Pakistani Fashion Designer - Meeras by Nilofar Shahid

Nilofer Shahid, director of the fashion house Meeras, comes from a family of warriors, poets, writers and painters.

One could say that she was almost genetically sensitized towards the finer things of life. Of course being brought up on a steady diet of Khalil Gibran and A.R Chaughtai’s paintings only served to further accentuate her talent.

From an early age Nilofer was drawn to the art of craftsmanship, an obsession that continues to date. Thus, in 1992 with the launch of her fashion house Meeras, Nilofer made an almost natural transition from being an avid admirer to becoming an active participant.

The themes of her collections reflect her deep affinity with the land of her birth – from Islamic calligraphy to Mughal architecture to the heritage of central Asia, Nilofer’s work has spanned the east in its truest meaning.

Pakistani Fashion Designer - Nayna by Saman Arif

Nayna is a privately owned company that designs, manufactures, and markets traditional Eastern fashion for the contemporary woman.
Nayna's Collection, showcasing Bridal Wear, Formal Wear, Shoes and other Accessories, has tapped into the wealth of rich Pakistani fabrics, and employed the skill of experienced Lahori craftsmen for the production of its hand embroidered and intricately detailed products. At the same time, all of Nayna’s manufacturing is completed in-house, thus enabling strict quality control at every level of production.

Pakistani Fashion Designer - Rouge by Memoona Manan

Memoona is well known for her exquisitely-embroidered ethnic bridal wear and has a loyal clientele in Pakistan and England. But her children want to expand the label and take it to a wider audience. Memoona’s son Faraz and daughter Sundas are now part of the design team at Rouge and their fresh outlook was clearly visible in the collection seen on the ramp at BurJuman. The collection was trendy and contemporary, but had all the elegance and the intricate embroidery that Memoona is known for.
The siblings have infused their mother’s label with freshness and vitality with their own line of contemporary fusion garments that have the signature Memoona Manan embroidery and quality, but a young and trendy look.

Pakistani Fashion Designer - Lajwanti by Afzal Ali & Ana Ali

Lajwanti primarily started as haut-e-couture high-end Bridal fashion house. Producing masterpiece Bridal, Formal and party wears on customer's demands. At present lajwanti has added on to Prêt-a-porter ready to wear line both for men and women and has set a small weaving unit to weave silk in the old traditional way the KHADI hand woven fabric, we also have power looms unit through which we get custom made fabric for our consumption. Lajwanti was formally launched in March 1999 with a sales outlet in Pearl Continental Hotel Lahore and started dealing with made to order Bridal and party ware costumes. Due to its high quality intricate designs and exclusive finishing Lajwanti met with resounding success from the very start.

In the past Four years Lajwanti has expanded by adding one outlet in Karachi in year 2000 another out let on the posh area of M.M ALAM ROAD Gulberg and in early 2003 a franchisee for UK in London.

Lajwanti by Afzal Ali & Ana Ali - One of pakistani designer boutique selling men's and women's bridal formal, wedding, traditional shalwar kameez, sherwanis and much more. address: Gulberg Lahore, Zamzama Karachi, New Delhi India, Chicago USA

Pakistani Fashion Designer - Klash - by Kanwal Lashari

Klash is one label commonly known for the best formal line in town. The fashion designer Kanwal Lashari of Klash had groomed her skills at National College of Arts Lahore where she was found an astounding student and right after her completion at NCA she joined Nee Punhal & kept on working there for a year to learn more in fashion designing while gaining some practical experience as well.

Later she joined Libas International and worked their as a chief designer for more than a year. She has also participated in some of the exhibitions for her Hand Painted Saris which turned out to be a big hit in the market while bringing more fame to her name.

She has a fabulous control over formal line and her special focus is always on the eastern body structure for the best eastern wear, Now that she is very much satisfied with her work and upon her clients request now she will be launching her Bridal wear along with formal line.

