Fiery, young and ambitious, Hassan Riaz considers himself a novice in the humongous industry of fashion. Having studied fashion and arts abroad, Paris to be precise, the youthful designer is a dreamer, a go-getter and a pessimist through and through. He understands the monopoly of a saturated fashion market and is not afraid to do extraordinary things to prove his mettle. After all, there is always room for talent and skill. Hassan Riaz has showcased his collections at some of the leading fashion weeks in Pakistan and has also exhibited overseas. He describes himself as “a young boy who spent all his youth being one of the top students in school, a debater, an artist, a sportsman, being part of one or another extra-curricular with a record of always winning for the school”. He says that his teachers always thought of seeing him as future great artist, lawyer, doctor or even an astronaut. “I was always passionate and followed my instincts. After my A-Levels, my family expected me to enroll at the Lahore University of Management Sciences or the Institute of Business Administration but it came as a big surprise to them when I told them I wanted to join the National College of Arts to study interior designing for two years. After the end of the course, I enrolled at the Pakistan Institute of Fashion Design which is one of the most prestigious fashion schools of Pakistan.” Like I mentioned before, Hassan went to Paris to study fashion and has worked in Europe with the renowned French haute couture and prêt-à-porter fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier. “I entered the industry with the mindset to invade fashion with innovation, creativity, originality and novelty. As a designer, I believe ‘fashion’ is a universal term and its roots are spread globally. As a passionate designer, I have a vision of setting new trends, bringing such fashion forth which can really change the mindset of the people here about innovative high fashion and socialising, that is globally accepted and praised by fashion societies. ‘The society and the fashion fraternity here is a little self centered. They don’t see beyond their rose tinted glasses’ Hassan says it’s important to learn from mistakes and not regret anything. However, he does feel that innovation and new trends are not accepted easily in Pakistan. “Designers like Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen, Comme Des Garcons and Jean Paul Gaultier came with an innovative and an experimental vision aiming to set trends, which everyone accepted and lauded. But the society and the fashion fraternity here is a little self centred and is not ready to accept the border stance of fashion. They don’t see beyond their rose tinted glasses. So I believe I should only concentrate on my work and let that do the talking,” he says. Hassan says Bunto Kazmi, Faiza Samee, Umar Sayeed and Nilofer Shahid are true examples of authentic fashion with a distinguished signature style whereas Alexander McQueen, Gaultier and Comme Des Garcons are some of his most favourite designers from the West. “At a very young age, I got the opportunity to work with a lot of people nationally and internationally and from all of them, I learned and gained from one way or another. However, there are a few people with whom I was honoured to work with and learn from. These are the ones who are a great example of the right vision, a living legend and workaholic human beings. Rabia Javeri-Agha is one such person who comes to my mind. Saeed Tamimi is someone from I have learned the true path of fashion from, the border visualisation of classic work and life. He is a true hidden fashionista. I have also learned a lot from all my senior designers. Hassan is currently working on a new resort collection which is about “colours of life and joy” which he would be showcasing at the prestigious Pakistan Fashion Week, London in June 2018. “It is a colourful and a flamboyant collection, with a lot of stripes, interesting embellishments and feminine silhouettes,” Hassan says, describing his collection.” Hassan’s designs are not gender specific. He loves creating both menswear and women wear. “For me this season, for women, it is all about fresh colours, transparency and liquidity, stripes with statement trims and accessories. Bossy, working, clean cutlines, light weight silhouettes made in organza, silks, chiffons and cottons whereas men this season should opt for nude, beiges, whites, baggy plain shirts or sleek narrow pants etc,” he advises. Published in Daily Times, May 13th 2018.