One model, two lawn brands: Rabia Butt caught in the crossfire of designers' demand for exclusivity

Pakistan’s designer lawn wars took a new twist yesterday. This time, it involved model Rabia Butt.

The top model has accused designer Mina Hasan of releasing a lawn campaign that features her without her consent or knowledge.

The lawn campaign in question is Mina Hasan’s 2016 lawn collection for Shariq Textiles, which launched today. Billboards with the smouldering Rabia Butt have been all over town for days.

The offending billboard of the Mina Hasan lawn collection for Shariq Textiles - Photo courtesy Rabia Butt's Instagram

According to an angry Instagram post by the model, the campaign was shot in July of last year. Its release now complicates her exclusivity agreement with Sapphire for this lawn season:

“Shot in July 2015, revealed in March 2016, without my concent (sic) or knowledge or consideration for my current exclusivity status, is alarming. I am suffering from a case of being blindsided. Shocked that in this day and age a well known brand can but up a campaign at freewill, after 8 months and without getting in touch with the model to show some respect and most importantly to avoid discrepancy.”

How did this happen? We find out.

A matter of time

Alisha Hashmi from Mina Hasan explains, “While we shot the campaign in July, we had not made any decision about when to release the collection. Our entire design ethos is based on timeless elegance rather than yearly trends so for us, the decision to release the collection was based purely on production and seasonal constraints.”

When the campaign was not released in August, Rabia had asked Mina Hasan’s team about the delay and was clearly told that the release of the campaign and the collection was entirely at Shariq Textile’s discretion.

“We loved working with Rabia,” says Alisha. "Her striking features and bold stature made her the perfect face for this collection while Abdullah Harris’ camera brought out the organic beauty of each outfit beautifully. The shoot was done in the scenic Margalla Hills and Saidpur village, where the team worked together wonderfully. Since the collection was completed towards the tail end of the summer season, it was decided it would not do justice to the brand to release it in a rush or compromise on the quality."

The shoot for Mina Hasan lawn for Shariq Textile took place in the Margalla Hills and Saidpur village in July last year - Photos courtesy Shariq Textile's Facebook page

While one can't fault Mina Hasan or Shariq Textiles for making a sound business decision, it can't be denied that Rabia has serious cause for complaint. She says on Instagram that the mix-up has "jeopardized (her) relationship with (Sapphire)". This only underlines the need for models to have managers who can ensure watertight contracts every time they sign a campaign.

Mina Hasan confirms that there was never any suggestion of a time frame within which the campaign should be used. Rabia was paid her asking fee by Shariq Textiles and, as per international norms, they felt it within their rights to release the campaign according to what made sense from a business point of view.

“We were never informed of [Rabia's] exclusivity [agreement with Sapphire] until the 9th of March by which point all the billboards were done and the entire campaign was ready to go. Of course we could not do anything at that late stage. If a model wants to set a time-frame for using a shoot, she should let a brand know when she books with them," says Alisha.

"Internationally campaigns are often shot months in advance. Many models here work for more than one brand, so how could we anticipate any exclusivity arrangement. Rabia was well aware that this campaign was pending when she signed her exclusivity arrangement [with Sapphire].”

Sapphire lawn launched on February 29 and its campaign images began to circulate starting mid-February - Photos courtesy Sapphire's Facebook page

Communication breakdown

Rabia’s position is that the brand should have kept her in the loop.

She says, “There was never a mention regarding the exact date of release of the campaign except that it would go up late summer 2015. 10 out of 10 times I am told by the brand when a campaign will go up because brands expect their face to play an equal role in promoting ad campaigns for it takes the hype to another level and personally I make quite an effort to help out whichever way I can. In this case I was kept completely out of the loop. No one approached me with any release dates. When I say I was blindsided, I meant exactly that, because I was made aware of the campaign by friends who sent me pictures of billboards around the country.

"This is nothing personal...it is strictly professional. No brand should ignore a model who they have shot with for a major campaign. I can't even call this bad communication because this is a case of no communication at all from the other party.

