Nepal fashionistas woo the West

KATHMANDU: While the eyes of the style world were on London's autumn fashion week, another couture event was taking place on the other side of the world -- in the Himalayas.At Nepal Fashion Week the models sashayed down the catwalk in a mix of Western and ethnic apparel, contrasting classic with kitsch in a cornucopia of sassy cocktail dresses, flowing silk gowns, kaftans, kurti blouses, shalwars, sequins and ruffles.

Dozens of young designers displayed their collections as the Nepali fashion industry bid to bring itself to global prominence, and attract the attention of international buyers.

The show, which wrapped up on Saturday night, mixed high concept with ready-to-wear, with established Nepali designers, and stars of the future, hoping to introduce themselves to the world.

"There is a lot of potential in Nepal," said US designer Bethany Meuleners, fashion consultant for the event.

"There's a lot more interest than ever before so that gives a big push for where the fashion industry could go."

Organisers of Kathmandu's four-day event, launched in 2004, hope it will prove there is more to Nepal than politics, and efforts to sell the local fashion industry to the West were apparent throughout.

The announcer spoke only in English and themes such as "Cinderella Dreams" and the Harry Potter-inspired "Deathly Hallows" struck more of a chord than the more eastern-flavoured "Thamel Night" and "Tribes of Bangladesh."

The last couple of years have been a busy time for the Nepalese clothing industry, with a proliferation of high street fashion outlets and the launch of two online clothing stores, Fashion Mirror and Harilo.

The unique selling point of Nepalese fashion is the natural fabrics, such as hemp and bamboo, as well as richly textured hand-woven cotton, which are not often seen on the catwalks of Paris or Milan.

But there remains a dearth of prominent Nepalese fashion designers promoting the industry in the West.

New York-based designer Prabal Gurung, courted by the world's top style magazines and worn by Michelle Obama, Demi Moore and Rachel Weisz, can claim to be the first and -- as yet -- only big Nepalese name to make it on the global fashion circuit.

Nepal suffers electricity shortages which can mean power cuts for up to 14 hours a day in the winter. Experts believe the poor infrastructure and unstable political situation are the main obstacles to the fashion industry's attempts to break into Western markets.

"When you have strikes and power outages and everything, it's hard for them
to set up contracts where they can promise the work can get done when it's supposed to get done," said US designer Meuleners.

After years of damaging instability, the green shoots of recovery appear to be showing, with clothing worth 3.64 billion rupees ($46 million) in exports to Europe during the first 11 months of the last fiscal year, according to official figures -- a rise of 11.5 percent on the previous year.

Nepal's market is also expanding. A decade ago 90 percent of exports were to the United States whereas now exporters are selling half their stock to Europe and 25 percent to India.

Whether Kathmandu can break into the stronghold of the four main fashion cities -- London, Paris, Milan and New York -- when other destinations such as Brazil and Hong Kong have failed, is another matter.

Nepalese beauty queen Anupama Aura Gurung, current holder of the Miss Nepal Earth crown, believes the country's industry could match international standards within five years.

"Nepal fashion is really very raw -- it's still in the baby phase," she told AFP. "But we are learning to crawl and slowly we will get up and walk." (AFP)

Feathers and fur fly at New York Fashion Week

NEW YORK: Michael Kors brought a taste of Africa to his spring 2012 collection Wednesday, while J Mendel brought out white furs for the penultimate day of New York Fashion Week.

The catwalk could have been called the big cat walk as Kors, in the 30th year of his label, presented "memories of Africa."

Models came out in coats, dresses, shorts and jacket that evoked the safari theme, whether in zebra stripes, leopard print, or khaki that at times seemed authentic to the point of looking dirty and beaten-up.

A leopard dress decorated with russet feathers, ponchos with African prints, Spartan sandals, snakeskin patterns, big leather belts and oversized shoulder bags -- this was a collection for the roughest and toughest of fashionistas.

Models may have been smiling at times, but there were holes in their cashmere outfits -- carefully created holes, of course.

