Promising to cater to the fashion wants of Islooites, multi-designer store Labels has made its way to the capital. Offering leading Pakistani brands under one roof, the store had a soft launch on Saturday evening. Among the attendees were designers, socialites and fashion enthusiasts, who are gearing up to explore what the store will offer.
Commenting on why Labels ventured towards Islamabad, the brand’s CEO Zahir Rahimtoola told The Express Tribune, “Labels is Pakistan’s first and premier fashion retail store. The time was now and ripe for Labels to open in Islamabad since the city enjoys a transient population, which is conducive for retail.”
Amna Badar, CEO of Labels Islamabad, also runs her own fashion line titled ‘Ballerina by Amna Badar’. She said that although fashion heavyweights from Karachi and Lahore will be housed in Labels, the brand looks towards launching new designers in the upcoming month.
Pashmina Ahmed, head of operations at Labels Islamabad, said that Labels has been selective about which designers to take on board to ensure a high quality quotient of its offerings. “From details to cuts to themes, we are being intimate and personal with what [designers] bring to our clients here,” she commented.
She shared that the store will stock 30 brands, including Muse, Maheen Karim, Zara Shahjehan, Fahad Hussayn, Nomi Ansari, Sonya Battla, Koel, Shamaeel Ansari and Vaneeza, among others. It will also feature talent from Islamabad, such as designers Saadia Asad and Sabeen Jahanzaib. “Designers who are on board will be kept updated on the market’s requirements, so that customers get what they want,” she further said.
Designer Fahad Hussayn said that with an increasing clientele in Islamabad and Rawalpindi and even Peshawar, he was thrilled to mark his presence in the capital. “There is a particular niche of each city and Islamabad has a style of its own,” he said.
Hussayn added that while other cities were keeping apace with the latest trends and that it is essential for Islamabad to follow suit. “I can see the increasing demand here now. I can put up dresses on the racks here and know they will sell,” stated the designer. He will also exhibit his jewellery pieces comprising chunky gold-plated pieces, which will complement both eastern and western wear.
Model-turned-designer Vaneeza Ahmad, who is stocking her collection in Islamabad for the first time, said she has witnessed a radical change in the fashion scene in the city. After Karachi, she sees Islamabad as the next most fashionable city.
A two-storey building, the store’s modern architecture is riveting. The minimalistic and bare approach to the interior allows the collect