Tell us about your foray into the field of fashion. How did it all begin for you? It began for me in 1994. I had just come back from New York and I was this kid who was really excited about making new clothes. I wanted to do something edgy, modern, and definitive and something never seen before in Pakistan. Tell us about some of the initial challenges you may have faced belonging to a minority sect in Pakistan, in order to make your presence felt and succeed. How did you overcome those challenges? As a minority, it was a bit odd in those days to have your name on a billboard, to be honest. When I first opened up my store on Zamzama, it was one of the very few stores. I did not put my name Deepak Perwani on it. In fact, I put a DP in my logo. For years, people would identify the logo as opposed to the name. One day, I was sitting in my store, and this guy stopped his car outside and came in asking me if I knew where Deepak Perwani’s store was. And that’s when it occurred to me that the logo wasn’t working at all. So I took a leap of faith and after four years, put up my name on that billboard because before I was scared to do that. You are not just a designer but have also tried your hand at acting and the prestigious Fashion Pakistan Council is also your wing. In what ways have you seen the fashion industry evolve over the course of time? In what ways has it strengthened and in what ways has it gone down? As a fashion designer, who started working approximately 25 years ago, I never wanted Pakistani fashion to be called Entertainment. In those days, people would have fashion shows for everything and anything. Rather than looking at the business of fashion, we were looked at as part of entertainment. And I wanted to change that. The concept of Fashion Pakistan Council (FPC) started about 14 years ago. I along with the FPC team played a major part in bringing fashion and retail to where it is today. Yes, it’s created dynamics, it’s created a dynamic competition, it’s created a great new foray for people and today everything is about the business of fashion and not just the entertainment. I think we are now an industry and a force to be reckoned with. What has gone down, I don’t want to say, but it’s the editorial. Magazines seem to have more of a money making policy rather than what is good fashion or what is bad fashion. Everything is put on covers as long as money is being paid. ‘People question what Pakistan has given them. But we should ask what we have done for the country’ Tell us about your responsibilities under the FPC. How passionate are you with taking it forward? I have been the chairman of the FPC for the last 14 years. Before that, I was the creative director for Fashion Pakistan Week. My responsibilities at FPC do not just include being the chairperson but also entirely handing the FPW, making sure the sponsors are there and also making sure the shows go smoothly. It also includes interactions with other councils, working with the Trade & Development Authority of Pakistan and the Pakistani embassies abroad. What, according to you, has been your biggest achievement so far? It’s a very long career. I have had many achievements. I have shown in Paris, Milan, New York, and London and everywhere in the world. Mine was probably the only label that did both menswear and womenswear for a very long time and started doing both together. I have been featured in international books; I have been featured as Brand of the Year and Global Brand of the Year. I have seven Lux Style Awards. I have pretty much achieved everything. Like the Best Designer Award from the European Fashion Council, Best Designer at Malaysian Fashion Week and the Sri Lankan Fashion Week. I have pretty much done a lot. I was recently featured in the Frida Kahlo: Fashion as the Art of Being book. I have also been mentioned in the atlas of the Fashion Designers to look out for in the World. I have achieved a lot but there is always room for more. There is always room to move further and do greater things. That’s one of the responsibilities you have of being the chairman of FPC or any council where you have to look beyond yourself to do good for the rest of the industry. What is your vision for Pakistan and what does it mean to b Pakistani for you? I have always wanted an enlightened and an educated Pakistan. For me, just being a Pakistani is not enough, but to take that identity forward and to make people feel proud of me. I am not one of those people who when abroad and are questioned where I’m from I go, “I’m from India, or the United States or I’m British.” No, I’m very Pakistani and I’m very patriotic about that. People generally ask here what our country has done for us, whereas the question should be, what have we done for our country? What are you currently working on? I’m currently working on my fall/winter collection, which is a solo show and which we are about to do at FPW end of September. I’m also busy with a couple of other projects and shows abroad. I am coming out with a new line which I cannot talk about and also my book which is about to come out next year. We, at Daily Times, consider you one of our national heroes. Who are some of yours? Heroes are very important to have. Pakistan needs heroes all the time. Our last hero probably was Imran Khan after the 1992 World Cup. I think in this country we have always ignored our heroes and we only remember them after they have died or are really unwell in hospitals. For me, some of our heroes are Abdul Sattar Edhi, Imran Khan and Dr Abdus Salam even if we do not recognise him and his contributions to Pakistan. And many others who have done so much for Pakistan and its prevalent industries and its positive image all over the world. Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Fatima Jinnah and Liaquat Ali Khan are also my heroes. Anybody who has done a positive contribution is a hero in my eyes. Achievements MANY FEATHERS IN THE CAP Deepak Perwani is not just a renowned and a highly successful fashion designer. He has also tried his hand at acting and been hugely popular in drama serials like ‘Mere Aas Paas’ and ‘Kadoorat’, etc. HELM OF AFFAIRS Deepak Perwani is the chairperson of the prestigious Fashion Pakistan Council. He is also the creative director for the Fashion Pakistan Week. RECOGNITION ABROAD Perwani has showcased his collections at all the major fashion capitals of the world like Paris, Milan, New York and London. He has been featured in international books as Brand of the Year and Global Brand of the Year. He was recently featured in the Frida Kahlo: Fashion as the Art of Being book. I have also been mentioned in the atlas of the Fashion Designers to look out for in the World. RAKING IN THE AWARDS Perwani has a total of seven coveted LSAs to his credit. He won the Best Designer Award from the European Fashion Council, Best Designer at Malaysian Fashion Week and the Sri Lankan Fashion Week. GUINESS WORLD RECORD Perwani created the world’s largest kurta. The kurta, large enough to be worn by a 175-foot-tall person, was unveiled at a public ceremony. It weighs 800 kilograme, is 101 feet tall and 59 feet 3 inches wide. Each sleeve is almost 57 feet long. It took a team of 50 professional tailors a period of 30 days to make the kurta. The huge kurta is made of 800 yards of cotton blend fabric. Published in Daily Times, August 15th 2018.