Wimbledon Fashion Week: Championing couture

lt wasn’t just the tennis courts in SW19 that became a point of interest in the second week of the Wimbledon championships. A hotel at five minutes’ drive bore a few similarities; both had people queuing to enter and both had beautiful ladies and gents showing off their skills while onlookers applauded in awe.

Although not attracting visitors from all corners of the globe, the inaugural Wimbledon Fashion Week did manage an avid interest, not only from the visitors but also designers (USA, France, Kenya and Pakistan showcasing with the locals) and the multi-ethnic and multi-talented models.

Mouillé’s beachwear, Omar Mansoor’s couture, Dakou’s street fashion, Tapti Tapan’s Indian-inspired length dresses and PK Del Mar’s sari fabric-ed desi attire became huge success among a showcase of over 35 designers.

The lack of intensity in the make-up and choreography left much to be desired during the initial phase, but amends were aptly put on the plate via unique catwalk routines — including dancing and children onstage during the concluding performances.

Terming it a great success personally, Omar, the sole Pakistani designer on the entrée, was overwhelmed by the agglomerate of appreciation of his Culture to Couture, designed exclusively for WFW. Rightly so as his graceful blend of Asian knowledge and western exposure proved to be an outstanding success.

Inspired by Dr Ayaz (of Reet boutique) and Teejays, Omar took up fashion designing 10 years ago. His detour from the traditional sari and shalwar kameez may well prove to impress enthusiasts beyond the length of the event. The fact that none of his shows at WFW included a single desi model was an indication of how well his adaptation was drafted and appreciated. And he owed it much to his arrival in London three years ago.

“London has taught me so much,” Omar said. “If I had designed clothing for the event sitting in Lahore, it would’ve been near impossible to come up with something to satisfy the western audience.

“I got a favourable response, hugely favourable in fact, and I am planning to carry on my journey based in London, increase my knowledge of the world of fashion and hopefully deliver more goods in the near future,” he added.

As the six-day long event rounded off with the Miss Wimbledon 2008 award, a rounding applause — although not on the same scale as its predecessors, the London Fashion Week as well as Graduate Fashion Week — was an apt appreciation of the backstage staff that helped to make the event worth attending.

© Faras Ghani 2008
Published in Images (Dawn newspaper) Jul 13, 2008