"A lot of times the work we do is based on verbal agreements, given the nature of the business, specially when there is a sense of urgency. This was a one-time campaign so there was no extensive contract required, otherwise we would have paperwork. I was told it needed to be done immediately for there was little time between the shoot and release so I went for it and here we are discussing it, after 8 months from the actual date of the shoot. Mid 2015 to Spring 2016 is quite a long time to keep an eye on a single project.”

Rabia also claims that she did try to keep in touch with Mina Hasan’s team but, with no response as time went by, moved on to other projects.

Alisha Hashmi clarifies, “We actually did not know the release date ourselves until early March. The collection was delayed as the dupattas were printed abroad and did not arrive in time for release at the end of last summer. Although I was not given a specific time by the mill, I assumed it would come out this season – it’s simply common sense.”

The debacle caused Rabia significant problems with her current exclusive contract with Sapphire, who commented, “It has put us in a difficult situation as we has signed an exclusivity contract with Rabia. We have suffered on account of this lack of understanding between Rabia and Shariq and have had to renegotiate terms with our model. We hope that the company realizes and takes steps to rectify the situation.”

The exclusivity equation

Seeking exclusivity, Faraz Manan sticks to Kareena Kapoor, while Elan roped in a model from India this year

Designer lawn is big business and brands spend millions on their campaigns during the peak February to April season. With a limited model pool, brands go to great lengths to stand out from the crowd, signing exclusivity or bringing in foreign models or celebrities to be their brand ambassadors.

Faraz Manan has used Kareena Kapoor as the face of his lawn for years while Shehla Chatoor is shooting her campaign with Nargis Fakhri. Sania Maskatiya used a Brazilian model last year and Elan this year used an Indian model.

Plus, the same models across lawn campaigns can be confusing for customers. Lawn clothes themselves don’t look that radically different at first glance so the campaigns should look as different as possible. However, many top models do end up working for more than one brand. For example, actress Syra Shahroz has modeled for both Zara Shahjahan and Al-Karam this year.

Rabia Butt herself tends to stick with one brand during peak lawn season. She modeled Sana Safinaz Lawn in 2013 but was the face of Elan lawn in 2014 and 2015. However, she also modeled for the Sana Safinaz Eid Lawn campaign last year, although that was in June.

With models working for multiple brands, it’s unlikely that brands will make the effort to keep track of their exclusivity arrangements. That has to be the models' responsibility.

Rabia is not wrong in expecting a brand to keep her in the loop, but we'd like to see models take charge of the business side of their career. Image is their fortune and they cannot afford to leave things to chance, especially given that it's their loss when complications like these arise. Rabia signed off her Instagram post with a “Time to stand up for my rights as a professional model/artist, to get things right….not just for myself but for everyone.”

A more thorough approach can only be good for models and for the industry.

Will Mahira Khan and Feeha Jamshed's lawn prove to be a winning combination?

The first thing you'll notice about the teasers to Feeha Jamshed’s upcoming debut lawn line for Flitz is actress Mahira Khan.

The country’s sweetheart, with an upcoming Bollywood venture alongside Shahrukh Khan adding to her appeal, Mahira looks gorgeous in three-piece glory.

But there’s more to Feeha’s lawn aside from Mahira’s star-power.

Here’s what we love

Amongst of milieu of mundane three-piece luxury suits aspiring to be ‘designer-made’, Feeha's lawn is one of the few contenders that actually does live up to expectations.

It’s Feeha’s very unique, often quirky, ethos simmered down yet still visible, translated to lawn’s mass-friendly realms. There are florals, wielded with an Origami-like tiled effect; the silhouettes of a troop of camels along a border and a silken dupatta which is utterly feminine and yet, look closely, and those are geometrical footballs bouncing along its length.

The embroideries, silk borders and dupattas merge very well together and Flitz has very obviously upped its ante with good quality fabric. Most significantly, Feeha’s design manages to stand out in a market that is currently clustered with typical lawn imagery.

