Cricket, bus and now fashion. When it comes to furthering the peace process between India and Pakistan, how can couture be left behind?
Encouraged by the positive response to the telecast of India's premier fashion week in Pakistan, a plan to hold a joint fashion week featuring Indian and Pakistani designers in Lahore is being worked out.
Pakistan got a taste of Indian fashion when the Dubai-based ARY channel telecast the Lakme India Fashion week live. "We received a very good response after the telecast," says Salam Iqbal, President and CEO of ARY digital.
"We are in the process of finalising the event and will come out with the dates within a few days," he says.
The live telecast of Indian silhouettes was prompted by the response received by the channel through their coverage of the fashion week last year in news-based shows.
"We wanted to promote Indian fashion in Pakistan so that Indian designers could sell their products in Pakistan and vice-versa. A common culture and heritage binds both the countries and so we decided to broadcast LIFW in Pakistan," he says.
Pakistani fashion is mostly traditional in nature but the influence of Bollywood is very strong as Hindi movies and serials are quite a rage there.
The proposed Indo-Pak fashion extravaganza will be a seven-day affair and will be hosted in Lahore. It will showcase the autumn collection but unlike the LIFW that focussed on prêt line, the event in Pakistan would be more bridal, according to industry sources.
Some of the country's top designers are expected to participate in the event.
Fashion designers from Pakistan, who were in New Delhi for the fashion week, were overwhelmed by the creations of Indian designers.
Creations of top designers like Ritu Kumar and Wendell Rodricks are as popular in Pakistan as they are here and there is an enthusiasm about Indian fashion among Pakistani people, says Omar Sayeed, a fashion designer from Pakistan.
"It is a far better experience for us to visit LIFW than London or Paris fashion weeks," says fashion designer Mohsin Sayeed.
