Pakistan fashion industry: Caught up in a struggle

04 Jan '14

2 min read

Fashion scene in a country is usually an expression of designers who convey their worldviews and derive inspiration from their social surroundings. However in a country suffering from degenerating economy, Pakistan’s fashion industry has chosen to opt for lavishness and floridity. In effect, it is scrambling to survive!

In contrast, the west, the birth place of high fashion, sticks to the basics and treat their designs as art and a component of their creative expression. For example, the hippie age of the 70s and the feminist era had influenced the creations of Pakistan’s western counterparts. Why hasn’t any such experiments taken place in Pakistan?

The reason, experts say, could be the fact that issue based themes don’t convert into sales and work only at fashion shows. Also, new styles and trends find it hard to penetrate the traditional niche market which small, yet very stable. Meanwhile, there are very few designers that are creating or giving new direction to the country’s fashion scene and are too busy replicating established fashion title-holders.

To change in the fashion industry of Pakistan has to come from the top where the big labels would be required to ignore their monetary quests and drive the fashion scene in terms of expressing new ideas and creativity. After all, fashion that can bring about societal change isn’t just about fusion kurtas or reinventing veils.

Fibre2fashion News Desk - India

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