KARACHI: Designer Asim Jofa, famous for his uncanny advertising campaigns, opened the doors to his first couture and bridal wear studio next to Ocean Mall in upscale Clifton, last week. The studio reflects Jofa’s philosophy that women should be indulgent, in that the collection offers bridal and formal wear starting at a few hundred thousand rupees each.
The detailed work done on the dresses mirrors Jofa’s love for jewellery designing, which he does as he strikes a balance between doing bridal and lawn suits. General Manager for Asim Jofa Design Studio, Uzma Jehangir, said, “Asim Jofa takes inspiration from jewellery designs and his aesthetics shines through them. It is, after all, his first love.”
The studio space has a vintage feel to it, with shades of grey and bronze accents. The racks are placed underneath spotlights. Overall, the studio is dimly lit. “This is our very first ready-to-wear bridal studio in the city,” added Jehangir. The bridals displayed on the racks start from Rs300,000. “Lawn is for the masses, hence we stock it at retail stores,” says Jehangir. “Over the years that Asim Jofa has been designing, we did not highlight his bridals and couture before; mostly people do not even know about it. But now, we will be operating our bridals and prêt wear from this store.”
The work done on the dresses mirrors Jofa’s love for jewellery designing. PHOTO: PUBLICITY
Encouraging women to drop by at the store, Jehangir said, “It’s exclusive, feminine and classy. The clothes displayed are suitable for every woman in town.”
The embroidery is centered on kora and dabka work, which is done on a range of fabrics – from charmeuse silk to chiffon. The pieces are heavily embellished with Jofa’s signature diamond-cut work, done with gold wire. His prêt wear features dark colours, including grey, blue, maroon, yellow, red and orange. The store’s plus point is that it retails three-piece suits only – with some pieces paired with digital print dupattas. The store also features his jewellery collection.
Speaking about the price range, social media and communications specialist for Asim Jofa Sarah Manzar, said, “People are very happy about the studio. Some walked in thinking that we are stocking our lawn collection here, but we are catering to the high-end market through this place. While some people have placed orders, others have just picked prêt wear off the racks.”
Manzar added that the brand stocks its clothes in various countries across the world including UK, USA, Canada, Dubai, Bahrain, Bangladesh and India. “We have a strong presence on Facebook and have garnered 800,000 fans worldwide,” she said.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 19th, 2013.
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