April is set to be quite an eventful month — and I am not referring to the pre-election buzz. April is going to be the fashion month of Pakistan with as many as four fashion events coming up.
First on the cards is Fashion Pakistan Week 5 (FPW 5) which is to be held on April 9 and 10 in Karachi.
FPW was to be held last month from March 20 to 22, but was delayed due to the security situation in the wake of the Abbas Town tragedy. Though skimmed down to two days, it still promises some quality fashion-boasting names like Sana Safinaz, Sania Maskatiya, Deepak Perwani and Maheen Khan.
The Fashion Pakistan Council is going all out to make the best of the two-day fashion show. They are promising to stream shows live from the runway, but considering FPW’s tryst with live streaming in the past, one can only make a conclusive judgment once it actually happens. While live streaming of FPW 3 last year in March was bumpy and unstable and left a lot to be desired, red carpet live streaming of FPW 4 last year in October was dismal and disappointing on new levels.
A very positive development to take place on the FPW front is the collaboration with Style360 Labels e-store. As per this collaboration, collections shown on the FPW 5 runway will be instantaneously up for viewing, purchasing and ordering on the e-portal. Buyers and consumers will be able to attain clothes right off the runway through Style360 Labels e-store.
Zahir Rahimtoola, the man behind the Labels e-store venture said, “This is the first time in the history of Pakistani fashion that such a platform has been created through a synergy between a fashion council/fashion retailer/media house.”
“This process will help facilitate international buying, especially as most buyers are unable to visit Pakistan due to flawed security perceptions,” he added.
This is an exceptional initiative and will address the age-old and much maligned issue of fashion week collections being unavailable to consumers and not appearing in the retail market.
But this also raises questions regarding production, procurement and whether designers will be able to meet the delivery requirements considering their limited production capabilities. Rahimtoola provides a solution countering this issue as well. “The quantity that a designer can provide will be determined by the designer themselves along with a delivery timeframe,” he said. “Logic will be put into place whereby the quantities available for sale will be quoted, so that a buyer has accurate information of quantity and delivery dates,” he added. Which means you won’t be allowed to bite off more than you can chew.
Labels’ doors are open to all designers and fashion councils willing to benefit from their services. When asked if a similar collaboration with Pakistan Fashion Design Council is on the table for PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week, set to be held at the end of April, Rahimtoola said, “Not at the moment. We want to do FPW seamlessly first. We have an excellent e-commerce portal which can be made operational at a short notice for any fashion platform.”
Published in The Express Tribune, April 3rd, 2013.
Like Life & Style on Facebook for the latest in fashion, gossip and entertainment.