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The lawn market is competitive and increasingly fickle and there is no guarantee that Feeha will be a sold-out success. Doesn’t she think that she would have fared better had she debuted in March rather than in May?

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“I did study the lawn market before creating my own collection, deciphering precisely what made the top designer lawns so popular,” explains Feeha. “And then, I went off and did something that none of them had done. I can never allow my designs to look like anyone else’s. That’s why I’ve called the collection ‘Florence of Arabia’. It is rare and different, like a flower blooming in the middle of the desert.”

Following the same principle, Feeha refused to incorporate the increasingly popular shalwar in her catalogue. “Everyone was featuring shalwars so I just didn’t want to. I do know that a lot of customers will probably have their lowers stitched as tulip shalwars since they are all the rage right now.”

In Feeha’s catalogue, though, there is a very trendy flared bell-bottom design in a jigsaw geometric print – trust Feeha Jamshed to think out of the box.

This is lawn that is in actuality designer-created, rather than simply claiming to do so – an absolute must-have from our perspective.

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Feeha likes to do things differently, which is why you won't see the increasingly popular shalwar in her catalogue.

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And yet, the lawn market is competitive and increasingly fickle and there is no guarantee that Feeha will be a sold-out success. Doesn’t she think that she would have fared better had she debuted in March rather than in May, when most aficionados have already splurged out their budgets on multiple suits?

“I don’t think there is any fixed season for lawn,” Feeha asserts. “It is a fabric that is purchased and worn all the year round and if people like it, they will buy it. We’ve already gotten so many enquiries from within Pakistan as well as abroad.”

The Mahira equation

Some credit for this can certainly go to the face of Feeha’s lawn, Mahira Khan.

As Feeha’s childhood best friend, Mahira’s equation with the designer tends to deliver all-out hits. One remembers her creating a stir with the Feeha Jamshed ‘Giraffe’ sari back in 2014 and more recently at this year’s HUM awards, the actress turned heads with a reversible ‘Bob Squad’ suit.

“I don’t just dress Mahira in generic designs that may not suit her persona,” explains Feeha. “With the reversible suit at the HUM Awards, I wanted her to move away from the usual sari and gown rut and make a sophisticated, trendsetting statement.”

Mahira's verdict on Feeha's lawn? “I love them!"

The lawn, similarly, looks great. Shot in Dubai by Nadir Feroz of NFK Photography, the catalog drifts from souks to the desert to a boat-ride. “We all had massive crushes on the hairstylist for the shoot, Harlem Alexander from Norway,” laughs Mahira.

There were instances when the fashion shoot went through the usual hitches – a horse that was supposed to be photographed with Mahira turned out to be uncontrollable and the shot was eventually cancelled.

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Feeha's campaign was shot in Dubai, and Mahira has some funny stories about the experience, like when a horse that was supposed to be photographed with Mahira turned out to be uncontrollable and the shot was eventually cancelled.

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At another time, Mahira had to pose on a boat and instead of insisting on returning to the coast so that she could dress, she opted to change into her lawn suit in a tiny space allotted to the boat’s main machinery. “As actors we are accustomed to going to far-flung areas and getting ready in unconventional circumstances. I just thought going back to the coast would be an unnecessary hassle. Instead, they covered the doorway with umbrellas and I changed very quickly,” shrugs Mahira.

Does the actress, so well-versed with modeling lawn every year, like Feeha’s collection of prints?

“I love them! It drove Feeha up the wall that the photographs came out especially well for the designs that were my favorite. She kept ordering me to pose just as well in all of them,” laughs Mahira. “I've told her that I'm getting at least three of the designs.”

We’re getting some too. Feeha Jamshed’s gone off and created lawn the bona fide designer way and one needs to applaud her for it – let’s sees if it draws in the sales for her.

Are 'real people' shoots here to stay in Pakistani fashion?

Using friends and it-girls for fashion shoots has officially become a 'thing' in Pakistan.

This season, my social media timeline has been full of shoots featuring “real people” rather than models. In fact, as a fashion blogger, I’ve been part of a couple of shoots myself. With professional makeup and photography, the campaigns turn out attractive and have an appealing authenticity but is the trend a good thing or a bad thing for fashion?

