We all know that Pakistan’s fashion industry is booming since the last few years but it’s about time the rest of the world know it too.
In an interview with BBC Global, style guru Nabila spoke about how Pakistani fashion represents a progressive side of the country, one that remains unknown because “it does not sell so well”. (Above) Maheen Khan with her models at PFW in London.
FashionFocus
The recently concluded Pakistan Fashion Week celebrated the country’s 70th anniversary by showcasing Pakistani talent to an international audience.
We all know that Pakistan’s fashion industry is booming since the last few years but it’s about time the rest of the world know it too.
Platforms like the Pakistan Fashion Week - that took place in London in collaboration with the High Commission of Pakistan - are helping in achieving this mission.
The two-day fashion week was held in honour of Pakistan’s 70th anniversary and brought some big names to London, such as Maheen Khan, Sana Safinaz, Shamaeel Ansari, and Nabila, who was responsible for the styling of the event.
However, it was Nabila’s interview with BBC Global that made us really proud as there is nobody better suited to represent our fashion industry than the stylist herself. Seated alongside Pakistan’s High Commissioner to UK, Syed Abbas, Nabila spoke of our burgeoning fashion industry.
The anchor, Matthew Amroliwala asked Nabila to establish the distinction between Pakistani and Indian fashion. “Our fashion is very similar but if you look very closely, you’ll find that our design sensibility is a little bit different and the colours we choose are a little subtle compared to theirs,” she replied.
Amroliwala also wondered why Pakistan’s fashion industry is not that well known compared to our neighbours across the border. “Why do you think the Pakistani fashion industry is less known about?” he asked.
Thankfully, Nabila spoke our hearts and minds when answering the question. “I think that will change soon because we’re working very aggressively to show people what we’re made of. The image is very global, it’s very relevant and it’s very progressive and that’s the side of Pakistan not many people see because it does not sell so well,” she smiled as she said this.
Speaking about Pakistan’s vision to increase textile export to the UK, High Commissioner Abbas said: “This was a good opportunity to showcase Pakistani talent so that more people are aware of the growth of this industry. Growth is inevitable because we’re exporting 60 per cent of our textiles to the rest of the world. However, we’re only exporting 10 per cent of it to the UK. We have a large diaspora here so we would like to see the numbers increase.”
