Leading Pakistani designer Rizwan Beyg held his first ever fashion show in Dubai last Friday at the Raffles Hotel. The show was part of the CARE Summer Ball organised by CARE's UAE chapter to raise funds for the charity organisation's various projects to educate underprivileged children in Pakistan.
Beyg's summer 2008 collection titled ‘Le Carnivale' had the spirit of the carnival in Venice, but took elements from traditional Japanese, Spanish, Moroccan, Indian and Pakistani garments to create what the designer called "a universal language of fashion''. The garments included beautiful saris and churidar kameezes in pastel shades with tone on tone embroidery, low waisted flamenco style skirts and high waist toreador fishtail gowns paired with bustiers, corsets and jackets in dramatic black and white, and narrow as well as patiala pants worn with kimono jackets, short tops and long tunics with deep slits in a palette of brick red, jade green, lilac, pink and deep red.
The luxurious silks, chiffons and velvets were embellished with texturing details, delicate embroidery, sequins and Swarovski crystals. And the garments were playfully accessorised with matching bandana's, turbans, riding hats, trilby's, exotic plumes and carnival masks. The narrow pants and body hugging jackets with voluminous sleeves, flowing skirts and patiala salwars combined well to create a unique East-West fusion.
Global
"In today's world one must think global and this collection is my serious attempt at internationalising Pakistani fashion. Along with my signature Pakistani embroidery, I have used medieval cross stitch patterns, Moroccan motifs and Indian paisley designs. And I have given Eastern garments an international twist transforming achkans and kimonos into coats, and salwars into pants,'' said Beyg. The designer, who has dressed celebrities such as the late Princess Diana, Cherie Blair and Jordanian royalty, is planning to move to Dubai by the end of this year. "I am a couture person at heart and believe in creating luxurious garments hand-made by skilled craftsmen. My plan in Dubai is to open a salon that offers personalised couture,'' he said.
DID YOU KNOW?
Rizwan Beyg is an architect by training and has been involved in the renovation of several museums in Europe.
He is well known for his women's prêt, couture and bridal ranges and has successfully added shoes, bags, textiles and home furnishing to his range of designer collections. He is now set to launch a prêt line for men in September.
He has been invited to showcase his work at Milan Fashion Week and will take part of this collection there later this year.
He revealed that he has recently been invited by a top Bollywood producer to design the costumes for his next film and further discussions on the offer are slated for July.
