For Zahid Khan of Kuki Concepts, fashion is the statement an individual makes, but is reserved for the rich. “It’s not meant for poor people. It’s for the elite and the high class,” he says. “It is everything to me. Raat ko sotay hoay bhi, I dream of kapray… I think about clothes all the time.”
That’s what drives Khan, the passion for clothes and his fascination with colour. He recalls how, in his early years, his mother would ask him to accompany her during her Sunday Bazaar trips, instead of his seven other brothers. “I was always so fascinated with colours and combinations, that my mother always took me to the market to get good, colourful fabric whenever the festive season approached,” he says with a smile.
After graduating from the National College of Arts (NCA) with a degree in graphic design in 2001, Khan sold his thesis for Rs75,000 to a big textile firm, by doing a textile-inspired project for them. The following year, he opened his very first outlet Kuki Fuki with a friend at a rented space which was a designer club frequented by Lahoris. He called the place Kuki-Fuki. After realising that he can do so much more with his name and brand, he launched his own label, Kuki Concepts, on MM Alam Road. Thus, Khan went from a small designer to one that participates in fashion weeks and lawn exhibitions. From bridal couture and prêt wear to interior designing and furnishing, Khan does it all. “I don’t take orders for 500 bridal joras and then cry my heart out when I can’t complete these joras on time!” he exclaims, when asked how he juggles it all.
In 2012, he showcased at six events and received lots of appreciation from Karachi. So how does a Lahore-based designer succeed at events in Karachi to an extent that he participates at every Fashion Pakistan Week, but is never part of the famous PFDC? He says, “I am better friends with the Karachi crowd. I personally like the work and the simplicity of Maheen Khan, Rizwan Beyg’s couture, Faiza Samee’s colour palette, Bunto Apa’s striking bridal collection. The Karachi crowd and market has been appreciative from the very beginning, that’s why I am part of it.” The concept of two councils makes no sense to him, as he says, “At some point, I wish they’d become one. Why the division? I just want them to be one and work for the progress of the country on a single unified platform.”
Speaking about the hardships he has faced in his career, Khan says, “Establishing my name was really difficult — leg pulling, politics, setting up a factory and then these workers and tailors made my life very difficult as well at the beginning.” He is grateful that things have now become a lot more organised.
Kuki Concepts plans to go international with its designs — an outlet in London. Khan secretly hopes he could dress Madonna and Lady Gaga as well.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 6th, 2013.
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