Pakistan Fashion Week kicked off yesterday with Karachi’s top designers showcasing S/S10. The eight local designers who opened the event experimented with twists on traditional Pakistani dress and western styles. Audience reviews were everything from impressed to appalled as they watched a towering black feather hat, off-the-shoulder dresses and halterneck gowns strut by in the highest of heels worn by pouty models.
A typical fashion week protest in any other country may involve the paint-hurler fighting for animal rights. Controversy during Pakistan FW is one headed by the Taliban and like no other. “There’s so much more to Pakistan, it’s not just suicide jackets and Al-Qaeda. It’s defiance, sheer defiance. This is about saying, “They’re not going to threaten our lifestyle.” We want to show the world that we’re survivors,” said Rizwan Beyg, a leading designer.
Another featured designer and current press favorite, Aiesha Varsey…
Pakistani women wear varying degrees of Islamic dress with many covering their hair with a headscarf, although in Karachi jeans and a T-shirt are more likely to be seen on the streets than the ultra-conservative burka. Nadia Hussain, one of the nation’s top models, said she was not opposed to some censorship of overly raunchy outfits in Pakistan, but said creativity needed to shine through.
Fashion week will showcase 32 local designers over the four-day event, with security fears keeping foreign models and designers away.
