Fashion Pakistan Week Winter Festive 2016: bigger, better, bolder

Started in 2007, Fashion Pakistan Council (FPC) is a leading non-profit platform for local fashion designers to showcase their exquisite work nationally and internationally. A body created by the designers, for the designers.

It was FPC that introduced the trend of holding Fashion Weeks in Pakistan. Since the very first ‘Fashion Pakistan Week’ held in 2010, it had developed a tradition of holding bi-annual fashion weeks (Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter). And so it is time for FPC to hold Fashion Pakistan Week 2016’s Winter Festive.

With a magnificent line up of 20 talented designers, this Winter Festive is something to look out for. The event is set to take place from 30th October 2016-1st November 2016, where the country’s most renowned designers will be showcasing their latest luxury and bridal wear collection.

Just as Karachi gears up for the most awaited fashion week, Pakistan Today (PT) was keen to more about the event. Speaking to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the newly appointed council, Nida Azwer, she tells us about what’s in store this time.

Since the main objective of FPC is to educate, empower, encourage and promote local fashion designers, it has continuously looked for new ways to support and strengthen the fashion industry of Pakistan by launching many brilliant designers in the country.

“This time, we have a bigger head ramp to ensure a good finale shot for each designer,” she said.

“Furthermore, we are aiming for a more organised and well-planned backstage and our seating plan has already been done,” she continued.

“Each board member has been delegated a task to focus on and I feel that’s the best way to work,” Nida said.

“The Winter/Festive season is about fashion that is largely luxurious, opulent and of course trend setting. We believe that each participating designer will bring something unique to the show; from our more established designers to our upcoming, burgeoning talent, who we always promote at Fashion Pakistan and the shows that we do,” she added.

While talking about the upcoming fashion week and working as a council member, the designer said that the new board members are looking to build the infrastructure and create new avenues to elevate the show this season, and in the years to come.

“Our team is passionate about what we do, energetic and has the sincerity of purpose to do the best that we can,” Nida said.

“What we are looking for in the upcoming fashion week is a well-organised platform for designers to showcase their work, ranging from the more established to those that are emerging,” she maintained.

When asked about the criteria for short-listing designers for the show the ace designer commented, “I joined the council once the selections were done but, I believe you need to send in the mood boards and sketches for the board to decide.”

She continued to explain, “I feel it’s very important to give new talent a chance to showcase their collections if they have very promising designs and seasoned designers must also display their designs to keep up to date with the ongoing fashion trends.”

Talking about the challenges the council is likely to face in organising the fashion weeks, she said, “It’s very important to keep up to date literally on hourly bases. It’s a big production and there is a lot of coordination between many teams.”

We all know that nothing is easy and everyone faces a lot of challenges in their profession. Same is the case with these designers.

Speaking from experience as a designer, Nida says that inspiration is the biggest challenge. One must be inspired enough to make a collection. It is impossible to make your collection exciting so it stands out without being inspired.

“I’m always very excited to create new work and feel passionate about new collections,” she said.

The future of Pakistan fashion industry is booming and there are a lot of designers are passionate to work in the industry.

“Each season, you see so many new promising designers who showcase their work. Numerous new high street brands have come up,” she said.

The success of the show solely depends on the satisfaction of the designers.

“If the designers are happy, that means it’s been a successful event,” Nida said,

“It is very important for a fashion week to run smoothly, from the right kind of seating for guests and media to backstage being smoothly operated,” she said while talking about what makes the show a hit.

“When designers come back next season to showcase, it’s a sign that fashion week was successful,” she said.

From the glitz and the glam, what actually makes the fashion week a success is the media. From television to print to digital, media makes sure to do the right job in bringing the fashion to the public so they know what exactly one should look out for.

So what are we to expect from FPW this time, glamour, diverse collections, an organised fashion week, a fun red carpet and an overall fashionable experience. All in all, it has to be a good mix to make FPW a successful event!