By Mehr Muhammad Adeel Riaz (@couturesoiréebyadeel)
Change, move forward, become relative, are not the new phrases being heard in ateliers of courtiers and certainly not new to the Fahad Hussayn. His current efforts were translated through the collection; “I’ve done bigger repeat sizes this season , they are up to 7 individual panels making a design in a bridal ” Seasoned couturier provided the show notes as per request. Proving that it’s not simple to draw inspiration from couture to develop a luxury contemporary bridal collection whose structure might change depending on consumer desires. Especially when the country is suffering from double digit inflation, one may rethink what even a designer should present to the market. Afterall, Fashion is business. In the current socio-economic environment where women in Pakistan want to adorn a modern chic look rather than traditional heavy embroidered looks, the collection of Fahad Hussayn successfully translates the current taste of the consumer market. This particular collection titled “Ghar, Gharasti, Gehnay” portrays the easy breezy aesthetic for the contemporary bride who may want to step on stage and do a choreographed dance with her hubby on Madam Noor Jahans’ iconic song “Soane di tavitri“. The design etiquettes may not be new to the designer himself but the hints of 3D installations of zardozi, sittara, crystal & gotta work are giving new life to the collection itself.
“Ghar, Gharasti, Gehnay,” strongly attempts to showcase the growth of Fahad Hussayn as a designer that aims to capture the essence of change and expresses it through the bright and puzzled aesthetics. Furthermore, acknowledging that we cannot escape our true nature as a butterfly cocoon going through the process of metamorphosis; shedding skin layer after skin layer, showing color after color, and even the intricate details of the anatomy of the body. Just like that the vibrant black lengha to beige-bright pink lenghas set with paired Menswear couture collection set against the mix of machine and hand embroidery with the gold rush work Fahad Hussayn bridal gown, shows the version of metamorphosis of the design identity of the Fahad Hussayn brand. One garment that stood out to me was the gold rush lengha which was lavishly adorned with excellent hand and adda work, patches, and drapes draped with the height of elegance; truly complimenting the current demands of the consumers.
Mr. Hussayn’s was heard saying “Just to ensure we are always upwards and forward within the design business, the designs are unique, have good quality handmade embellishments and are a true mass representation of craft and technology that our couture sensibility stands for.” Fahad Hussayn’s choice of words to explain the collection also reflects the creative direction of the campaign itself. With Pakistani ace models like Sabeeka Imam and Amna Babar paired with the upcoming lot of models, this particular effort attempts to show that the casting can be means to break free from antiquated norms and becoming more aware of the potential that the future holds from a non-conformist and disruptive perspective of our traditional norms; just as much as the brand wants to convey the beautiful message of moving forward.
One of the beautiful takeaways (might I say free pearls of wisdom), for our readers is to look at hair and makeup by Nabila’s team and how it was paired with jewelry by Fazal Jewellers. The natural smokey smudged eyes makeup to the beautiful jadau haar looks heavenly. One must take notes for our bridals too.
Overall, The collection is a tribute to the contemporary bride that may be unable to understand her style in the sea of overly done bridals or even the groom who is pressured by the bougie tailor sitting at MM Alam road. Fahad’s Spring bridal couture collection features compelling and dramatic as well as refined and elegant attire, always moving forward with intriguing inspiring concepts; proving that the architecture of the clothing represents the core vision of the new Fahad Hussayn brand. An applied fashion forward collection…!!!