Like cricket and films, fashion promises yet another avenue of bridging the gap between the otherwise warring neighbors.
She has turned many heads not just with her
winning smile, breezy chiffons, South Sea pearls, and
luxe Birkins, but also her less publicized but subtle
foreign policies. Hina Rabbani Khar, the foreign minister
of Pakistan, has made the fashion world sit up and
take notice of her quiet elegance and, of course, her
penchant for being in the news.
Hoping to give India a taste of this style from
across the border, the Pakistan Fashion Design
Council (PFDC) opened its first store, The Boulevard,
in New Delhi recently. The opening event at the
Hyatt Regency was marked by a glittering fashion
show, where 16 style gurus wowed the ramp with their
chic gararas and shararas.
Sehyr Saigol, Chairperson of the Pakistan Fashion Design Council (PFDC)
Sehyr Saigol, Chairperson of PFDC, has not had it
easy: she has struggled to increase memberships in an
industry plagued by gigantic egos and constant bickering.
Not one to throw in the towel, she started with 30
designers in 2006, and today the PFDC has almost 50
designers from all over Pakistan as its members.
The scope of Pakistan retail in India has been
mainly through annual exhibitions, which started
with Bridal Asia, a wedding extravaganza in 2000, run
by the spunky Divya Gurwara. It got together designers
from the subcontinent and the largest contingent
was, not surprisingly, from Pakistan. “We wanted the
best of Pakistan to be showcased in India, so we persuaded
veterans like Rizwan Beyg and Maheen Khan to
give us a slice of their bohemian style. Bridal Asia’s
customers couldn’t get enough of their intricate embroideries,
Farsi gararas, airy pyjamas, Awami kurtas,
and pleasing colors,” says Gurwara.
From the Rubayaat Collection.
As they say, a mission always needs an able-bodied
launcher, and for Saigol, it was Mini Bindra, who runs
the design studio Rubaaiyat in New Delhi. Inspired by
the Persian poet Omar Khayyam’s verses in Rubaaiyat,
Bindra began her journey in fashion with hand-woven
From the Sehyr Saigol Collection
brocades. “Indian fashion
has come of age. Rubaaiyat
gives me the freedom to express
the confidence, power,
and attitude of today’s women.
Plus, an opportunity to say
something about the way I
want modern India to be. Getting
designers from Pakistan
was a natural progression, as
they understand the language
of cut and color,” says Bindra.
Teaming up with Saigol
has helped both grow, and with
optimism riding high the duo
are planning on making this a
one-stop-shop for customers
who can’t travel to Pakistan, but do
aspire to wear their ensembles.
From the Faiza Samee collection.
Saigol’s experience has helped
pioneer Pakistan’s fashion industry,
through her work as a designer
and publisher. For over
two-and-a-half decades, she has
been a staple in fashion through
her critically acclaimed label Libas
and as the publisher of Libas International,
Pakistan’s oldest fashion
magazine. “This is the perfect time
for Pakistan’s fashion industry to
start getting some national and
international interest. To do so, it
is important that we start to formalize
the business of fashion in
the country and to inculcate in our
designers and the fashion community
at large the importance of
doing so,” she says in a telephone
conversation from Lahore.
“As we have a commonality between
India and Pakistan in terms
of our languages spoken, culture,
history, and heritage, there is huge
interest in each other. Although
some of our designers have already
explored the markets in India, we at
the Pakistan Fashion Design Council
are here to formalize the business
of fashion with the opening of our franchise in New Delhi,” she adds.
From the Sehyr Saigol Collection.
With the PFDC franchise in
New Delhi, they are introducing a
whole spectrum of fashion from
day-to-day prêt-à-porter to the
unique bridal and formal wear offered
seasonally throughout the
year, all under one roof. Thus it isn’t
just the one ramp showing as it has
been during bridal exhibitions and
one-off shows. Bonus: setting up
shop in India will give customers a
great chance to get a taste of delicate
chikankari and colorful threadwork.
Saigol hopes to capitalize on
the country’s strengths, the exquisite
fabrics, tailored structure and
the fusion of traditional wear and
contemporary ensembles, which
can be worn globally.
A great believer that fashion
can bridge boundaries between the
two countries and curb rising tensions,
Saigol adds, “Fashion and retail
encourages cultural interaction
between the younger generations
on both sides.”
Interestingly, there are many Indian elements that
Pakistani women love. Maybe that’s why you have the
doyen of Indian trousseau wear, Ritu Kumar, running a
successful store in Pakistan for many years now much
like the design label Satya Paul, known for reviving the
six-yard magic, the eternal sari. “Although the basic
garment or fabric might be the same in both nations,
the rendering and the overall finishing are different,
which we feel evokes interest on
both sides,” says Saigol.
From the Saigol Collection.
Glamour in India got two addresses
with the Mumbai-Delhi
fashion split way back in 2006,
which resulted in two separate
fashion weeks in both cities. There
seems to be a similar competition
brewing between Karachi and
Lahore too. But like the majority,
which feels that Delhi is undoubtedly
the fashion capital of India,
Saigol admits that the cultural
capital of Pakistan, Lahore, is
more tuned in to fashion—
“whereas Karachi is much
more avant-garde in its
taste and style,” she says
with a laugh.
From the Sehyr Saigol Collection.
Many in Pakistan admire the
legendary Abu Jani and Sandeep
Khosla, who are also Saigol’s all-time
favorites! “They took the Mughal
motifs to another level and revolutionized
bridal wear,” she says. And
it helps that they design for the first
family of Bollywood, the Bachchans,
with Jaya and her daughter Shweta
Nanda as their biggest patrons.
And if there could be an exchange,
what could India give
Pakistan and vice versa in terms of
fashion? “Saris are always in vogue
in India whereas the Pakistani
fusion shalwar-kurta is relevant
for anywhere in the world. The
switch can be a starting point, I
feel,” says Saigol.
From the Sehyr Saigol Collection.
And when one thinks of Pakistan,
the one name that constantly
pops up is that of the dashing
Imran Khan and of his ex-wife,
the billionaire Jemima Khan. But
Sehyr begs to differ. “In Pakistan, the
high achieving Aleema Khan (Imran Khan’s sister) is
the classiest. She is the epitome of understated
elegance and the queen of
fashion. In India, Parmeshwar Godrej
of Godrej Industries, who has an eye
for both Asian and international
fashion, is an undisputed diva and
of course has a great body to carry
those slinky outfits,” she adds.
With a store in place, it wouldn’t
be a far-fetched idea for a combined
fashion week, and maybe one day Pakistan
designers will participate in the
WIFW (Wills Lifestyle Fashion Week),
as the PFDC is open to collaborations
and exchanges for fashion weeks on
a reciprocity basis.
Despite the subtle and bold differences
in tastes, there is eagerness
from both sides for bridging boundaries
through fashion.
[Asmita Aggarwal, a 20-year veteran in
the fashion industry, has worked for leading
publications like The Hindustan Times and
Cosmopolitan.