Daily Times

LONDON: South Asia’s finest fashion designers converged on the luxury Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Knightsbridge, London on Tuesday to showcase to the British elite the best of fashion.

The spectacular platform of Fashion Parade 2016 featured luxurious creations by 10 leading South Asian designers, from Pakistan, UK and UAE who presented collections with a fusion.

Sadia Siddiqui, founder of Mustang Productions, came up with this elite platform, Fashion Parade, which is an annual display for South Asian designers to bring their designs to the British audience. In association with Encyclomedia PR, Fashion Parade was launched in 2013 and has met with great success since then.

Guests from the worlds of business, fashion and media in London were treated to exclusive collections by Faiza Samee, Studio S by Seher Tareen, Hira Shah, Khushboo by Chand, Nomi Ansari, Ali Xeeshan, Saira Rizwan, Mehreen Noorani, Raishma and a grand finale by emerging international fashion label HSY.

The F-Row included the likes of actress Olivia Grant, lawyer Nancy Dell’Olio, TV and radio presenter Lizzie Cundy, model and actress Amy Jackson and former Pakistani prime minister Shaukat Aziz. The vibrant event was held in collaboration with charity Save The Children.

Models sashayed down the runway against a backdrop of elaborate floral settings designed and created by award-winning florist Zita Elze. Hair and make-up services were taken care of by the dynamic duo of Aamir and Ambreen, who’ve been part of this extravagant fashion event since its inception.

Veteran Pakistani couturier Faiza Samee had created a collection specifically for the show, which she said was a juxtaposition of pattern and colour, reflecting the face of fashion today with a fusion of silhouettes and a variety of shapes and lengths. She has earlier shown with Fashion Parade at The Kensington Palace, and expressed pleasure at showing again, saying the organisers were very fastidious about the finer details and put in a lot of effort to make sure everything is the best it can possibly be. The very promising Rizwan’s collection was called Omorfi, meaning beautiful in Greek. The inspiration behind her collection was the beautiful city of Santorini: the colours in the collection were the colours that the designer felt this summer.

Seher Tareen of Studio S is another force to reckon with. Her label prides itself in paying homage to the arts with every collection. Her latest collection took inspiration from the beautifully complex world of the ballet. The Russian ballet swan lake and the dreamy paintings of Edgar Degas were in special focus.

Another participating designer, Raishma, showcased her prêt and couture collections. With the event, she broke into the British market. Coming from couture and bespoke background, Raishma is renowned for creating striking gowns. A huge feat for her brand is that it is now being stocked at premium high street department stores John Lewis and House Of Fraser.

Noorani’s capsule collection’s theme was ‘All laced up with fringe benefits’: a versatile collection of semi-couture jackets and capes, statement separates perfect for resort and pre-fall.

Khushboo showcased her couture range of luxurious dresses that epitomise the woman of today elegantly with decadently framed cuts, pearl jewel embellishments and an array of blush pastel hues. Her ethereal collection was crafted with a lot of detail and precision.

London-based Shah has showcased at Fashion Parade previously also, and this year round too she showcased her latest collection her brand is known for its conceptual approach to design. Her work showcases fusion of eastern influences with western silhouettes.

The incredible Ansari brought his much-acclaimed luxury prêt Joyride collection to London. This celebration of the present through a wide palette of colour reflected whatever we saw happening around us in today’s fast-paced environment. Featuring structured silhouettes, the collection made a liberal use of bright hues.

The modern ‘king of couture’, Hassan Sheheryar Yasin, debuted at Fashion Parade this year. He showcased his much-acclaimed ‘Be Yourself” collection, which aims to celebrate a woman’s individuality. The showcase featured an array of separates made into a collection to define the spirit of individuality instead of being part of a horde.

The very talented theatrical designer Xeeshan, who always surprises everyone with his line-up presented a collection that paid tribute to the iconic singer Prince. The designer said the collection was very special to him and close to his heart.