Textile designing is huge in Pakistan and with more and more creative young minds popping up just about everywhere, it seems like the textile industry has a promising future. While experienced designers copy international markets, students of Asian Institute of Fashion Design (AIFD) proved that research and experimentation with original ideas is the key to successful designing.
For most 23-year-old design students, being prompt for a class task is easy, but exhibiting their thesis project, which is research-based, requires time, dedication and a lot of creativity. From the Lok Virsa culture and Turkish traditions to reptile skin and crowded bazaars, 12 students showcased their work at AIFD on Friday afternoon.
For student Yamna Hayat, it was the redundant Turkish motifs from the Ottoman Empire which inspired her and formed the foundation of her thesis. “The five traditional Turkish motifs titled Rumi, Hatayi, Cintemani, Ogival and Saz, are the basis of my work,” says Hayat. “But for local flavouring, I added Urdu letters.”
AIFD students exhibit creative research-based projects. PHOTO: PUBLICITY
Hayat also feels that since the designs are considered sacred and to avoid any kind of controversy, she used them on a shirt, which seems more appropriate, and not a bed sheet.
Another young student of AIFD Shiza Fatima, was inspired by the bazaar culture of Karachi. “I visited 12 bazaars in the city,” says Fatima. “From Empress Market to Bolton Market in Saddar, Lulu Kath Bazaar, Gol Market and also Hyderi Market in North Nazimabad.” Fatima explains that she wanted to keep the bazaar culture alive in her thesis display. “After taking photographs of old bazaars, which show that the bazaar-going culture is still prevalent in the city, I sketched each shot with proper design composition,” she adds.
Fatima also seems to love the simplicity of the people in these bazaars. “What malls offer you, is completely different from what a bazaar can give you,” she says.
She fears that the bustling bazaars will soon vanish and big, gigantic malls will take over. But with her work, Fatima hopes to revive the bazaar-going culture in its truest form. The products that she displayed had a few cushion covers and Roman blinds.
AIFD students exhibit creative research-based projects. PHOTO: PUBLICITY
While all the work displayed was interesting, Javeria Fatima’s eye-catching thesis was a revisit to the colonial ruins of the British Raj. She explains her focus was on saving the colonial heritage. “We need to preserve this heritage of the old colonial architecture,” says Javeria. “These are now in rotten state.” Experimenting with her design techniques, Javeria used jute and other mixed medium to make cushions, curtain and room dividers.
Head of textile design at AIFD Hassan Zafar was extremely pleased by the turnout of the event. “There were 12 students who displayed their work today bringing forward their thesis display from a creative mindset to diversified format,” says Zafar. “These were research-based projects and considering the industrial limitation that these students face, the response was good.”
“We are trying very hard to minimise the gap between theory and practice at the institute. We want to groom them for their future in the textile industry,” he shares.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 3rd, 2013.
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