How it all started

The trend started in Pakistan several years ago with mercurial designers Menahel and Mehreen.

Menahel and Mehreen banked on their close friend and muse Samira Dada for their earliest shoots

Notoriously shy of the showing too much of their designs in order to deter copy-cats, Mehreen and Menahel released a few limited shots with their close friend and muse, it-girl Samira Dada. Heavily shared on Facebook, this being before Instagram became popular, the shots reinforced the designers’ cult status.

Other early adopters of the trend were designers similarly working on a small scale, such Farida Hasan. Farida’s daughter Khuban and her friends have regularly featured in her campaigns.

Khuban Omer, Farida Hasan's daughter and director of her brand, regularly ropes in her friends for shoots

Nazli Akbar arguably was the one who’s taken the trend to the next level, thanks to the huge interest her #NazliAkbarGirls campaigns received. She has rarely done a shoot with models, always featuring friends and family in fabulous shoots styled by her sister, top make-up artist Shamain.

In this season, however, that the trend has really taken hold. We’ve seen some gorgeous shoots, from niche designers Nazli Akbar and Zohra Alam to high street giant Ideas to name a few.

Nazli Akbar largely relies on friends and family for her shoots

Serious designers such as Shehla Chatoor and Sana Safinaz have supplemented editorial shoots with “dressing-up” shoots that feature socialites and influencers. Fashion Pakistan Council Chairperson Sanam Chaudri based an entire collection on using non-professionals as models, the idea being crucial to the entire concept of her anti-size-zero campaign.

Also read: A camera, the desert and Beyonce's boots (the story of my high-end Abu Dhabi phootshoot)

What's the fuss about 'real people'?

The campaigns have garnered immense social media traction. 'Real-people' shoots get a lot of likes, making magazines and bloggers more likely to post them. Crucially, these shoots are also more likely to inspire actual sales than editorial shoots.

Pakistan is simply catching up with a global trend where social influencers have become a force in the world of fashion. Editorial shoots are very well for the educated eye, but most people are more likely to buy an outfit they see on someone they can relate to.

Pictures of customers in their outfits have helped propel relative newcomers such as Elan and Sania Maskatiya to stratospheric levels while some of fashion’s old guard, such as Faiza Samee, have been slower to catch on to the power of social media.

The trend is also something of a response to our limited model pool, with some designers chasing freshness through amateurs. However, for serious designers, who aim to tell a story with their collections, there’s nothing like a professional model.

The best professional models are intensely aware of every aspect of their bodies and faces, instinctively using light properly and projecting a host of different moods effortlessly. Amateurs, even if they’re bloggers who understand how to compose a strong image, are not in the same league. As someone who’s been there, I can testify we’re generally nervous, awkward and difficult to direct. Nevertheless, even serious designers have cottoned on to the value of supplementing editorial campaign with more natural shoots.

Ideas Pret put style and fashion bloggers in the spotlight

For the designer, it’s something of a win. Friends do the shoot for free whereas a model would charge a hefty fee. If your friend happens to be a blogger or influencer, there’s plenty of free publicity and even if they’re not, the pictures are bound to get lots of shares on social media. Top influencers now have serious clout, driving trends, and brands cannot afford to ignore this.

With her #antisizezero campaign, Sanam Chaudhri sought to promote body positivity - a message appreciated by Instagram followers

Modern shoppers trawl through Instagram and Snapchat looking for ideas before they buy. Opting for informal, less editorial shoots allows brands to show their designs in a more relatable setting. The stylized Eid spreads and luxury interiors may show an airbrushed, idealized view of life but fashion has always been about aspiration.

At the end of the day fashion is as much about commercial considerations as it is about art. Internationally, influencers have become part of the mainstream fashion establishment. Savvy brands all over the world recognize the benefit of combining editorial fashion with wooing customers by showing them designs in a more real setting. Pakistan is just keeping up with the times.

