Faraz Manan may prefer to be low-key but his business has grown into anything but. His designs have been in the limelight with an international presence to boast and he’s continually been dressing Bollywood’s best. Local fashion enthusiasts could only have one complaint – that his interest and focus has purportedly shifted from his home town of Lahore to the Middle East, where he’s been showing for the past couple of years. This year’s PFDC L’Oréal Paris Bridal Week (PLBW) though, brings with it winds of change, with Faraz Manan opening on the third day.
“My city, Lahore is what made me and everything else comes after that so I thought it’s time to return to the platform,” he shared. Like other designers who have chosen to go solo, he echoed the same sentiments of wanting more control over his show and showing to a more exclusive audience. As the conversation moves towards fashion week preps, the issue of Manan’s much-publicized rift with PFDC comes up. He shrugs off the existence of any such bad blood and says, “I have enough respect for the council so we had a chat this time and they gave me a freehand to pick when I want to show with a solo presence. I’m not too keen on the set being so grand as long as it’s slick and clean. I don’t want to dress it up as a wedding; I’d rather focus on the clothes. I just want my friends, clients, right press and people who know fashion and can appreciate it.”
With this council affiliated showcase, Manan also wants to drive home the point that ‘just because you can doesn’t mean you should’, in relation to solo shows. Faraz Manan started off the whole solo show trend when he broke off from the fashion week platform several years ago. Since then, many others have followed suit with some designers thinking they can generate newsworthiness by positioning themselves independently.
“I’d noticed that other designers had started doing smaller scale solo shows but not in the manner they are supposed to be done,” he opined.
Manan has established himself as a designer known for his fusion of eastern craft and modern, western silhouettes. It’s something that has cemented his position in the Middle East but will the same be flitted down local runways? “This collection will have a focus on wedding wear to suit the local market but since my clientele in places like India, Saudi and Qatar will all see it, it won’t be too far removed from my signature style,” he shares.
The designer has also had a long standing history with the Crescent group whether it was with lawn or couture. He worked as Creative Director for their retail brand which recently shut down. With so many other couture designers lending their creativity to RTW, we wondered why it didn’t work for Manan. “We do luxe pret under Faraz Manan but we shut down Crescent because retail isn’t doing too well in Pakistan. As a brand, we have a huge international load and we’re taking care of that, plus I don’t want to be a Jack of all trades. Crescent is a big group and we decided to shut it down mutually since the group mainly deals with exports.”
The year has more in store for Faraz Manan as later this year the couturier will be showcasing at the Dubai-based Masala Awards, where he was awarded the Fashion Designer of the Year accolade in 2016. After showing his bridal couture in Lahore, he’ll be showing his Spring/Summer couture in Dubai and Resort Collection in Hong Kong.