Actor Michael Douglas sat in the first row alongside model Rosie-Huntington Whiteley and actress Zoe Saldana. Rocker Courtney Love was also taking in fashion at the Lincoln Center in central Manhattan.

Nanette Lepore splashed hot pink, yellows and oranges into her collection, building on this year's tendency for bright colors.

And while the fashion world wondered whether Madonna will finally sign with Coty to create a perfume, Norma Kamali treated onlookers to a 3D video runway show with special glasses.

There was a more classic look at J Mendel, with long black and white dresses, and plenty of bare backs.

In keeping with the traditions of the label, founded in Paris in 1870, designer Gilles Mendel threw in little sleeveless boleros of white or blue fur.

Fashion week in the Big Apple ends Friday with Marc Jacobs, who asked for a delay in his scheduled appearance because of the recent Hurricane Irene. Shows from Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein are also still on the program. (AFP)

Islamabad Fashion Week, another glistening day

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad Fashion Week trails onto the second day of the designer extravaganza, picking up several notches. The day’s line-up, as it progresses:


Bisma Ahmed
The aspiring, young designer presents an ethnic-meets-funky collection. She experiments with earth tones like champagne in silken and chiffon textures adorned by traditional laces and braids, adding poise to the look by dazzling hairdos.

An exquisitely designed dress, cut out of light blue tissue paper and studded with Swarovski crystals steals the show. The sparkling, delicate dress is a part of Bisma’s collection and speaks volumes about the creativity of this fearless designer.
“I wanted a higher level of involvement with the brand and as this is a fashion show and we make tissue, we decided to merge the two concepts,” says Asad Mujeeb, who works at a leading soft tissue brand.

Lawrencepur
Think casual cotton shirts and vintage-y travel bags. The male models pull if off well while females lack the oomph on the ramp. The texture is of fine quality.

Gujranwala Institute of Fashion Institute (GIFT)
Of modest beginnings into the industry, the GIFT team outdo themselves by introducing architecture-infused fabrics. Some outfits flaunt tribal essence with lanterns embedded into the attire. Some dresses have tiny disco balls to accentuate the modern look. The use of accessories stands out as a neat signature.
The infused fabric and architectures are Dominatrix style. The use of wrought iron rods to support the skirts are a unique presentation as well as the Ninja turtle inspired hoodies. The makeup is top-of-the-line.

Rehana Saigol
Rehana Saigol’s show draws in the crowds! Islamabad showed its finest at the show. With chatter buzzing through the crowds, the event feels like a fashion soiree. With the Chanel and the Alexander Mcqueen coming out, Islamabad’s fashionistas are dressed to kill.
The Jashan collection played with traditional silhouette and embellishments with modern cuts saris and churidars.
Men come out in achkans, kurtas, churidars and dhoti shalwar, lending a very interesting end to the evening.

Critique
Alia Zaida, a stunning supermodel from the 80s exclaims, “IFW had a rocky start but I’m really happy to see talent, especially a fresh crop of models. Each look was refreshing and different. Its exposing new trends to the public eye.”

Saadia Khan, an MBBS student proclaims, “ The show was excellent and the dresses were really good. I particularly liked Lawrencepur.”

Angie Marshall says, “I’m impressed by the organisation and the way things were done.”
The Blue Chip Editor Zainab Omar seems optimistic, “I think anything positive coming out of Pakistan is amazing. I am happy to support Tariq Aminn. It’ll take a couple of years to establish ground.”

Verve event managers Imtisal Zafar and Arsalan Khan are behind the ensemble of this glamorous event. The creative duo share their enthusiasm for the job, “We gave them three options: projecting live walk, still photos or videos to run in the backdrop. Everything has to be a part of the ensemble,” Arsalan comments.

Imtisal echoes similar sentiment, “The execution is the most important part of putting the event together.”
“We initially approached Tariq Amin and he loved the idea that someone local was presenting their talent in the city. He is in charge of all the concepts that we exectuted.” The duo has worked on the setup from the lighting to the sound to the ramp.

Amina Gohar (Pomme), a New York-based choreographer has worked rigorously to perfect the catwalk.

Source: The Express Tribune, January 29th, 2011.