Eid calling: One man's tale of surviving Chaand Raat shopping

Ladies, if you have a man in your life who takes you out for 'Chaand Raat ki shopping' without complaining then you need to treasure him. Though if it’s your husband, then that’s fine. His spirit was broken long ago and he’s resigned to his fate.

If it’s your father, then stop lying, they don’t make fathers who won’t complain about driving around at stupid o’clock in the morning (unless he really wants to get away from your mother).

If it’s your brother, then he should probably be thanking you. You are his ticket to ‘family only’ shopping malls. Now try not to slap him as he stands around staring and drooling like he's at the Playboy Mansion rather than Dolmen Mall.

If it’s your boyfriend, and he seems to be genuinely enjoying this night then he’s really into you, perhaps even in love. You should probably not share news of your arranged marriage for now. Let’s rip his heart apart closer to yourshaadi time.

If it’s a single male cousin the same age as you or perhaps a little older, then oh boy, you are screwed. This bhai of yours has already planned your wedding. Congratulations on limiting your gene pool. You now may have some mutant babies, and not the kind you see in X-Men.

No, in general, men don’t like Chaand Raat ki shopping, because we really loathe large crowds. We also like to breathe air which is 78% Nitrogen, 21% Oxygen, and 1% other gases, not air which is a 100% mix of sweat, farts, tear vapor from women who can’t find the perfect lawn ka jora, and variousdupatta dye smells. This mix is especially toxic for us when shopping in creaky rundown shopping centers on Tariq road where there are 500 fans running in every shop and it is still 50 degrees, where the air is as humid and moist as a moldy old double roti, where the air is so rancid bacteria would not survive.

Men spend all of Ramazan trying to escape the tyranny of the matching dupatta. — Photo: Manal Khan

I apologize if I am generalizing.

For women, I realize it’s no picnic wading past large aunties whose makeup has melted in the heat leaving their faces looking like Picasso paintings, aunties who haven’t heard of the invention of deodorant. But at least you are motivated to find those perfect pair of shoes for your Eid ka jora. If the tables were reversed, and this was San Diego comic con, I’d be whizzing between the aunties like the Millennium Falcon through an asteroid field.

Eid traffic is just the beginning of our woes.

The problem begins with the traffic.

Everyone and their grandmother is out for Chaand Raat ki shopping. A five minute drive turns into a fifty minute one. Meanwhile, the windshield cleaning boys are out in full force during Chaand Raat, stalking traffic signals with a squeegee in one hand, and a bottle of cleaning liquid in the other. No, it doesn’t matter how clean the windshield is, the squeegee boys will attack you like post-apocalyptic zombies swarming humanity's last habitable outpost.

Finally, you reach your shopping destination, and there isn’t a parking spot in sight. Your man drives slowly in hopes of spotting a vacant parking area while impatient drivers stuck behind scream profanities as they blast their horns. Eventually, you find a spot, but it is a ninety minute rickshaw ride from where you want to shop. What’s more, it is pitch black with not a human soul in sight.

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While shopping, our level of honesty is inversely proportional to how long we’ve been at the mall. After five hours, you could be trying on a barrel keg, and we’ll tell you it’s the most precious thing ever made.

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Here, a small disagreement can take place before the two of you step out of the car. Your man is happy to have finally found a parking spot, but you don’t want to want to walk such a distance. At the same time the two of you are tense because the area is dark and times are dangerous. This is when someone suddenly knocks on the window, and you are surprised to hear your man scream like a five-year-old girl. Thankfully, it is a just a beggar, looking for some coin.

Finally, parking is done, and both of you step out of the vehicle. This is when the parking wala comes up to you demanding his twenty rupees. The parking fee is nominal, and paying them for their hard work is not a problem, but it is remarkable how the parking wala can find you regardless of where you are parked. You could be hiding on the moon, and a parking wala will float by: “Sir,paisay. Sir, paisay!”

Eventually, the two of you are inside, and the shopping begins. There are thousands of shops to visit. How delightful.

