Sapphire launches in Lahore

 Lahore

Five months after it opened up in Karachi, Sapphire launched its flagship store in Lahore last evening. The jam-packed intersection in Gulberg outside the venue was a reflection of the madness inside, with harried looking policemen trying to direct the onslaught of cars ferrying Lahore’s favourite fashionistas to the eagerly-anticipated event.

Khadija Shah of Elan with husband Jehanzeb Amin and Kulsum and Nabeel Abdullah of Sapphire

The collaboration between designer Khadija Shah and textile mill Sapphire to produce the high street label Sapphire has been largely well-received. Khadija’s brand Elan is known for its luxe aesthetic and with Sapphire, she has been able to translate the same into an affordable commercial line.

The stitched tunics range from your typical floral summer prints to some quirky designs featuring birds and pop culture motifs. Starting at PKR 2,200, they offer good value for money but it would be nice to see a bit of creativity when it comes to the silhouette, which is a uniform straight mid-length cut throughout the entire range.

The swanky new store is spread over two spacious levels, the ground one solely dedicated to pret, which includes a limited-piece menswear line as well as a jewellery line. The upper floor houses Sapphire’s unstitched lawn range, which boasts of a pretty colour palette but does suffer from a bit of print overdose.

The most successful designer-mill collaborations are those that are able to translate the designer’s niche, high-end aesthetic into one that is suitable for mass retail without sacrificing on good taste.

Sapphire is well on its way to achieving that balance, and with a few tweaks here and there when it comes to the overall design quality, it has the potential to become a big player in the retail market.