Models walk the ramp at the Pakistan fashion week in Karachi on Thursday. (AFP)

Islamabad, Nov. 6: The big names from the West refused to come and the event had to be pushed back by over a fortnight after a chain of terrorist attacks, but Pakistan still managed to unveil its second fashion week.

The four-day event — the last was held in 2005 — was scheduled to start on October 15 but started on November 4.

Ayesha Tehmina, the chief executive officer of Fashion Pakistan, said in Karachi that security fears and over 300 deaths in a series of suicide attacks and explosions in October had rattled the industry.

“Fashion Pakistan, which has organised the event, has invited 32 designers from across the country,” said Tehmina Khalid, a spokeswoman for the organisers, adding that designers and models were not coming from abroad because of security reasons.

The Marriott hotel in Karachi, the venue, falls in a red security zone and has been heavily guarded since the fashion week began.

The event is part of Fashion Pakistan’s objective to encourage and promote the fledgling industry that struggled for four years to put together this fashion week. Karachi is known as one of Pakistan’s more fashionable cities.

The first fashion week in 2005 was dubbed a success, though the industry has no figures recording sales.

Fashion shows and events have been organised in Pakistan for the past few years. Several small shows are held every year by individual designers.

Fahad Hussain, a young designer, said the event was nothing less than a treat for him and he was delighted to see the “lovely amalgam” of East and West, which is the basic philosophy of his designs.

Pakistan’s top designers Sonya Batla, Imbias, Aeisha Varsey, Fahad Hussain and Shameel Ansari marked the opening with low necklines and slim-fits, though the skin show was understandably restrained.

No Islamic organisation has issued an edict against the fashion week yet.

Pakistani celebrities, TV and sports stars as well as politicians buy the creations of Tariq Jamshed, Freiha Altaf, Deepak Perwani, Imbias, Maheen Karim, Junaid Jamshed, Nadya Mistri and many others.

The Pakistani media too have promoted the event. English-language papers like Daily Times, The News, The Nation and Dawn have separate Sunday editions dedicated to fashion and new trends. Most private TV channels have telecast shows on the fashion week.