Sweat. Blood. Tears. — Photo: AP

Every shop you enter, your man only has only one goal in mind; to find a place to sit. Yes, our eyes are trained to find an empty stool or a vacant chair like a sniffer dog is trained to find contraband. Sometimes we’ll see the seats already taken by an elderly lady, and will fantasize about pulling it from underneath her.

In dusky old shopping centers it is particularly heavenly to enter an air-conditioned shop. Here, even the weird pungent smells of the freshly dyed clothes start smelling good. Things seem even better if there is a nice place to sit. But just as we rest our posteriors down, we are disappointed to hear that you are moving on to another shop.

“Chalo? But we just got here?” we silently protest. “This shop is nice. Are you sure you don’t want that hideous blouse?”

Of course, as you go from shop to shop you’ll ask us how a garment looks on you. Now, trust me when I say we don’t enjoy lying. We like being completely honest about how that polka dot blouse looks like it belongs more on a giant panda, and how those pair of shoes look exactly like the five trillion other shoes in the store.

But our level of honesty is inversely proportional to how long we’ve been shopping. After five hours, you could be trying on a barrel keg, and we’ll tell you it’s the most precious thing ever made; “Now let’s buy it honey and go home.”

Why are we Eid shopping already?!

If you’re a shopaholic red-blooded woman, there’s a good chance that you’ve lately been bamboozled quite a bit by nifty marketing.

Even before temperatures soared, billboards popped up within your periphery, urging you to stock up on lightweight lawn fabric in preparation for the sweltering summer that was sure to follow. Off you went, wrapping your shawl around you, shivering in the icy winter wind while you rationed up on your future wardrobe.

Then, as the heat rose, the lawn imagery assailed you full-throttle. On billboards and TV adverts, magazines and social media’s expansive platform, you grew dizzy with the extensive variety on offer. You felt duty-bound to buy a certain collection because it tended to go ‘sold out’ and then there were the prints that were created by your favorite designer and a few more just because they looked so good in those (many) photo shoots with the desert backdrops. They were bound to stand out just as well in the dusty, arid climes of your city – reason enough to crank up the bank account again!

And now, just when you thought you were done with your shopping, out came the advertisements again, pitching an all-new key word to entice you: ‘Eid’!

Eid, already?!

But Eid is more than a month away. The fasting month of Ramadan is yet to begin and you’re still happily gorging on three meals a day (albeit not too much because you want to continue fitting into that summer wardrobe you’ve amassed so diligently). Nevertheless, Eid exhibits and collections are quite the ‘it’ things right now, drawing in crowds and a healthy bit of shoving and pushing all the way to the sales till.

Khaadi launched its both lawn (above) and chiffon collections for Eid

“It takes time for unstitched fabric to get stitched by tailors,” points out CEO of Khaadi, Shamoon Sultan. “This is actually the ideal time to launch an unstitched Eid collection.” He says this while standing in the colossal Khaadi outlet in Karachi’s Dolmen City while masses of women stream through the unstitched fabric section. The Eid line of embroidered chiffon has just launched that morning and it is apparently a huge hit. The price is steeper than Khaadi’s lawn range, teetering at around Rs 8000, but it hasn’t deterred the avid shopper. Most of the designs have already flown off the racks, leaving them bare, to be restocked in a few days’ time. “We’ve delved into an unstitched chiffon line for the first time and it makes sense. Eid-wear tends to be more formal,” says Shamoon.

The other Eid collection of unstitched fabric to have been launched that very day has been by Sana Safinaz and it, too, has strayed away from lawn’s much-hackneyed dominion. Instead, the fabric of choice is poly net and cotton net, worked with heavy embroideries and following a quintessentially sophisticated palette. The prices range between Rs 8000 and Rs 10000 – not a problem for the designer duo’s many fans who have ensured that some of the suits are already ‘out of stock’.

Pieces from Sana Safinaz's Eid collection are already 'sold out'

“The fabric adds in a luxe element,” explains Safinaz, “so that the clothes can be worn in the evening, on Eid, at a big dinner or even at events leading to a wedding.”

