KARACHI: The two-day fashion show at the 4th International Textile and Leather Exhibition (TEXPO) organised by the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) for foreign buyers and the local fashion media took place on Friday afternoon at the Expo Centre.

Earlier, a curtain-raiser was also hosted by TDAP at the Coconut Grove on Tipu Sultan Road, which was attended by prominent names in the textile and fashion industry of Pakistan besides senior officials of the TDAP.

According to the official communication, this year’s theme at the TEXPO is ‘Weaving the Way to Sustainability’ and it pays tribute to the country’s textile and leather industries’ resilience to the impact of climate change while also celebrating its remarkable journey.

This year, TEXPO is hosting some 200-plus exhibitors, Pakistan’s leading fashion designers and 350-plus industry specialists from around the world with buyers from Australia, Egypt, France, Germany, Iran and other non-traditional markets. The event showcases textile and leather industry’s offerings from all across Pakistan, ranging from leather garments, footwear, cotton, readymade garments, home textiles, denim, knitwear, sportswear, and much more.

TDAP hosts two-day fashion show where designers’ collections are exclusively curated in line with
TEXPO theme

The two-day fashion extravaganza kicked off on Friday, richly attended by the foreign buyers, stakeholders of the fashion world and the leading names in fashion media, which showcased Ready-to-Wear, Resort Wear and Luxury Pret collections by the first day line-up of designers and design houses such as Riwan Beyg, Adnan Pardesy, J., Huma Adnan, Sana Safinaz, Wardha Saleem, Salt by Ideas, Asian Institute of Fashion Design, M Jafferjees, House of Aamna Aqeel and Deepak Perwani.

The designers’ collections were exclusively curated keeping in line with the theme ‘Weaving the Way to Sustainability’.

Celebrated veteran couturier Rizwan Beyg opened the show with a spectacular cotton and linen pastel collection ‘Eleganza’. The spellbinding factor remained in the flowy cuts and the designer’s signature-style breezy and elegantly flowy silhouettes.

Beyg was followed by Adnan Pardesy with his collection titled ‘Roshnai’, a very modern take on a classic fabric such as denim, and which pushed the boundaries of what denim can be. A metal corset meticulously created by the designer stood out in the collection.

Huma Adnan’s ‘Tolerance’ defined beauty born of cross-cultural expression and underlined the designer’s firm belief in cause-based fashion. All the designs in the collection were a representative of cultures adopted in a sustainable manner.

Sana Safinaz showed ‘Raya’, a curation of unique designs redefining monochrome couture with silhouettes that fuse timeless forms, draped in layers of mystical embroidered textures and glimmer.

Salt by Ideas unveiled ‘Sleek-Spectra’, inspired by boxy silhouettes and neon colours.

M Jafferjees’ ‘Resort 2023’ presented timeless classics that eschewed traditional values with modern sensibilities.

Aamna Aqeel’s monochrome luxury pret with fleurs and embellishments in bling and pearls mostly drew attention to the neckline, and created an aura of style coupled with class and accentuated by elegance.

House of Deepak Perwani closed the Day 1 show with ‘Starry, Starry night’ with its minimal diffusion, silhouettes blending East and West and minimal embellishment on lux fabrics. He also showcased geometrical prints with borders on elegant, stylish cuts.

Simultaneously, a cultural event showcasing the talent of some renowned Pakistani artists to the foreign guests is also scheduled at Sindh Governor House for Saturday (today).

The two-day fashion gala is directed by Nubain Ali with Dino Ali and Anoushey Ashraf as Red Carpet hosts.

Published in Dawn, May 27TH, 2023