Pakistan emerges as a top marke for Indian designers

Pakistan is emerging as a big market for Indian designers, with a growing craving for India-made sherwanis and shalwars among the country’s rich. Top Indian fashion designers, including JJ Valaya, Rohit Bal, Rocky S and Rina Dhaka, among others, are flocking to Pakistani cities and other designers and luxury brands are exploring opportunities, with demand picking up across the border, The Economic Times reported.
“Fashion does not understand political boundaries,” Valaya, who has done a few standalone shows in Pakistan, was quoted as saying.
The designer, who used to get a significant number of footfalls from Pakistani clients at his store in Dubai, has a tie-up with a cloth mill there for premium designer fabric under his own label.
Mumbai-based Kimaya Fashions, which has investments from private equity firm Franklin Templeton, has struck a master franchise deal with Lahore-based fashion retailer Arshadsons to open multi-brand stores in Pakistan. As part of the deal, Arshad sons plans to open at least six ‘Karmik’ stores in cities such as Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad over the next three years, followed by smaller towns. Karmik is an affordable designer wear format of Kimaya Fashions. Pakistanis are sophisticated customers and their choices and sensibilities are similar to that of Indians, said designer Raghvendra Rathore. “If you take the politics away, there are a lot of cultural and social similarities.”
Known for his ‘band gala’ suits, Rathore gets a lot of private clients from Pakistan at his stores in India. “There has been a lot of exchange between the two nations in the fields of music and art, and fashion is a natural progression in this direction,” he said.
Rathore’s band galas and Valaya’s creations have similarities with the Pakistani national dress, the Sherwani – a long coat, which was developed during the British Raj as a fusion of the Shalwar kameez and the British frock coat.
A traditional dress of the Muslim aristocracy, it also found takers among Rajput leaders and over the years has become a ‘must wear’ at Indian weddings.
Despite their huge popularity in Pakistan, Indian designers did not have standalone stores in Pakistan as “there are a lot of political and regulatory issues involved”, said Anjalee Kapoor of the designer duo label Anjalee & Arjun Kapoor. She recently participated in a fashion week organised in Pakistan. “About 30 percent of the customers at our store in Dubai are Pakistanis,” she added. Like Kimaya, a few designers are also independently thinking of foraying into the unexplored territory. Delhi-based Mini Bindra, for instance, is planning to launch her label ‘Rubaaiyat’ in Pakistan this year. Bindra’s firm has also brought about 20 designer labels from Pakistan to India, which are currently retailed at a store in Delhi. Bindra has set up a multi-label store that sells clothes starting at Rs 1,000 and going up to Rs 15 lakh or more in partnership with the Pakistan Fashion Design Council (equivalent of the Fashion Design Council of India).
Pakistan’s ethnic designer wear market is estimated to be worth Rs 500 crore (Indian currency) and is growing at a healthy rate. The market, however, is small compared with India.
According to recent World Bank data, nearly a fifth of Pakistan’s population claims 42 percent of the country’s total national income, which would mean that nearly 36 million people have an average income of $2,100. An analysis of the numbers also shows that Pakistan’s top 18,000 super rich would have a combined income of $1.31 billion. “These super rich have a huge appetite for luxury wear, and spend huge money on the niceties of life,” said Saad Ali, chief executive officer of the Pakistan Fashion Design Council (PFDC).
Indian products are valued in Pakistan and the inspirational value for these labels is very high. “Indian saris are a hit here,” he pointed out. According to Ali, the elite have an impressive buying potential. “Like in India, the parallel economy is very big in Pakistan. The real buying power of people here is multiple times the official numbers,” he said. Though it may be difficult for lesser-known designers to do well in Pakistan, the big ones will surely be a hit, he added.
According to experts, wealthy Pakistanis spend a lot on clothing. Also, given the traditional nature of the society, ethnic wear sells well. “Even compared with India, not too many options are available in Pakistan, like western brands,” said Sahidjit Singh, who works with PFDC in India.
Pakistani buyers prefer drapes, floor brushing designs and long kurtas, which are contemporary and yet traditional. Embroideries and crystals are preferred. “Indian designers looking to woo Pakistan buyers will have to keep that in mind,” said Singh.
According to Vijay Singh, managing director of Fashion One International, which organises the India Bridal Fashion Week, Indian designers will have to cater to the sensibilities of consumers in Pakistan to be successful there.
“It’s important to have a strong distribution network and standalone stores, and the clothes also need to be rich in embroideries and reflect the Mughal-era in design,” he said. “There is immense potential for India designer wear to be successful in Pakistan,” Aftab Arshad Sheikh, managing partner, Arshad sons told ET on his visit to India last week.
“Each store will cost up to $1 million,” said Sheikh, whose company (with an annual turnover of close to $35 million) also deals in property development and industrial chemicals, besides retailing fashion brands such as Quiz, Heatwave and Moda in Pelle from the UK and Singapore in Pakistan. According to Sheikh, Indian designs have always been popular in the neighbouring country, but Bollywood has had a very big impact. “Ladies in Pakistan also watch Indian TV soaps, which have brought Indian lehengas, suits and saris to their living rooms,” he added.
“After Karmik, we plan to launch Kimaya stores in Pakistan to sell the real high-end designer wear,” said Pradeep Hirani, managing director of Kimaya Fashions. The company is evaluating partners for the Kimaya format, he added.
For Karmik, Arshadsons has entered into an agreement to invest $1 million (Rs6 crore) over the next three years, which includes franchise fee and cost of merchandise, Hirani said.