11 July 2024
Stories dedicated to Women’s Day tend to be littered with certain catchphrases. There is talk about breaking glass ceilings, smashing the patriarchy and making a mark in a man’s world. While these phrases are all true, they are also so ubiquitous that they seem downright generic. There are, after all, far more creative ways of describing and celebrating the achievements of women.
Armed with a background in finance and corporate law and with a strong creative streak, she has paved a path that has veered from apparel to developing home textiles and catering, and from a loyal local clientele to a consistent export business.
Her trajectory can quite literally be utilised to form a timeline tabulating the evolution of Pakistani fashion. From founding her high-end luxury label back in 1987, Shamaeel forged ahead with solo fashion shows and exhibits around the world, dabbling with lawn, ready-to-wear, luxury-wear and bridals, mentoring up-and-coming designers and chairing the Karachi-based Fashion Pakistan Council for some time.
Some of the most memorable benchmarks set by Shamaeel are reminiscent of Pakistani fashion’s heydays. Her Orient Express show back in the early ’90s, for instance, took place at the Karachi Railway Station, with models making an entry on an old steam engine.In yet another memorable solo outing, back in 2017, Shamaeel opened up her home to a select guest list, setting up installations in different rooms, drawing on Turkish history for inspiration.
“From about 1987 to 1998, I would be showcasing my collections in solo shows,” recalls Shamaeel. “I think that I am possibly the only Pakistani designer to have staged so many solo fashion shows. Maintaining a distinctive creative signature with my brand has always been very important to me but, at the same time, I am a businesswoman. I have navigated ups and downs and overseen every aspect on my own, ranging from production to the advertising aspects to retail, sampling, finance, research and export. It goes to show that with the right education and motivation, a woman can run a business just as well as a man.
” She continues: “Simultaneously, I have always been very willing to train others. As chairperson of the Fashion Pakistan Council, I would try my best to encourage promising new designers and I also regularly work with the Hunar Foundation, training the girls there on designing fabric products.”
Shamaeel adds, “A love for fabric and texture runs in my genealogy. My great-grandfather had been one of the very first men to manufacture and retail pure silk in Mysore, India. Personally, even while I studied finance, I enjoyed visiting museums, reading about cultures and history and, eventually, taking inspiration from them when I turned my eye towards fashion design.
“As a result, my collections have always been rich in history, inspired by works of art and literature, carefully curated to exude regality and individual expression. In these 37 years, I feel happy that I have not let my signature get diluted. When a woman walks in wearing my design and it prompts the people around her to recognise it as ‘A Shamaeel’, I consider it quite an achievement!” she smiles.
Top Fashion Designer In Pakistan : Shamaeel Ansari