It’s a clever marketing decision. Lawn designs, even the most embellished ones, are now nothing new to the market. Eid collections in more formal fabric, meanwhile, manage to immediately catch women’s attention – especially since they are also ideal for the wedding season that immediately follows Eid.

Designer Maria B. can be credited for more or less pioneering this concept. Two and a half years ago, her design house launched the first M-Broidered collection before Eid and observed sales rolling in. “We also have an Eid lawn line which has its own market but there is a definite strata that wants to wear heavier clothing on Eid day or at weddings that follow. Our M-Broidered suits are absolute evening-wear, using luxe fabric like woven jacquard, digitally printed silk, tissue and velvet trimmings, nets, embroideries and Swarovski details. We started off with one collection but it has now become so popular that we have four M-Broidered line-ups, released during key sales periods throughout the course of the year.”

Bought for Eid, treasured all year round - Maria B's M-Broidered are hot-sellers

There are also festive lines that have just been launched by textile bigshots Al-Karam and Gul Ahmed, high-street maverick Sapphire and many more are sure to follow. Oh well, the more the merrier.

Shopping … on a full stomach

But would designers – and textile mills - benefit more were they to release collections a bit later, cashing in on the pre-Eid hype, when the nation at large fasts all day and then treats itself with shopping splurges?

Apparently, the pre-Eid hype has already begun.

Seen here at their private showing of their Eid collection, Farah Talib Aziz's public exhibition was a knockout the next day

Maliha Aziz, brand manager at Farah Talib Aziz, whose brand’s recent Eid exhibit of ready-to-wear in Karachi was quite a success, testifies to this. “Our customers actually prefer shopping right now, when they aren’t fasting,” she observes. “It also makes things easy for us. We aren’t fasting either and have much more energy. Our exhibit also featured evening formals that could be created on order and our craftsmen have started working on them immediately. It’s going to be a hot fasting season and we know that everything will just slow down. Even our workmen’s hours will shrink, ending well before sunset.” Following the Karachi event this past weekend, Farah Talib Aziz will be exhibiting prêt in Dubai, followed by Lahore and then, Islamabad.

And therefore, even though the festival is still more than a month away, it’s Eid shopping season. If you’re the red-blooded shopaholic woman that you claim to be, you’ve probably already stocked on some of those Eid designs that had long been tempting you on Instagram.

Beware, though: as they usually do, more embellished options are likely to crawl out of the woodworks in the next few weeks, luring you, cajoling you, to just spend another 10 grand or so. Off you’ll go, to the mall again. Like we said, the more the merrier – or is it?

Why are we Eid shopping already?!

If you’re a shopaholic red-blooded woman, there’s a good chance that you’ve lately been bamboozled quite a bit by nifty marketing.

Even before temperatures soared, billboards popped up within your periphery, urging you to stock up on lightweight lawn fabric in preparation for the sweltering summer that was sure to follow. Off you went, wrapping your shawl around you, shivering in the icy winter wind while you rationed up on your future wardrobe.

Then, as the heat rose, the lawn imagery assailed you full-throttle. On billboards and TV adverts, magazines and social media’s expansive platform, you grew dizzy with the extensive variety on offer. You felt duty-bound to buy a certain collection because it tended to go ‘sold out’ and then there were the prints that were created by your favorite designer and a few more just because they looked so good in those (many) photo shoots with the desert backdrops. They were bound to stand out just as well in the dusty, arid climes of your city – reason enough to crank up the bank account again!

And now, just when you thought you were done with your shopping, out came the advertisements again, pitching an all-new key word to entice you: ‘Eid’!

Eid, already?!

But Eid is more than a month away. The fasting month of Ramadan is yet to begin and you’re still happily gorging on three meals a day (albeit not too much because you want to continue fitting into that summer wardrobe you’ve amassed so diligently). Nevertheless, Eid exhibits and collections are quite the ‘it’ things right now, drawing in crowds and a healthy bit of shoving and pushing all the way to the sales till.

