Clothes Show London 29-31 May 2009

© Faras Ghani 2009
Published in Eastern Eye Jun 5, 2009

A tale of two cities

Although Hassan Sheheryar Yasin (HSY) and Maheen Kardar Ali’s (of Karma) much-awaited return to London came a month after the London Fashion Week, it not only brought about a change in the local weather but also served as a healthy reminder of what the duo is capable of delivering. Fresh off soaking in the Dubai Fashion Week applause, HSY, together with Karma, became part of a London fundraising event held at the Royal Court of Justice.

The event was held by Developments in Literacy (DIL) Trust UK as a launching pad of their vocational training aspect, – having been incharge of a girls’ school in Karachi. It consisted of various auctions before the studded models paraded in the sparkle that was A Tale of Two Cities (Karma’s collection) followed by HSY’s.

“For the event to be a huge success and for us to put our organisation on the map, we had to ensure a well-recognised presence from Pakistan, hence the choice of HSY and Karma,” Rubina Riaz, vice-president DIL Trust UK, said. “Also, since our motives are to promote education in women and to feature how a woman can equally be successful in the world, we had no better choice than inviting Maheen Kardar to display her work.”

The old-fashioned, high ceiling interior that is the Court and the imaginative mix of colour and shine that was A Tale of Two Cities blended majestically as the models ‘mingled’ with the seated guests, thus making for a more interesting evening, with HSY not too far behind.

And after the attendees parted generously with cash while bidding on the auctioned paintings – majority were by female artists thus adding to DIL’s aims of promoting female contribution to the world – it was left to HSY and Karma to remind one and all of their presence, attained via the selected group of Pakistani models – including the duo of Tooba Siddiqui and Zainab Qayoom – complemented by a group of local models.

An auction on a donated pair by the designers rounded off a classy evening – attended by former prime ministers and media tycoons – with much applause for the showcasing group as well as DIL members for a well-organised and unique fundraiser.

© Faras Ghani 2008
Published in Daily Times Oct 26, 2008

HSY, Karma in London

Londonwallas caught a glimpse of what Hassan Sheheryar Yasin (HSY) had on offer during the recently-concluded Dubai Fashion Week at a glittery fundraising event, with Karma presenting as well, inside the Royal Courts of Justice.

The event was held by Developments in Literacy (Dil) Trust, UK and consisted of various auctions before the models paraded in the sparkle that was titled A Tale of Two Cities. “For the event to be a success we had to ensure a well-recognised presence from Pakistan, hence the choice of HSY and Karma,” Rubina Riaz of the Trust said. “Since our motives are to promote education in women and to feature how a woman can equally be successful in the world, we had no better choice than inviting Maheen Kardar to display her work.”

The imaginative mix of old-fashioned grandeur and colourful art was aptly exposed in the courtyard where the old-age, high-ceiling interior complemented the duo’s collection while the models ‘mingled’ with the seated guests. After the attendees parted generously with cash while bidding on the auctioned paintings — a majority of which were by female artists — it was left to HSY and Karma to remind one and all of their presence. An auction on a donated pair by the designers rounded off the event.

© Faras Ghani 2008.
Published in Images (DAWN newspaper) Oct 19, 2008

Pakistan's sole entrance at LFW

Vivienne Westwood lived up to the hype as the most anticipated show of the week. Kate Moss made a successful return to the public eye by grabbing a front row seat (or a knee) — although that was laid to rest courtesy of a few tears down the cheek backstage. Sarah Brown, wife of British PM Gordon, eyed up topless male models while Pamela Anderson was spotted next to a mystery man as she sat busting at the seams.

While it was difficult to keep your eyes off the audience, the runways at London Fashion Week (LFW) reminded one and all why black is never deemed out of fashion, why being topless is considered fashion, hoodies are very much the ‘in thing’ and how the trend may very well be shifting from revealing to body conscious.

And while the mainstream designers clocked up millions of appreciation and glitter miles in the on-schedule shows, Pakistan’s sole entrée — albeit in an off-schedule show — Omar Mansoor was busy revving up a heavy load of acclaim for himself barely five miles away.

“It is a great honour just to be part of such a high profile event — unexpected even — but one that has taught me a lot and will hopefully act as a launching pad for greater ventures in the future,” Omar said of his inclusion in the list of designers for LFW.
Agreeing with the ‘black is back’ slogan, Omar’s glamorous blend of eastern upbringing and western influence once again proved a sensation.

Opting to lure a younger audience — read single and exuberant instead of mothers present at a Christmas Ball — Omar jumped in with knee-lengths while placing special emphasis on the black (five of the six outfits especially designed for of the line designed especially for LFW were black) as well as a selected few from his successful showing at Wimbledon Fashion Week in June.

“I’ve opted to go in with more of a ready-to-wear collection aimed at a younger generation, primarily in their 20s, trying to strike a balance between my knowledge of the East and the West,” he said.

Opting yet again to exhibit his work without availing services of any Asian models, it proved to be a case of seamless adoption of the East into the West, a trait he wishes to bring to Karachi in the near future.

“Even though I was nervous coming into LFW and felt under-prepared, I’ve been overwhelmed by the appreciation and well-wishes I received for my work. It wasn’t just the dresses being applauded but also how well, by looking at the outfits, one could see the Pakistani soul conflated into the knee-lengths.

“And I think I can very well take to Karachi and prove a big hit as the market over there will be very much open and welcoming to my designs and outfits.”

And as the fashion world moves to Milan — which in itself has a tough job keeping up with London after a howling performance — Omar plans to take his work outside the UK, ready to take on Pakistan in the near future.

© Faras Ghani 2008.
Published in Images (DAWN newspaper) Sep 28, 2008

London Fashion Week

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