Published 26 Jul, 2019 03:33pm

PTI's Zulfi Bukhari says Imran Khan didn't don designer wear on his US trip, except it looks like he did

Prime Minister Imran Khan recently made a three-day official visit to the United States, and was lauded for his charisma, his conduct, and for donning traditional wear while representing Pakistan.

Questions about who stitched Khan's sherwani and shalwar kameez have been asked multiple times online, in light of which PTI's Sayed Zulfi Bukhari felt the need to step in and clarify a few things.

Bukhari who is Special Assistant to the PM for Overseas Pakistanis & HRD tweeted that the PM does not wear luxury designer wear, and that in fact the first lady buys cloth for him and gets it stitched from a "simple local tailor".

Fans of Khan and PTI supporters appreciated and lauded the statement:

Mohtaram, the company that tailored Khan's clothes and whose Instagram bio reads 'Designer Menswear' posted a statement on their Instagram adding that the pieces worn by IK weren't bespoke: "While Mohataram does have the privilege of stitching clothes for the Prime Minister, it is similar to many other tailoring facilities in Pakistan. Any connotation suggesting or inferring creation of a 'designer wear' or an exclusive product for the Prime Minister is over-stretching the context of the occurrence."

The company added, "As highlighted earlier, we would reiterate that there has been no special design development, no special treatment or protocol given to the creation of Mr. Prime Minister's clothes."

Except is the label just your run-of-the-mill local tailor?

Marketed as a luxury brand, a look at Mohtaram's social media will tell you that it has dressed many celebrities, including Osman Khalid Butt, Ahmed Ali Akbar and Shamoon Ismail to name a few. A glance at their website will reveal that their ready to wear kurtas are priced from Rs13,000-Rs15,000 and upwards and the sherwanis range from Rs50,000 to over a hundred thousand rupees.

A screenshot of Mohtaram's website

While the pieces worn by IK might not have been bespoke, is it really fair to say they've been designed by a simple tailor? Maybe not.

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