Pakistani Fashion Designer - Khaadi by Shamoon Sultan

The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary. Except in the case of Shamoon Sultan - owner and chief designer of Khaadi creations - as he laughingly admits. Endearingly modest for a young artiste of extraordinary entrepreneurial savvy, Shamoon still is the same lackadaisical, happy-go-lucky textile designer he was while training at the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture. "When I set up Khaadi, I thought I would be out of business in six months and have to go crawling back to my father, and beg him for a job!" he says. "My teachers never thought I'd come this far and I myself never imagined the concept would take off like it did." But break the boundaries Shamoon certainly did, singlehandidly, if somewhat unwittingly, by ushering in a "khaadi culture,"of spectacular sartorial spark.
Shamoon capitalised on the advantages fortune favoured him with: his father's finances and artistic direction from architects Arshad and Shahid Abdulla, his uncles. But this is a man who simply cannot be dismissed by the inconsequential epithet: "lucky" or even someone "in the right place at the right time." Spotted by Noorjehan Bilgrami while still a student at the Indus Valley, Shamoon's talent and creative vision propelled his rise from proprietor of a small boutique on Karachi's elite-street Zamzama, where Khaadi was first set up, to head of one of the most successful textile houses in the country. His creative and business acumen certainly show no signs of abating as Khaadi continues to expand.

Pakistani Fashion Designer - Kechoo's - by Jehangir Khalid

The label Kechoo's one of the best fresh fashion houses of Pakistan is a collection of art merged in eastern wear. The Fashion Designer Jahangir Khalid whose label turns out to be his nick, actually, Kechoo. 28 years old Keecho has learnt the basics from Pakistan School of Fashion Designing and his creative nature.

He came in the fashion Industry in 2003 but within one year he attracted all the art admirers at his fashion house because of his quality work in Bridal dresses.

Bridal dress means a lot to an eastern girl, a one true time of honour and happiness therefore when it comes to designing a wedding dress Kechoo puts an extra effort for having a lot of options for embroidery and creation, Kechoo's specialty is Bridal and Sari's, His favourite colour combinations are Pastel colours. He is very enthusiastic and filled with energy. He always says that every new bridal dress is a challenge, a challenge with an opportunity, an opportunity to prove his art.

Pakistani Fashion Designer - Kamiar Rokni's Karma

Karma is one of those lucky few who always knew what it is they wanted to do with their lives. "I knew I wanted to be a designer much before the Pakistan School of Fashion Design (PSFD) had even been established. I don't think I would have ever been happy doing a nine to five job even if it is a lot less exhausting and less time consuming than this one. Anything concerned with aesthetics is my cup of tea whether it is doing home interiors or landscaping or home accessories etc.".
Kami is an interesting mix of contrasts and contradictions. Bred and born in Pakistan, he feels more at ease designing a pair of trousers and a tank top than a shalwar kameez. "Probably because I've always been wearing westerns and I've been reading Vogue since I was six. Also due to the nature of the training provided by PSFD you will find that most of the graduates will be more proficient in designing Westerns than Easterns since our entire syllabus is designed and executed according to the guidelines sent by the mother school in Paris and the emphasis thus is on the designing of jackets and skirts rather than on the making of ghararas and lahngas."

Karma is about clothes that demand attention without eclipsing the person wearing them. Karma's label is about innovative fashion; modern, fresh, glamorous, yet timelessly elegant. Fashion is more than the clothes you wear. It is the way you live your life. Karma's clothes reflect that individuality. They are about style, a sense of aesthetic beauty that is relevant anywhere and everywhere in the world.

Pakistani Fashion Designer - Jugaan - by Shazia Wajahat

Shazia Wajahat carried inborn gifted qualities from her father who had been doing his business in India. Before partition her father was interviewed by BBC for being a self made businessman and touched the infinity of his business in India & Pakistan.

Shazia Wajahat, designing under label "Jugaan" inherited some qualities from her father. In 1995, Shazia who is painstakingly research oriented, nature loving, conceived her to be a fashion designer. Shazia has exhibited her work all over Pakistan, today her name is well recognized and in the field of formal, evening and bridal dress designing in land and abroad.

Shazia Wajahat is very much optimistic, well committed with her profession and every day she creates and thinks many new designs along with different style/cats, by making sketches.

