Embrace Culture, Diversity and Break Norms!

So the Fashion Pakistan Week came to an end and we witnessed yet again a great number of emerging talent. It is to say that I have always been interested in my Eastern culture and followed every happening event in town despite living abroad. Although recent trends in the Pakistan’s Fashion Industry have raised my frustration levels. Living in Trumps’ western society where a man in office can put women, especially of the Muslim faith, down and everyone is standing together in solidarity to fight for our women who observe hijabs, fighting against Islamophobia and equality of all human beings. My homeland is doing the total opposite, every ad we see every fashion campaign, every magazine cover, a Sadaf Kanwal (love her smile) look alike is flaunting her gorgeous hair and “lawn ka dupatta” on the ruins of Mohenjo Daro.

Although many of us heavily critique these fashion events where everyone gathers in a dead atmosphere and “Karachi ki humidity” to take pictures for the gram, because of course “tayar kyun hue thy?” we all enjoy them as well. Critiquing is what we all do as part of our human psychic, plus being a Pakistani has a lot to do with it also.

This article is not to bash the Pakistani Fashion Industry but to show my annoyance towards the fact that there are no Hijabi models AT ALL! We are all about women empowerment and equality yet they are portraying that it is only going to happen through wearing short dresses? I am astonished by the fact that we promote these fail attempts of our fashion designers to westernise our eastern culture. Lose fitting suits and “ranga hua jumpsuit” will not make you any modern. And can we talk about the unfair treatment towards the male models. I find it is totally unfair that these poor souls are pushed on the runway with “ghagra cholis and tikas”.

Do what you are good at, embrace your niche and stick to it. We all support people like Halima Aden and Mariah Idrissi (H&M model), yet covered women of our own community are struggling to launch careers. They are constantly judged by what is on their head rather than what is in it. Millions of hopes and dreams are shattered every day when these young educated women are told to find work “in their field” and that “dekh leyn apkey parents na kuch kahain.” So many women today in Pakistan who decide to cover themselves are looked down upon in society. It would totally make sense if we were talking about some non-Islamic state but sad enough it is happening in our very own Pakistan.

Before people start jumping to conclusions like "Hijab kyun jab model hi ban’na tha" let me tell you this folks London Modest Fashion Week, gathers fashion designers who encourage modest wear and make clothing easier for hijabi women. Many of the hijabi models are even Pakistani. We need to take initiatives and do something different for a change. Instead of copying other designers, work on standing out in the crowd. P.s. all these new lawn campaigns look the same.