THE ‘WHO’S WHO’ OF FASHION WEEK
APRIL 16, 2015
Maheen Kardar Ali is the Creative Director for the brand Karma. A the fashion weeks, she can be seen tending to all the front stage management ensuring the smooth running of things including the all important seating plan which inevitably becomes one of the toughest tasks to execute. Having been in the industry for years, she practically knows everyone and arguably has one of the toughest jobs at the Fashion Week.
Ah, another fashion week coming, right? Isn’t this pretty much everyone’s thought when we hear the next dates announced? All we can say is that you must not dismiss the PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week without thought. The achievements of the PFDC through the fashion week are extremely commendable and while we have already got the ‘questions‘ out of the way in a previous post, there are endless reasons to truly celebrate the achievements of the council.
The Pakistan Fashion Design Council was created in September of 2006 and has been run by volunteers since. The PSFW2015 will be the 12th consecutive fashion week hosted by the council including the bridal couture weeks and the pret a porter weeks. Speaking specifically of PSFW, this would be the 8th showcase and as always promising to be a fashion extravaganza.
During the course of these fashion weeks, we have seen the birth of some of the more renowned names in fashion today including Mohsin Ali, Ali Xeeshan, Mahgul and more. Aside from launching new talent in the industry, the Council also works to bring together international buyers to regulate the economic growth of the fashion industry, while the progress is slow it remains steady nonetheless. A case in point would be the Bindras who have managed expand Pakistani designers foray into the Indian market with actual tangible results.
The Council has also provided the fashion industry connections with the international journalists like Hilary Alexander, Jessica Bumpus (Vogue.com online editor) and many more. Working relentlessly, PFDC has created a store for the designers giving them a multilabel outlet to stock their merchandise for retail. Additionally, The PFDC recently made it compulsory for all designers participating in the shows to ensure retail availability of these designs. This in itself a step towards inculcating discipline and organizing fashion in the country.
Here are some of the faces behind the Fashion Week:
Sehyr Saigol
First lady of fashion in Lahore, Sehyr Saigol. The Council and the fashion weeks were her brainchild and to date she steers the ship as the Chairperson of the Council. She is a veteran of the fashion industry running the clothing label ‘Libas’ that has been around for decades. She is also the owner of the popular magazine again called ‘Libas’ which is not edited by her daughter Sabene Saigol. Every fashion week she works relentlessly to conceptualize the entire week from showcasing designers to attending guests to even invitation design.
Saad Ali is the owner of the well-established brand Karma along with his wife Maheen Kardar Ali. Holding an MBA degree packed with his experience of running the successful design house, Saad is the CEO of PFDC and is primarily responsible for the commercial side of PFDC. Having joined the PFDC in 2009, Saad Ali was appointed chairman of the councils’ store committee where he spearheaded the setup and management of PFDC’s multi designer stores in Lahore and later in Karachi. Today as CEO of the PFDC, Ali works diligently to promote fashion as a business and an industry, forming synergies between high end fashion and corporate entities, giant media houses and cottage industries.
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