Khaadi launched its both lawn (above) and chiffon collections for Eid

“It takes time for unstitched fabric to get stitched by tailors,” points out CEO of Khaadi, Shamoon Sultan. “This is actually the ideal time to launch an unstitched Eid collection.” He says this while standing in the colossal Khaadi outlet in Karachi’s Dolmen City while masses of women stream through the unstitched fabric section. The Eid line of embroidered chiffon has just launched that morning and it is apparently a huge hit. The price is steeper than Khaadi’s lawn range, teetering at around Rs 8000, but it hasn’t deterred the avid shopper. Most of the designs have already flown off the racks, leaving them bare, to be restocked in a few days’ time. “We’ve delved into an unstitched chiffon line for the first time and it makes sense. Eid-wear tends to be more formal,” says Shamoon.

The other Eid collection of unstitched fabric to have been launched that very day has been by Sana Safinaz and it, too, has strayed away from lawn’s much-hackneyed dominion. Instead, the fabric of choice is poly net and cotton net, worked with heavy embroideries and following a quintessentially sophisticated palette. The prices range between Rs 8000 and Rs 10000 – not a problem for the designer duo’s many fans who have ensured that some of the suits are already ‘out of stock’.

Pieces from Sana Safinaz's Eid collection are already 'sold out'

“The fabric adds in a luxe element,” explains Safinaz, “so that the clothes can be worn in the evening, on Eid, at a big dinner or even at events leading to a wedding.”

It’s a clever marketing decision. Lawn designs, even the most embellished ones, are now nothing new to the market. Eid collections in more formal fabric, meanwhile, manage to immediately catch women’s attention – especially since they are also ideal for the wedding season that immediately follows Eid.

Designer Maria B. can be credited for more or less pioneering this concept. Two and a half years ago, her design house launched the first M-Broidered collection before Eid and observed sales rolling in. “We also have an Eid lawn line which has its own market but there is a definite strata that wants to wear heavier clothing on Eid day or at weddings that follow. Our M-Broidered suits are absolute evening-wear, using luxe fabric like woven jacquard, digitally printed silk, tissue and velvet trimmings, nets, embroideries and Swarovski details. We started off with one collection but it has now become so popular that we have four M-Broidered line-ups, released during key sales periods throughout the course of the year.”

Bought for Eid, treasured all year round - Maria B's M-Broidered are hot-sellers

There are also festive lines that have just been launched by textile bigshots Al-Karam and Gul Ahmed, high-street maverick Sapphire and many more are sure to follow. Oh well, the more the merrier.

Shopping … on a full stomach

But would designers – and textile mills - benefit more were they to release collections a bit later, cashing in on the pre-Eid hype, when the nation at large fasts all day and then treats itself with shopping splurges?

Apparently, the pre-Eid hype has already begun.

Seen here at their private showing of their Eid collection, Farah Talib Aziz's public exhibition was a knockout the next day

Maliha Aziz, brand manager at Farah Talib Aziz, whose brand’s recent Eid exhibit of ready-to-wear in Karachi was quite a success, testifies to this. “Our customers actually prefer shopping right now, when they aren’t fasting,” she observes. “It also makes things easy for us. We aren’t fasting either and have much more energy. Our exhibit also featured evening formals that could be created on order and our craftsmen have started working on them immediately. It’s going to be a hot fasting season and we know that everything will just slow down. Even our workmen’s hours will shrink, ending well before sunset.” Following the Karachi event this past weekend, Farah Talib Aziz will be exhibiting prêt in Dubai, followed by Lahore and then, Islamabad.

And therefore, even though the festival is still more than a month away, it’s Eid shopping season. If you’re the red-blooded shopaholic woman that you claim to be, you’ve probably already stocked on some of those Eid designs that had long been tempting you on Instagram.

Beware, though: as they usually do, more embellished options are likely to crawl out of the woodworks in the next few weeks, luring you, cajoling you, to just spend another 10 grand or so. Off you’ll go, to the mall again. Like we said, the more the merrier – or is it?