Galaxy of designers descends at PFDC fashion week

LAHORE, March 29: The three-day Pakistan Fashion Design Council's Sunsilk Fashion Week opened in the city amid enthusiasm and gaiety wherein leading designers from the fashion fraternity will showcase their collections. The third annual week will showcase the works of 25 designers – both leading names and emerging talents — on March 31 and April 1. There will be no shows scheduled for Wednesday (today) because of a cricket match between India and Pakistan. The designers showcasing their luxury/prêt a porter collections this week include: Adnan Pardesy, Akif, Ali Xeeshan for Crimson, Ammar Belal, Asifa & Nabeel, Beekay, Emraan Rajput, Fahad Hussayn, Fnk Asia, HSY, Karma, Khaadi Khaas, Mohsin, Nickie Nina, Republic, Rizwanullah, Sadaf Malaterre, Sahar Atif, Sarah Salman, Sublime by Sara, Feeha Jamshed for Teejays, Yahsir Waheed, Zaheer Abbas and Zara Shahjahan. On the first day, Nickie Nina's latest prêt a porter collection showcased hand block prints on silk and chiffon with traditional tilla workmanship, thread embroidery and hand embellishment. Their constructed silhouettes included sleek long shirts, flared pants, skirts and dupattas.Beekay's prêt-a-porter collection 'Trees' marked the UK-based designers' first ever presentation in Pakistan. With this collection encompassing both menswear and womenswear, Beekay took a fresh look at heavy metal animations to complement the label's signature use of leather and the ever-present influence of a slightly dark New Age aesthetic. The collection is worked in a wide range of leather, along with lycra, jersey and cotton. Zaheer Abbas's displayed his collection, Rise and Fall, using raw silks and chiffon in an individual order of colours — ice blue, grey, navy blue and maroon. Yahsir Waheed showcased his collection entitled 'Hamarah Gandhara' presenting the traditional shalwar as present day representation of the ancient Ghandhara civilization. With digital prints used as surface decoration the collection consists of knitwear, velvets, and silk satins. Sahar Atif's womenswear was based on two capsule collections 'Domail' in which Aik Hunar Aik Nigar came together with Saai under the umbrella of Sahar Atif's design aesthetic. Crafted in the refugee camps of Chala Bandi, Muzaffarabad, these collections brought together ethnic Kashmiri embroidery in one segment of the collection along with traditional Kashmiri shawl motifs incorporated into intricate cutwork in another segment of the collection. The Muse collection has been created for the strong, confident woman. Cut in classic and contemporary silhouettes, the collection was based in silks and embellished with paillets, beads, pearls, and laces. Mohsin's womenswear collection 'Fables and Dreams' used woolen, cotton, linen & jersey with cotton, embellished with woolen thread based local hand embroidery work. Fahad Hussayn's 'Moura Encantada' collection had a variety of shades combined with black coupled with an innovative and first time use of traditional techniques of gota combined with traditional Portuguese patterns. Sara Shahid's womenswear prêt a porter collection 'A Sublime Existence' was a manifestation of the designer's urge for harmony, peace, tolerance and happiness in the world. — Staff Reporter