The month of February turns the world into a fashionista. As the bitter winter mellows under the kindly spring sun, a new lease on colour, design and innovation also surfaces. It’s time to rejuvenate and resurface from an unpleasant spell of chilling hibernation.
The western world has already stepped into the new season with a spring in its step. Men’s fashion weeks are underway as we speak and will be duly followed by New York Fashion Week (February 12-19), London Fashion Week (February 20-24), Milan Fashion Week (February 25 – March 3) and ultimately Paris Fashion Week (March 4-11) featuring new trends in women’s wear for Autumn/Winter 2015.
The months of December and January turn Pakistan into a giant mass of weddings for most people but come February and the festivities take a turn towards high fashion. This February promises to be no different, as it’ll kick start a profusion of runway and trade events that may set the tone for the rest of the year. Prepare to change your #FashionFriday hashtags to #FashionFebruary.
If a robin indicates the beginning of spring in ancient western mythology then the first lawn billboard symbolizes the same in Pakistan. And the beginning of February is expected to see the beginning of what we can call the Great Lawn Rush. As Junaid Jamshed is playing it rather low these days, Yahsir Waheed is expected to spearhead the lawn season with an exhibition scheduled for February 14 in Karachi. We fear he’ll lose a day to the Pakistan versus India cricket match on the 15th.
Moreover, lawn collections from all time favourites Sana Safinaz and Elan will surely drive droves of women into retail hysteria. And lawn collections from Ayesha Hashwani for Kamal Lawn, Zara Shahjahan and Nida Azwer are expected to roll in over the next two months. Add to that list HSY Lawn by Ittehad, Faraz Manan for Crescent and Maria B. Lux Style Award winner for Best Lawn, Sania Maskatiya will be collaborating with Al-Karam this year.
Interestingly, this season Lala Textiles will be launching a Lala Signature Series, featuring a different designer each year. Watch this space for this year’s Lala star as well as more dates and exhibition schedules as and when the information comes in. The lawn sharks won’t disappoint!
Over to events: branching out beyond bridals, HUM TV will be inaugurating its very first Telenor Fashion Weekend on February 20 and 21. While the channel has been associated with the fashion/entertainment gala, Bridal Couture Week, for years it is now launching a platform for ready to wear brands and labels in the country. Scheduled to tap into Lahore’s glorious spring, the Telenor Fashion Weekend will be a biannual showcase.
We don’t have a lineup yet but rumour has it that TFW will feature up to 16 labels and there will be more mass-retail brands as opposed to high-end fashion. But then awami fashion and commercial feasibility is what BCW has always projected. Let’s just hope that the city’s mercury reading elevates till then and/or the government finds gas and electricity to generate some heat.
The Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) will be holding its annual trade event in Karachi between February 26 and March 1. Expo Pakistan will run as a four-day trade fair focused on exportable fashion inclusive of a two-day fashion showcase. Last year’s fashion showcase was very promising, especially if the trade event generated as much revenue as was officially disclosed. It was officially announced that business deals worth USD 1 billion were struck. Even if that can’t be completely credited to garments and fashion, fashion did play a pivotal role in branding and marketing the event. The new Secretary TDAP, Rabiya Javeri comes with a promise of better taste and ethical dealings, which is much more than what we can say for former Secretary TDAP, Tariq Puri, who wasn’t exactly dealing in ‘fair trade’. He was arrested for alleged embezzlement and unfair grants worth millions.
Moving on to ‘higher’ fashion and moral ground: the most highly anticipated event in February is the PFDC Couture Weekend, scheduled to take place on February 27 and 28 in Lahore. The two day showcase will feature four designers per day, and the USP is that designers have been working in collaboration with Swarovski in Dubai to create collections incorporating the crystals. This event has been added to the Pakistan Fashion Design Council’s annual calendar and will serve as a fund raiser to aid CARE Foundation.
Designers participating in the PFDC Couture Weekend include HSY, Karma, Sara Shahid, Saira Shakira, Fahad Hussayn, Libas by Sehyr Saigol and Nomi Ansari. This event will complement instead of replace the next PFDC Sunsilk Fashion week, which will be held in April, 2015. And between the two PFDC events, Fashion Pakistan will be organizing their fashion week, FPW in March. The dates were confirmed (at the previous show) as March 31- April 3 but rumour has it that they may change.
February promises to be a fashion frenzy for the fashion conscious; all we can say is, prepare to put your best foot forward!