Three-day world fashion festival at Pearl Continental from tomorrow

By Shoaib Ahmed

LAHORE: A three-day international fashion festival will open at the Pearl Continental on April 20 (Wednesday).

Kamber Entertainment and fashion designers Salina and Wardah have organised the festival.

“This festival is being organised to promote new fashion designers,” Syed Rehan Ahmed, Kamber Entertainment vice chairman, told Daily Times. “We aim to finish the monopoly of a few names in Pakistani fashion.”

He said that he was a Dubai-based businessman and fashion designer and wanted to create a niche for Pakistan in the international fashion industry. He said that new talent in the fashion industry of Pakistan had been ignored in the past, but they would now be given international exposure through Kamber Entertainment.

“The international fashion festival will provide an opportunity for all Pakistani fashion designers to display work,” said Ahmed. “International fashion designers will participate in the festival.”

He said that he was a self-taught fashion designer and was currently playing for the Zambia national cricket team. “I was inspired by my sister, who is a fashion designer, and tried my hand in fashion designing.” He said that he had started with a boutique in Dubai.

“The event is the first of its kind in Pakistan,” said Wardah. “The fashion festival will showcase the latest fashion and will promote new fashion .” She said that the exhibition would be held on April 20 and 21 and an awards ceremony would be held on April 23.

She said that she and her cousin, Salina, had studied fashion in London and had degrees in fashion design. “We have organised a number of fashion shows, but this a unique event that we’re organising.” She said that Depilex Vision would do the models’ make up.

Fourteen fashion designers and 16 models will participate in the festival from Pakistan and abroad, said Salina. Model Mehreen Syed will represent Pakistan, whereas renowned models from Germany, Greece, Cyprus, Hungry, Philippines, Romania, Italy, Australia, Belgium, India, South Africa, Kenya and Bulgaria will participate in the show, she said.

She said that 10 of the fashion designers were from Pakistan, two from India and two from Dubai. The fashion designers include Pooja Nair, Nikki and Nina, Nomi Ansari, Nasreen Akhtar, Siddharta Tyler, Mehdi, Nayna, Sarah Gandapur, Saai, Manav Gangvani, H&H, Aansaa Kamer, Toomban and Daina.

Mehreen Syed told Daily Times that the festival would provide young fashion designers with an opportunity to make a name in the industry. She said that women weren’t properly trained in fashion modelling in Pakistan.

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