India's love for Pakistani fashion runs deep
India and Pakistan have come a long way holding onto their bittersweet relationship. The nostalgia trip takes you through so many lanes that you start to wonder where it all began. We share so much. Hatred, territoriality, customs, a state of denial, festivals, history, theatre, celebrating Faiz's poetry, cricket madness, addiction to Bollywood and the mixed bag has so many more reasons for many more years of association.
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Apart from the cross-cultural harmony that we share, the emerging fashion market between these two countries has a different way of looking at the idea of coexistence. Pakistan's new fashion wave is definitely strike the right chords with India. About a decade ago, very few Indians were wearing Pakistani designs and it was purely novelty.
Over the last few years, we have seen more of the Pakistani embroidery and elegant kurtas limited to a few stores. Indians never got over films like Heena and Veer Zaara and let's admit, we all wanted minimum one pair in our wardrobe. The original patterns, the bright blocks and rich pastels, the monumental prints and the embroidered motifs stole our fashion reclined hearts.
During my visit to Shahpur Jat village in 2012, one shop had some Pakistani designer wear and I still remember my excitement on finding such a hidden gem. The Pakistani Fashion Design Council (PFDC) in the same year came up with its flagship store PFDC, The Boulevard in Delhi and started retailing Pakistani labels like Libas, Hassan Sonia Azhar, Sheheryar Yasin, Sana Safinaz, Asifa Nabeel, Fahad Hussayn, and many others.
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The fashion wave grew stronger when old and new Pakistani television series caught our attention on Zee Zindagi in 2014 and it became our ultimate guide to Pakistani fashion. Apart from the fresh brief stories, magnificent Urdu words, beautiful music and intense characters, the Indian fell in love with the gorgeous silhouettes and the aesthetics of Pakistani designers. It became a reference point for tailors and Indian men and women to elegant clothing.
There is another feather in the cap now as Anhad, a multi-designer store featuring collections of Pakistani designers in India opened at DLF Place, Saket. Conceptualised by Kiran Chaudhary Amlani and Shabana Khan, Anhad breathes new life into the tradition of sharing Pakistani trends in India.
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They focus on each and every designer and their collection by personally curating and handpicking every design. Anhad in Urdu means limitless and at the opening, the Indian fashion lovers were seen welcoming the work of Pakistani designers. The collection's range was ready-to-wear and luxe prêt with beautiful fabrics, the gorgeous silhouettes, the embroidery, and the finesse.
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The collection varied from the simple kurtis from brands like Khaadi and Sapphire, to stitched silk tunics from brands like Sania Maskatiya, and embellished formals from brands like Elan by Khadijah Shah, Faraz Manan and many more. The fabrics ranged from premium cottons to rich silks and elegant chiffons. Among many new things planned for next year, Kiran and Shabana are also planning to introduce stitching services for unstitched fabrics as well as offer exclusive trunk shows for bridal couture collections and customised bespoke offerings in the future.
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At the same time, the brand also curates the work of many upcoming designers, who have something interesting to offer keeping the Indian sensibilities in mind. As the Pakistani retail industry is finding a ground in our country alongside the much highlighted external and internal clashes, the cross-border collaborations between designers, manufacturing firms and retailers have created a medium of balanced exchange of trends and traditions. We are definitely looking forward to fresh ideas and trends by our elegantly fashionable neighbours.