Spinning a yarn, threading a trend

Ethnic is the buzz word in Pakistan's lucrative fashion industry following a trend established by some popular brands in the country.

In bustling and busy Karachi — the industrial heart of Pakistan — lies Zamzama, a street that contains some of the most elite boutiques in the city. Anyone who enjoys shopping must pay this street a visit when in Karachi. And while there, browsing through the innumerable shop windows, it is impossible not to stop at the brightly colored front of the shop known as 'Khaadi'.

The décor and the fabrics that greet the shopper transfer some strange joie de vivre — perhaps this comes from the young and vibrant owner of the business. Shamoon Sultan was a young textile design student at the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture when he came up with the idea of Khaadi.

This school is also a gem of creativity — it was envisioned by well established designers and architects of Karachi to "motivate and guide students to think, be curious, to keep themselves open to sources of experience and learning, to be politically aware and socially responsive and take an independent position, respecting knowledge and people of knowledge, with humility."

This spirit is reflected in the unique project undertaken by the school to relocate the campus to a century old landmark building.

Imbued with these values, it's no wonder that the young graduate thought of reviving the centuries-old practice of making handwoven cloth in Pakistan. Although handlooms, known locally in Pakistan as khaadi, have always been functional in the country — with the advent of mechanisation their story became, quite literally, a silent yarn.

Khaadi changed all that.

Khaadi opened its doors for business in 1998. Within six years the brand had established a market presence by ensuring its customers a large variety of bright colours and good quality hand woven materials. Unlike other commercial brands, Khaadi only uses natural fibres such as cotton and silk. It also provides work to a number of highly skilled weavers and by training others, is ensuring that this ancient tradition of hand woven and naturally dyed cloth remains alive and commercially viable.

It is also diversifying. From fabrics, Khaadi has now expanded to include household textiles — you can find beautiful bed spreads, throws, cushions — as well as sandals and fabric bags. As you would expect from a young designer at the helm, all Khaadi outlets have been very thoughtfully planned, each in tune with the social life of the city that hosts it.

Khaadi has, for the first time, brought together weavers from various parts of the country under one roof. The brand also has its own dyeing unit where all the griege thread is dyed allowing for quality control. The work of Khaado Designers (also graduates from the Indus Valley School) is facilitated by an in-house stitching unit.

Now that Khaadi has made hand woven cloth de rigueur, the style of weaving has also been copied. However, Shamoon takes this in his stride. In an interview with Newsline, he says, "I firmly believe that one should never just follow the rat race. Once you start doing that, you will be a nobody. Also, never copy. There are so many things that you can do with the handloom. Everyone who comes into the business should not just look to follow in our footsteps — they should try to carve a niche on their own. Use the same technique, but try to be different, perhaps focusing on a different market segment. It is possible for Khaddar to be offered to a different clientele, and this is the direction that the newcomers should go into.

"Hard work, dedication, commitment and honesty are the keys to success. I get a high when I come to work every day. That is the way it should be. Sundays are often the hardest day in the week for me. Work should be a hobby, a time-out, a passion." Khaadi recently introduced its pret line in Karachi with Khaadi Khaas.

Someone who is no stranger to the fashion industry in Pakistan and who works in a completely different market segment is Amir Adnan. This seasoned designer has been able to turn his name into a well recognised brand both within Pakistan and in the international fashion market.

People who live in Dubai and Sharjah will no doubt be familiar with this name as Adnan opened his first flagship store in the UAE in 2004, quickly expanding to open more outlets in a very short period of time. The latest addition to the business has been the launch of the label FnkAsia which was conceived when Amir and his wife Huma were on a summer holiday in Italy.

The bright streaming sun in Rome could certainly have been the inspiration behind the unlimited color palette displayed in the window shop of his store in Dubai. The idea was to provide an affordable prêt collection geared towards a younger generation, "FnkAsia wants to push the imagination towards unlimited colour and with it happiness, confidence and a positive outburst of energy," says Amir.

Although the conception of this label took place in Italy its roots remain in the land of the Indus. Says Amir, "FnkAsia comes from all over Pakistan with colour, spice and a modern interpretation of our intensely rich culture. It begins with the deserts of Sindh, goes up the prosperous path of the Indus and takes flight from the stunning and majestic Himalayas."

Amir has designed couture for Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf as well as for India's former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee. As a young business graduate with an interest in fashion he started off trying to understand the much neglected domain of fashion for men in Pakistan. Amir perceived a great demand for well designed and tailored formal and informal wear for men.

Within two years of setting up his brand in Pakistan, Amir's label was discovered in the US. A favourite among his quickly loyal customers were the italic jeans — denims block printed to give a hint of ethnicity. Within a year he had branched out.

Be that as it may, Amir strove to bring back the traditional sherwani as formal wear — shifting the focus from western clothes back to more traditional embroidered ensembles (especially as formal wedding attire) representing a paradigm shift in Pakistani fashion for men.

Amir also created a brand for children named Kids — the first ever label of its kind in Pakistan. His work has been recognised in Pakistan — he won the Lux Style Awards for Menswear Designer in 2006 and a year before this was given the Pride of Performance award by the Government of Pakistan.

It has been over a decade since the popular designer launched his brand — what has now essentially become Pakistan's first and one of its largest international menswear labels. In this time the label has grown so the prêt line alone is available in nine outlets within Pakistan and three in the UAE. The highly ornamented and select couture line caters to an exclusive clientele, but is also much sought after.

What is notable is that Amir has successfully created one of the largest enterprise of designer clothing in Pakistan — he has put together a retail and manufacturing structure that can presently rival global fashion icons.

As the designer says, "When I create a kurta, a chemise or even a shirt, I think of my man wearing it at a formal dinner hosted at an international convention in London or at a warm family gathering during Eid. I see him using it with the same ease and aplomb. I take exquisite elements of our culture and synchronise them on modern silhouettes — all the while ensuring that the price points back at the product." Pakistan's incredibly successful fashion story is made up of many such fascinating chapters.