Pakistani Fashion Designer - Hassan Shehryar Yasin, HSY

While Hassan Shehryar Yasin's (HSY) choreography always has an upbeat pace, not for him leisurely sashaying on the catwalk by the models. Never has this been more evident than at his recent showing of the DuPont Lycra 'Has It' collection designed by Hasan Shehryar Yaseen. And little wonder, with over 70 outfits shown by 30 models, fast and snappy remained the mood for the show - apt, for a western wear collection featuring togs for both the male and female wardrobe. No gender discrimination here, equal numbers of outfits for both were shown.
Hasan Shehriar Yaseen promoting fabrics with Lycra blend, the 'Has It' campaign's theme being, 'You either have it or you don't' brings the product to a more personal level, while differentiating Lycra blend garments from the rest. Projecting the designer chosen for designing a spring/summer 2004 collection for the multinational by saying "Hassan Shehryar Yasin has it" in the introduction as a pun might be taking the branding element too far, since not only was branding very much in evidence at the venue, but giveaways included lots of literature on the same. Along with a multimedia presentation and a couple of speeches thrown in, a word has to be put in for subtlety here.

Effectively bridging the gap between raw material - fabric, and the finished product - a prét line, DuPont has shown the way for the textiles industry to gear up for more value-added products. In the competitive global market for apparel, fashion and textiles, with our basic textile sector infrastructure in place, there remains the need to boost exports. While the Lycra-incorporated apparel line is aimed at both the local as well as foreign market, an interesting fact, as pointed out by DuPont was that "all fabrics used" were locally produced by different mills, primarily Nishat mills, Liberty mills, Master Naqshbandi Industries, Artistic Denim and Siddiqsons Denim.

Pakistani Fashion Designer - ABCD by Ammar Belal Men's T-Shirts, Jeans, Casual Wear, Street Wear

From the kings and Queens of Pakistan’s fashion realm to yet another charming prince. At first, one might argue that there is only a slight design factor incorporated in each garment that Ammar Belal’s label ABCD produces. While most of the bigger and established brands are playing safe these days by catering to their specific target audience, ABCD has the advantage of experimenting on casual wear while being led by an equally innovative and classy designer. This is what gives ABCD a cutting edge. Also while every other designer is experimenting with one or more aspect of bridal wear, ABCD is strictly street wear couture and that’s that. Lately, his famous customized jeans by the brand name of AS JEANS have become a raging fad in the city.
The idiosyncrasy starts from the very name 'ABCD?' Are clothes about being an American Born Confused Desi, or not? What ever your answer might be, his creations are creating more than waves today.

Pakistani Fashion Designer - Amir Adnan, Fnk Asia, Men's Formal Wear, Grooms Wear Shalwar Kameez

Despite it being a textile hub, fashion, style and glamour are not labels commonly associated with the industrial Punjab city of Faisalabad. Amir Adnan took up the challenge to introduce all these aspects of modern high street style to the textile capital of Pakistan. In doing so, Amir Adnan along with his team of organizers took Faisalabad by storm. Advertising was prominent in all the major newspapers and there were hoardings all over the city. The fashion show was Aamir Adnan and Huma Aamir Adnan's first trip to the city where they presented their exquisite collection of casuals, semi-formals and formal wear for both men and women.

Aamir Adnan yet is looking beyond the usual horizons and planning to open an outlet in every possible prospective market of fashion. Aamir Adnan organised a fashion show in Pakistan with special help from old friends and colleagues like Khawar Riaz (KR CREW) and Ather Hafiz, the men's wear designer at Libas. Khawar Riaz provided the models and was in charge of their grooming and make-up.

The collection that was presented on the stage carried a wide range of designs and latest styles of formal shalwar kameez and semi-formal salwar kameez for both genders. The men's collection portrayed simple colours like black, blues, greens and browns with the elegance of embroidery on kurta and sherwanis that is associated with all Amir Adnan products. The eastern wedding wear was the most well received. The second segment of groomswear capsuled the glory and majesty of our traditions. The sherwanees were elegantly embroidered using semi-precious stones and delicate hand embroidery that made every model look like a member of the royal courtyard of the Maharajas and Emperors. Pure silk Jamewar turbans provided the picture perfect glory of the past represented as today's fashion statement.

Females were also dressed to create an awareness of fashion in Pakistan. Huma Adnan's beautiful collection was displayed on the ramp like a soft spring breeze blowing in the heat of the scorching summer sun. Huma Adnan's collection consisted of beautiful and detailed cuts that are the perfect amalgamation of western styles with an eastern touch for the modern woman of not just Pakistan but the world. The designer plans to launch this fusion line in the USA very soon. Huma Adnan stylized collection of bridals matched the sartorial image of their male counterparts. Presenting brides and grooms together allowed the designers to represent traditions with style.