‘Pakistan is on the verge of an economic crisis and collapse’, read the headlines of newspapers, nationally as well as internationally. While skimming through these daily headlines, it dawned upon me that I live in a crisis-ridden country wherein, lately there has been more economic recession than growth, more inflation than deflation and more horror than happiness. The fiscal deficit is high and growing, inflation seems to be rising at an unprecedented rate, investment is low, poverty has grown over the years and industries are facing huge losses. However, remarkably, the country’s ‘fashion industry’ remains noticeably unaffected by the general depression of trade along with the austerity of these harsh realities.
It is truly incredible how people are capable of finding happiness and harmony under the shadows of crisis and with the heritage of unbearable losses. Likewise, for many people, blindly following fashion and compulsive shopping offer a state of happiness and contentment. Can we see this phenomenon as a means to forget stress and an escape from harsh realities? It seems like this is one of the reasons for the flourishing fashion industry of Pakistan. Come to think of it, the fashion industry is perhaps the only industry that remains unaffected by the economic conditions of Pakistan which principally makes the niche of high value fashion products to be elites; who are not affected by recession or inflation. Is the fashion industry further increasing the gap between the rich and the poor?
Most Pakistani people would admit to owning at least a good quantity of items from branded fashion stores. Pakistani women especially, continue to spend hundreds of thousands on fashion products every day. Probably, for them, this might to be their way of contributing towards the economy of Pakistan: I cannot afford the price hike in fuel, gas or electricity, but what I definitely can afford is an expensive branded bag whose name I cannot even correctly pronounce. I will also refuse to wear the clothes ever again or preferably bury them stealthily; pretending I never owned one, if I see some other woman standing next to me at the crosswalk, wearing the exact same dress. Funny, how the serious loathing for the mass-produced fashion items would still not stop the ‘economy concerned’ lady from spending hundreds and thousands on a fashion item that she will most likely see another other woman carrying and that also in almost 100 times less price than what she had paid. Thank the phenomenon of globalisation shall I, or the grey markets and cheap labour?
Fashion trends change so drastically that they rival the changing weather. These fashion industrialists know exactly what they’re doing, and are doing it really smart. The dictum of the age is to draw the audience towards the new fashion trends where any gimmick would sell! Nowadays we come across a prodigious number of advertisements of fashion items. Also, every other advertisement in Pakistan bears resemblance to fashion in some way or the other. ‘Fashion’ is being used as an appeal by other industries as well just in hope that may be things for them can change too. They must be playing safe because Pakistani fashion industry is successfully maintaining itself as an attractive and the safest industry to exploit.
If we take it to a next level, the fashion industry can play a big role in current economic situation of Pakistan to spread our culture and traditions to other civilisations across the border, according to many economic analysts. They believe that the dying film industry of Pakistan took away the investors from Lollywood, but the flourishing fashion industry is bringing them back as Indian, Arab and other foreign designers flock to hold shows in Pakistan. Can fashion be an image merchant for Pakistan?
The writer is sub editor, Profit. She can be reached at syedmaheen@hotmail.com