Sehyr Saigol: the “force behind Pakistan fashion”

On the face of it, it might seem something of a miracle that Pakistan, an Islamic republic, permits fashion shows — and ones in which western-style miniskirts, bare midriffs and backless cholis are shown on the catwalk.

Sehyr Saigol, described by leading designer Hasan Sheheryar Yasin as the “force behind Pakistan fashion”, admits she is amused by the reaction of people who don’t realise how Pakistani society exists at many levels.

“It is fascinating to hear people say, ‘Oh my god, fashion week in Pakistan!’ But when you come here you see how naturally it is happening,” she remarks.

And to be fair, Lahore seemed as chaotic and normal as any other big Indian city during the three-day Fashion Week, the third one organised by the Pakistan Fashion Design Council (PFDC).

In all, 35 designers, some well known, others emerging, took part in the show without any apparent objection from fundamentalist groups. High-quality textiles and fabric, innovative designers who were both traditional and western, embroidery hand-stitched by thousands of women working in the remote villages and tribal areas of Pakistan and a dazzling array of colours were all on display.

“This is about the business of fashion,” emphasises Sehyr, who is chairperson of the PFDC’s executive committee.

Sehyr is probably right when she suggests people get the wrong idea of Pakistan. “We are going through a difficult time,” she concedes. “But this kind of temporary setback is not going to deter us. There is a lot of creativity going on and it inspires us more to keep our culture alive. At this point fashion is a very beautiful way of reaching out and projecting the true secular nature of the majority of Pakistan.”

Cricket is a good way for Pakistan and India to ease tensions post the Manmohan Singh-Yousuf Raza Gilani summit in Mohali. But it needn’t be the only way. The Indian and Pakistani fashion industries would certainly benefit from greater collaboration and exchanges.

Sehyr, who pointed out that the PFDC store in Lahore sells the work of 30 designers, was intrigued by the idea of opening a similar shop in Calcutta or bringing a Pakistani fashion show to the city. “That would be wonderful,” she sighs.

Apart from having her own fashion magazine and label called Libas, Sehyr is also on the board of the Pakistan Institute of Fashion and Design, which is syndicated to the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture in Paris. The institute’s most talented students, such as Mohsin, get to show off their creations on the catwalk alongside more top designers such as the two sisters Nickie and Nina Ali with their Nickie Nina label, Sara Shahid of Sara Sublime and the “passionate activist” Sahar Atif of Saai.

Nina, Sara and Sahar all conveyed much the same thing — Pakistani women did not have the spending power yet of their working counterparts in India. But this was changing and fashionable Pakistani women wanted to go to department stores to buy readymade clothes rather than visit their tailors. This, too, opens up the potential for expanding the India-Pakistan fashion business.

Yahsir Waheed has images of Buddha and the lotus on his clothes as his private pitch for peace. “Buddha’s teachings came to this part of the country although ‘they’ are trying to erase his presence from our history,” he said.

One Pakistani, who moved to London, Burhan Ali, 29, also showed off his dark, edgy street fashion. He explained his creative process: “I’m trying to tone down the noise in my head.”

Among other young designers, Zaheer Abbas, 28 — named after the famous cricketer by his father — caught the eye with his sexy, western clothes, though the Paris buyers tend to prefer the ethnic embroidery and stitching.

The Pakistani fashion industry is not as big as India’s but what there is seems to be high quality, according to the expert foreign journalists such as The Daily Telegraph’s fashion director, Hilary Alexander, who was present in Lahore and took copious notes and made dozens of sketches.

Pakistan’s fashion industry is growing fast and providing work to women in the tribal areas. The different styles of stitching “are indigenous to the areas they come from whether it is Haripur, Quetta Baluchistan, Bhawalpur, whether it is interior Sind, we have so much stuff going on there that I cannot tell you,” enthuses Sehyr.

“The stitch goes on cushions, on bedcovers, on clothes, on dupattas, it’s on many things,” adds Sehyr. “Have you heard of Ajrak ever? Ajrak is traditional block art of the Sind interior.”

It’s mostly the women who are supplementing their incomes and often educating their children on the proceeds of stitching. But in Swat, handmade caps of the kind rendered popular by president Asif Ali Zardari are made by men. Sehyr is taking seven of the most promising designers to the Paris fashion show. “Tribal art is so in in Paris,” she points out.

It is clearly in India’s interest to support Pakistan’s fashion industry, not least because Pakistani women are fighting their own internal battles against the fundamentalists.

On day three, a rousing welcome was given to Shehrbano Taseer, daughter of the assassinated Punjab governor Salmaan Taseer, as she made a guest appearance on the catwalk clothed in a green outfit.

It was as though to throw out a defiant challenge to the extremists: “Whose Pakistan is it, anyway?”