By Hani Taha Salim
“I am very secure in my place as a designer.” – Sarah Gandapur
There are not many like Sarah Gandapur who is so fearless and honest about herself and her work. A successful designer whose focus is on creating funky garments from ready-made or embellished fabric; who’s been regularly visiting India and Dubai and balancing that with taking out a publication single-handedly, and one who does not feature her clothes or shoots- she is a dynamic woman and indeed a very rare find. Her magazine is distributed in four major cities of India, and recently, she has landed exclusive interviews with Bohemia and Amra Palia, not to mention a highly coveted project in Bollywood.
Sarah is someone who can view the industry from both an outsider’s perspective as an editor and an insider’s, and knows its inner machinations all too well.
“There’s too much politics in the industry,” she speaks in her typical forthright manner. “Just because I’m not gay I don’t get any work from the gay network that operates so widely here,” scorns Sarah in reference to the recent advent of all and sundry into the fashion scene, “so why waste time on a Pakistani network, when I can get work from abroad!” she exclaims.
Sarah had shown at the Arabia Fashion Week in November (around the same time as Fashion Pakistan Week) and is now preparing to show in India in March. Why didn’t she show at FPW?
“I had already committed to Arabia so unfortunately couldn’t show here. It’s the same situation now. I wish I could have shown at the fashion week in Lahore but I have been invited to India as a fashion editor and as a designer for Kolkata Fashion Week.”
As someone who has been showing in Dubai for five years now, what is it that attracts buyers there?
“The desi community likes fusion clothes and the Arab community wants to wear Arab inspired clothes with a desi touch. For Pakistanis I’d take a good mix of clothes while for the Arabs I’d take more of kaftans. They like my work because of the eclectic clothes that I bring,” says Sarah.
“People like Amir Adnan and HSY are huge brand names in Dubai,” Sarah continues, “but they have a classic look that is identifiable and I like to experiment - I end up selling more since my clothes are affordable. Also I am very secure in my place as a designer and have personally given HSY and Umar Sayeed’s numbers to clients who are looking for stunning traditional bridals.”
In a place as versatile as Dubai, Sarah presents Pakistani ethnic and fusion lines, kaftans, hand-embroidered semi-formals. The hand embroidery she says are the biggest hit.
“Everyone was showing gowns so I stood out,” she recalls, “the Indians showed variations of saris. With my creations, it’s all about the use of bright colours and the cut. And I booked the most on the multi-purpose versatile pieces that can be used as separates. I always keep two to three days after the shows to book clothes.”
Ever-prepared for any situation, Sara shares that; “I carry a few extra pieces and sometimes people even buy clothes off the ramp! What I usually do though is get a sim beforehand and a get a few cards printed to distribute to prospective buyers/clients. People abroad don’t complain as much as the clients here and allow room for experimentation, so it’s less hassle, lots of fun and more profitable. But they still need reassurance that the garment delivered to them would be of the quality they expect”.
Considering how often she visits Dubai and India, why hasn’t she yet begun to stock there formally?
“To stock in Dubai, you need to send a certain amount of clothes at certain times to any store or retail outlet that would stock your collection,” Sarah says, “so it’s a little difficult to manage because you need to keep a stringent check on the production lines. I’m trying to expand so I’m looking around for the most viable place for me to stock. So far I’m stocking informally through friends in India and Dubai through regular exhibitions.”
Frills, jalibyas and acumen: Aysha Saim
Just the title of the collection, ‘Around the World in 21 Minutes’, is arresting enough for one to notice Aysha Saim, one of the two designers that represented Pakistan this season at the Dubai Fashion Week. A raw entrant into the fashion industry, Aysha has been dabbling in fabrics since the last two years via her chain of retail embroidered fabric stores, Frilz.
Armed with a fashion and make up diploma from Germany, she ingeniously debuted in Dubai with a demi-couture line of gowns, kimonos and dholak shalwars, all of which were crafted from taffeta, chiffons and silks from her own store. It was a line that was “very well received amongst buyers”, according to a proud Aysha. “The audiences saw my collection as four collections in one actually. They really enjoyed the variety that I had presented starting from a dramatic salsa dress which the model walked in to the salsa beats; to my butterfly themed balloon dress, which created the most hype since coincidentally the theme of the Dubai Fashion Week this time was butterflies but it was kept a secret till we actually got there.”
An astute businesswomen, all of Aysha’s pieces were liberally strewn with frills to reinforce her brand. It served as the most sensible and resourceful way of marketing oneself on an international platform.
“Dubai is where you can truly gauge your potential as a designer,” says Aysha, whose designer pseudonym is ASH - an alias that interestingly arose great curiosity as to the nationality of the brand.
“In Pakistan one can always be successful on the basis of one’s family background, socio-political standing or ‘contacts’. Abroad, especially for someone as fresh as myself, there is no such thing as ‘contacts’. This was my very first fashion show, I have never done one even in Pakistan, but am planning one sometime soon.”
Any interesting incidents to share from Dubai, since she was the only woman representing Pakistan, and it was her first time doing the ramp?
“Well there were a few dresses to which there was a bikini top and two days before the event we were told that we cannot present such revealing clothing in Dubai. So I had to personally stitch corsets to go with them with a needle and thread with my own hands!”
So why did Aysha jump the gun and not show at the Fashion Pakistan Week?
“Previously DFW was clashing with FPW so I didn’t register for Pakistan. Then the dates got changed and I didn’t get the time to register. I wish I had and hope that I can show at our next fashion week. I am going again to Dubai in December though to launch my store there since we found an excellent buyer at the fashion week itself! Then I will also show in Dubai again in March.”
Aysha’s next collection will be aimed strictly towards buyers who she revealed are interested in jalibyas, gowns, abayas and ponchos. She may be fresh on the block, but Aysha Saim knows the tricks of the trade and how to take fashion to the next level- as a serious business venture.
Instep TODAY
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