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Nargis...Let There Be Light

Pakistan defied terror to have a successful first fashion week

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Nargis...Let There Be Light
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November 7, 10 pm, was such an emotional moment for me—Pakistan’s first-ever fashion week had concluded, without incident, to tremendous acclaim both at home and abroad. Leading the hosannas was the media, both domestic and international, which displayed not just great interest but also unbounded excitement at the prospect of a fashion week in a frontline state engaged in the war on terror. Soon, it became an international story about the fashion world taking on the Taliban. It was perceived and projected as our act of defiance against those who shoot and bomb to impose their worldview on our society.

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Darz kiya hai: Left, a model in Pak designer Feeha Jamshed’s dress; another flaunting a Rizwanullah outfit

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To tell the truth, though, the Fashion Pakistan Week was not staged as a conscious act of defiance against any group, extremist or otherwise. Yet, showcasing the first-time event in these troubled times was truly an act of defiance. It was an act of defiance by an industry which, through Fashion Pakistan Week, was sending a message loud and clear—we will continue to work, generate jobs, provide livelihood. This is a message both pertinent and comforting in today’s Pakistan, considering our army is engaged in a war against an ideological enemy so that we can live and work with safety, in peace.

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I’m not a fashionista, I’m a corporate lawyer and a TV anchor. Before Fashion Pakistan Week was held, many wondered what I was doing running a fashion design forum. At times, I’d wonder too, but as the countdown to the fashion week began, I ceased to wonder why, filled as I was with wonder. My journey in this very glamorous world began when the board of governors of Fashion Pakistan invited me to take over as ceo and threw in the challenge of organising the event in eight weeks. As I discovered, that wasn’t the hard part. The design community promptly came on board, putting their creative genius behind the event. As did models, photographers, event managers, backstage crews and stylists. Over four days, 31 designers brought their collections to the ramp and, should I add, to the entire world through the marvel of technology.

The furious pace at which we worked—and the apparent normality we portrayed—couldn’t change the fact that a war was being waged in our country, not only in the far northwest but also right here in our cities and towns. Some might describe the fashion week as the elite’s indulgence in trivia against the enormity of the challenges facing Pakistan. But the ongoing war against terror can’t alter the other profound truth—life must continue, people need to work, bills need to be paid. Fashion is one of the world’s booming businesses, employing hundreds of millions of people globally. Since Pakistan needs to find a niche in this flourishing industry, one of the first things required of us was to hold a fashion week and change the mindset. Fashion week is really a trade show—no doubt, it’s glamorous but it isn’t entertainment. To become a serious business, it needs to be taken seriously. We articulated how Fashion Pakistan Week was all about the business of fashion, about jobs, exports, about earning foreign exchange and building a better Pakistan. An industry like any other, albeit with a higher glamour quotient.

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Security in Pakistan is an everyday concern, but naturally it’s more so with an event like the fashion week, high-profile as it is. Precautions were taken to mitigate risks. We kept the venue a secret and did things like printing different coloured cards for each day. But then the army general headquarters in Islamabad was attacked, making not only our international guests anxious, but leaving even those at home numbed with nervousness. We postponed the event from October 15 to November 4, and shifted our exhibition space. Karachi, our venue, was put on high alert. The security situation didn’t improve—but our morale did. Instead of postponing the event again, we decided that the way forward was to hold Fashion Pakistan Week. We advised all our international guests against gracing the event. We were more than compensated—instead of the editors of Vogue Italia, Vanity Fair and Velvet Magazine, newsrooms worldwide pulled their war correspondents out of Afghanistan and northern Pakistan and sent them to Karachi to cover the event.

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Fashion Pakistan Week began on November 4, under the amazed glare of the international spotlight. The music, the adrenaline, cameras clicking, hundreds of guests, thundering applause—all added to the energy of the event. And as the curtain fell on the event, the night of November 7 became an emotional one for me for another reason—before the packed hall, Faiza Samee asked me to be her showstopper. Since this was a first for me, I was extremely nervous. But the audience was amazing; I loved it. I made my transition from corporate lawyer to fashionista the moment I stepped on to the ramp. Fashion Pakistan too has stepped on the global stage, showing the world another side of Pakistan—stylish, glamorous, modern and courageous.

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(The author is the CEO of Fashion Pakistan and a TV anchor.)

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