

Noor, Cybil, Sunita and Amna in outfits by Nomi Ansari, Deepak Perwani, Khaadi and Sana Safinaz.
Noor, Cybil, Sunita and Amna in outfits by Nomi Ansari, Deepak Perwani, Khaadi and Sana Safinaz.

Each look was created not only to reflect the different shampoo variants but also to showcase the latest hair trends that are dominating the international fashion circuit. Aman’s rose gold high-lights and Fia’s teal streaks, that added definition to her asymmetrical bob, stood out among the other two blonde looks. Nabila does encourage girls to be unafraid and experiment with their tresses – “it’s only hair after all, at the worst, you’ll have to cut it off and grow it back again,” she exclaimed. A Russian acrobat, decked in a Swarovski spangled leotard then proceeded to dazzle the audience with her gravity defying athletics, a highlight of the night.

Coming to the raison d’etre, the unveiled bottles represented each designer’s aesthetic and also tied in with their Spring/Summer collections. Nomi Ansari’s illustration sparkled on the bottle design but the bubblegum pink jumpsuit with a floral print didn’t translate as well in real life. The print was too garish to be featured in full without any other colour or texture to balance it. Khaadi departed from its usual ethnic ethos to feature a one-shoulder gown with an embellished strap that also seemed to miss the mark. Their illustration for the Black Shine bottled fared better though with a bodice painted with quaint kites. Perwani’s flirty butterfly illustration seemed most reminiscent of spring, while his real life rendition, a maroon and white gown, would have worked much better without the metallic belt. Sana Safinaz’s abstract magneta floral print remained true to the brand’s aesthetic and stood out among the other three contenders. The structured, feminine cut was countered with a print that featured edgy silhouettes of bare trees on a field of eggplant purple.

A spectacular performance by Russian artist Vlada.
A spectacular performance by Russian artist Vlada.

The event itself made for an entertaining evening though we couldn’t help but wish that it came with a higher quality dose of fashion than the one we were treated to. The bottles would make an interesting addition to your bathroom shelf though and there’s still hope that the remaining looks to be revealed at fashion week pack a greater punch.