NEWS OF THE WEEK

February 14, 2021

SEP announces first ‘phygital’ fashion summit

With the aim of creating a cultural exchange between countries through art, music, fashion and food, Shaan e Pakistan was initiated by Huma Nassr five years ago. Though last year the three-day event was scheduled to take place in Sri Lanka, it had to be postponed due to the ongoing global pandemic and later took place virtually.

Recently, Huma Nassr announced via a press conference that for its sixth year they are organising the first-ever phygital SEP Fashion Summit 2021. The summit will take place in Karachi, Lahore and Dubai over the course of one month.

According to Huma Nassr, the event is planned to have fashion maestros, style icons, models and other prominent individuals from the industry come together in the presence of younger emerging talent and aspiring students. “I take the privilege to announce a Fashion Summit that we are going to have in Pakistan as well as internationally with some amazing panels in Dubai,” stated Huma Nassr at the press conference.

She furthered that the summit aims to provide some direction to fashion and that it will be a bi-annual affair. Through this platform Huma also wants to initiate conversation regarding the underlying issues, such as the lobby system, nepotism etc. that exist in the fashion industry. “The discussions are based on current issues our fashion industry faces as well as solutions addressing what can be done to help bring about a positive change,” she said, adding that their motto has always been to create opportunities and grow together for a better and thriving Pakistan.

The Fashion Summit will have an exclusive physical event with limited invite-only attendance, due to the pandemic. Moreover, they will go digital as well for the masses to be a part of the Summit.

The SEP Fashion Summit 2021 is scheduled to take place later this month.

TDAP’s first International Virtual Textile Exhibition held in Pakistan

Last year, the pandemic disturbed worldwide trade activities that resulted in a huge gap between the seller and potential buyers. Being on the forefront of strengthening the business of fashion as well as the textile industry in the country, the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) held the first of its kind, International Virtual Textile Exhibition, TEXPO which took place from 1st to 5th February 2021.

Though the event has been taking place every year since 2016, this was the first time it was organised digitally. According to the Adviser to Prime Minister for Commerce and Investment, Abdul Razak Dawood, the exhibition was aimed at using technology to bridge the gap between local exhibitors and international buyers. “From growing cotton to high-end fashion, we are now projecting in Milan and London. Our exports have gone up 60% and we are willing to supply a wider range of products,” he said at the soft launch of the virtual textile exhibition.

With physical events still restricted in many parts of the world, Pakistan’s first virtual textile exhibition brought together guests from around the globe, who attended the event online, while local exhibitors showcased their products virtually.

The 5-day event exhibited products such as high-end fashion apparel, ready-made garments, home textiles, fabrics and pandemic-relevant products like personal protective equipment (PPE) and face coverings. The 24-hours live exhibit accommodated different time zones of the various foreign guests that were a part of the TEXPO. Apart from that, TDAP developed virtual workshops with maestros of Pakistan’s fashion industry. Also, leaders from the fashion world shared their experiences and wisdom garnered over decades of contributions to the textile and fashion worlds.

Obamas to adapt Mohsin Hamid’s
Exit West into a Netflix movie

After the Obamas signed a multiyear deal with Netflix in 2018 to produce television series, movies and documentaries, recent reports suggest that Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company, Higher Ground Productions, is all set to release a number of TV and film projects.

One of them will be a film adaptation of British-Pakistani author, Mohsin Hamid’s acclaimed novel, titled Exit West, part of the six projects being made by their production company for Netflix.

Mohsin Hamid’s 2017 book revolves around the story of a refugee couple who can transport to other parts of the world through supernatural doorways. It is the story of two people as they seek a better life together, all the while yearning for a home to which they may never return.

Reportedly, the adaptation of Hamid’s novel will feature the award-winning Pakistani-British actor Riz Ahmed, who has movies such as Sound of Metal and The Night Of to his credit. Moreover, the notice released by Netflix also revealed that Riz Ahmed will executive produce via his Left Handed Films banner, while the movie will be directed by Yann Demange (White Boy Rick).

The New York Times labelled Exit West as one of the 10 Best Books of 2017. Not only was the novel selected for the Booker Prize longlist, but former U.S. President Barack Obama named it one of the best books he read in 2017.

Besides the adaptation of Exit West, other film projects include a science-fiction movie called Satellite as well as Tenzing, which is the story of Nepalese-Indian man who first reached the summit of Mount Everest with Sir Edmund Hillary of New Zealand. 

NEWS OF THE WEEK