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Spring is in the air – and so are fashion weeks.

The long omnibus endeavouring to set trends for the spring/summer season is about to get rolling and spearheading it is the PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week (PSFW) in Lahore.

The PSFW has, in the past, packed in quite a few high-fashion punches but with design increasingly slinking towards mundane territory, we wonder if the fashion week will be able to recreate the magic that was once its forte. Will it be able to shake things up and inject some much-needed creativity into an industry that is suffering from fashion ennui? Will it haul in star power, socialite clout and genuine accolades rather than paid social media reviews?

Or is that too much to ask?

The designer lineups for the year feature a sparse smattering of heavy-duty names as well as quite a few brands that haven’t really managed to impress in the past. However, the only way to get better is to try, try again and Pakistan Fashion Design Council (PFDC) CEO Sehyr Saigol has a flair for steering run-of-the-mill brands towards more striking territory. We’re hoping that she succeeds in doing the same this time.

Like last year, two separate halls have been designated for different shows. It helped diffuse the congested crowds that inevitably throng the hall when all the shows take place, one after the other, in a single hall. It also made sense because it became easier for designers to invite friends, family and clients to their shows because more seating was available to them.

The PSFW has packed in quite a few high-fashion punches in the past. Will it be able to inject some creativity into an industry suffering from fashion ennui? Will it haul in star power, socialite clout and genuine accolades rather than paid social media reviews? Or is that too much to ask?

It had also meant that the media, fated to attend fashion week from start to end, spent quite a lot of time in the outer foyer before the various shows begin. In the past, we’ve ended up snacking a bit too much from the snack bar thoughtfully stationed in the foyer, gossiping a bit too much and developing foot sores due to our high, high heels. Keeping this in mind, now that sneakers are in vogue, there’s a chance that we may be seeing quite a lot of them sensibly worn on the PSFW red carpet this time!

We’re also hoping that despite the segmented shows, the PSFW, like last time, will stick to a timely schedule that wraps up at a chaste hour. We love fashion but gazing at it past 10pm can be tasking.

There’s much more afoot at PSFW that could be – should be – exciting. Here’s the exclusive lowdown…

A show for indigenous craft

The opening act for fashion week will be taken up by an all-new segment, titled PFDC PEL Art of Craft or PFDC PEL Crafters Guild. Blending indigenous craft with high-fashion design, the show has been especially curated by Sehyr Saigol and will feature four-piece capsule collections by designers Akif Mahmood, Hamza Bokhari, Shahroz Tariq and Zonia Anwaar.

“The council has been working towards giving new meaning to indigenous craft and this is a step in that direction,” says Sehyr. “Our craft clusters need to be made relevant to modern times and that can only happen if they are incorporated into high fashion.

"I particularly chose designers who are creative, committed to their work and understand design and I exposed them to various forms of indigenous craft: phulkari, shadow work, mirror work, chikankari, et al. Then, it was up to them to work with the embroiderers and merge the handwork according to their own vision. A show like this also provides exposure to the craftsmen so that they understand the requirements of modern day apparel.”

Akif Mahmood, Hamza Bokhari and Zonia Anwaar are quite capable of upping the ante which means that this could truly be an interesting segment. Shahroz Tariq, the fourth designer in the group, is relatively new to the field, having been one of the newbies who debuted in the Bank Alfalah Rising Talent show only a year ago. This is his chance to prove his mettle.

Who’s showing at PSFW this time?

Ostensibly missing from the PSFW lineup are labels that were often fashion week highlights in the past.

Where are, one wonders, Sara Shahid, Maheen Kardar Ali, Ali Xeeshan, Mahgul, Sana Safinaz, Khaadi Khaas and Generation? Are they far too busy within bridal’s lucrative avenues to put together a collection for a ready-to-wear spring/summer show? Or have they gotten lost in the ongoing summer lawn wars?

Some of them, one knows, intend to fly solo this time rather than show at a collective fashion week while others have committed themselves to other fashion weeks. We have been told by quite a few designers that they will be participating in Hum Network’s Showcase this time, scheduled to take place in Karachi at the end of this month. We are assuming that it wasn’t possible for them to create an additional collection for PSFW.

Standing out in the designer lineup this time, then, are Sania Maskatiya, Misha Lakhani, Fahad Hussayn, HSY, Nida Azwer, Republic and Saira Shakira. A host of younger labels are also going to be taking on the catwalk; namely Mona Imran, Shiza Hassan and Zonia Anwaar.

There are also quite a few debuts that we’ll be looking out for; Hira Ali, who was part of the Bank Alfalah Rising Talent segment last year, Hussain Rehar, who’s been making waves this part year having dressed celebrities, set up a store in Lahore and shown a capsule collection at last year’s Magnum Party and Arjumand Bano.

No more Rising Talent?

The Bank Alfalah Rising Talent segment had long been a mainstay at local council-lead fashion weeks, even though the fashion shown on its platform wasn’t always well-received.

In its fledgling years, the platform had featured young designers who had erroneously put forward experimental clothes rather than actual wearable design on the runway, generating ridicule from the audience rather than accolades. The shows were, in fact, often quipped to depict the ‘fall’ of the Rising Talent.

Last year, though, one had felt a ray of hope when designers Kamiar Rokni and Maria B. had stepped up to mentor the young ones, giving them a crash course on the ways of fashion and helping them along with bringing some very promising designs to the catwalk. It was, supposedly, going to be an ongoing effort that Bank Alfalah and the council were going to continue. However, the platform is no longer part of the fashion week lineup – nor was it part of the PFDC L’Oreal Paris Bridal Week (PLBW) last year.

Having seen the Rising Talent stumble, fumble and fall before finally getting direction, it’s unfortunate that the platform is no longer visible. But perhaps it will return eventually? And even now, there’s plenty of new talent being shown at PSFW. Turning once again to that staid old joke, let’s hope it ‘rises’ rather than falls.

Model watch

The PSFW model pool is reportedly teeming with quite a few new faces with some veteran names clearly missing.

Even last year, the council spoke about the importance of having ‘tall girls on the catwalk’ and the fast-growing new crop of fashion models is certainly taller than its predecessors.

According to our sources, long-time hotsteppers Sadaf Kanwal, Fouzia Aman and Mehreen Syed won’t be seen at the PSFW while some new names are set to make their mark; among them, Mushk Kaleem, Saman Nawaz, Fahmeen Ansari and Rabia Chaudhry.

It could all boil down to an exciting fashion week – or maybe not. Quite often, fashion weeks don’t live up to the pre-event hype. Sometimes, they do. PSFW, we’re hoping for some bona fide fashion magic!