Lawn takes over
Text By: Shanaz Ramzi
Photo credits: Gul Ahmed and Sana Aslam
There was a time when lawn was a fabric only worn by the menial classes. Difficult to believe though it may seem today, those were the days when other than pure silks and pure chiffons, georgettes, crepes, wash-n-wear cotton, and other synthetic materials were regarded as the choice of the elite. Rarely, would ladies be seen in a lawn suit outside their home, and if they were, it would only be at a bazaar or some such low-profile place.
Then suddenly, the tables turned. A trend for women to get into dress designing took root, with more and more house-wives turning to it as a profession. And, as prêt a porter became common with ladies opening up boutiques and designing for other trendy women, ensembles that were more comfort-oriented came into vogue. Semi-formal and formal cotton suits with embellishments and embroidery were introduced, keeping in mind our uncomfortably hot summers. Whereas once it was unthinkable to be seen at a formal affair in a cotton suit, it suddenly became not only kosher but fashionable to be attired in them.
The next step was the popularising of lawns – a thin fabric even more suited to Pakistani summers than the relatively thicker cotton – but so far only the imported variety had held any appeal for the upper classes.
Women now jumped at the opportunity to be attired in the wispy, cool local fabric, and yet not be considered passe. Boutiques, such as Sundip and Generation became known for their trendy, exclusive and yet economically priced lawn suits, and further boosted the popularity of the material, so that women of all ages began to don them with aplomb.
Large fabric houses soon realized the potential of this material and began to invest in professional designers to come up with aesthetically appealing designs. Beginning with hiring students of fashion design to create exclusive prints for them, the top fabric houses in the country began to gradually patronize haute couture designers who would produce an affordable and yet up-market lawn range for them, by lending them their designs and labels.
With various designers stepping into the picture over these last two decades, lawn suits started acquiring new found dimensions. Gradually three piece suits became the rage, so that instead of being restricted to wearing a full suit of one print, women now had the option of wearing mix-and-match outfits. A printed kameez could be accompanied by either a plain shalwar or one with a different, yet complementing print. The design on the dupatta would normally have a little of both the kameez and shalwar patterns, giving the suit a finishing touch.
These days, printed chiffon dupattas accompany lawn suits, and some designers have even introduced net dupattas and jacquard dupattas. To give them a more formal touch, embroidery has been incorporated in the kameez. Some designers have been innovative enough to include piping fabric in the material, adding value to their product.
The quality of the fabric too, has improved beyond anything one could have imagined. Pure lawn’s greatest disadvantage used to be that it would crush easily, making the wearer look as if they had been sleeping in the fabric. Unless it was starched, it had a limp look, and those who didn’t want to bother with starching or didn’t like the stiffness it entailed would avoid wearing it altogether. That is far from the case these days. Today’s lawn has a soft, supple texture which gives it the feel of a mixed fabric, yet is made of pure yarn. Speaking about the popularity of lawn, Vaneeza says:
“It should have become the rage years ago, because of our weather. But, a fashion and design element was missing from the lawns because only mill owners were involved in their production, who looked upon it purely as a business venture. When Shehnaz Basit joined Gul Ahmed, she pushed the bar up, definitely, but the designs were still associated with the mill, rather than the designer. It was thanks to Shamail, who was the first haute couture designer to come up with a lawn line – her Jubilee collection — albeit on a small scale, that lawn really became universally popular.”
According to Vaneeza, it was Shamail’s collection that sowed the seeds for designer involvement in lawn, for both manufacturers and designers realized that they stood to benefit from this partnership. Manufacturers of the fabric discovered that their product was becoming up-market with designers stepping into the picture, and designers found that they were reaching out to a much wider customer base.
Entering this field three years ago, Vaneeza clarifies that she actually launched her career as a designer, with a prêt collection that she introduced on the ramp in Lahore years ago. She modelled for her own line by default, as one of the models didn’t show up, and also realized that it was not her cup of tea dealing with karigars. Having embarked on a long and successful career of modelling since then, but still wanting to design for a large clientele, she opted to deal with factories instead. Today, although her V Lawn is not affiliated to any one mill, she feels that her fabric is constantly improving because she is willing to experiment rather than be stuck to just one fabric house.
With innovation the key words behind her label, Vaneeza introduced khaddi dupattas with her lawn suits this summer, and for her next collection is trying to come up with wrinkle-free coating for her suits. She says she “Goes for bold, modern prints” and her “dupattas are all panel, which few designers do as not everyone has the machines for it.”
So, what are the other designers doing this year for their lawn collections, and what are the colours and prints in vogue? Says Sana, the indispensable second half of the designer duo, Sana Safinaz, “We’ve been doing lawns for the last ten years, and this has been our most successful season by far. We’ve been more into colour this time, and have stepped out of our comfort zone by introducing a bright palette with oranges and magentas. We’ve also incorporated embroidery this time.
I never used to wear lawn earlier, but now I find them eminently wearable. The other day, the Speaker of the National Assembly was in one of our lawn suits on TV! All credit goes to Safinaz for their popularity, for she really works hard on our lawn collection.”
Of the opinion that lawn started becoming increasingly popular owing to sweltering weather conditions coupled with frequent power breakdowns, Sana says “When we introduced our first lawn collection a decade ago, we had a home run with it. Over the years, the craze for wearing lawn, particularly designer prints, has increased exponentially, so that this year round, we’ve had our most successful lawn season to date. The West too, has gone into prints big time, and the print revival there has had a positive effect here too, so that wearing prints is very in now.”
Sana predicts that lawn will continue to play a big part in the Pakistani woman’s wardrobe, especially now that most of the major cloth mills have begun to use the services of designers to come up with creative prints in bold combinations. Says she: “Designers have taken it to another level altogether with these fun-to-wear prints, and lawn is no longer about being drab and unexciting.”
Speaking about the popularity of lawn, Rizwan Beyg says, “We’ve always had a ‘darzi culture’ in Pakistan. The best option is invariably to buy seven-and-a-half yards of fabric and take it to the tailor to get a custom-made outfit. We talk of fashion all the time, but 90 per cent of our people still prefer to wear shalwar kameez, no matter what the international trends are. Whether rural, semi-urban or urban, most women are into wearing shalwar kameez rather than western prêt.”
Having launched his prints some 17 years ago, Beyg claims “At that time people used to go to international fairs, bring fabric from there, and copy the prints here, although the designs had no relevance in Pakistan. I came up with prints people could relate to, such as motifs from our ‘dastarkhwans’, carpets and rillis. They have resonance with the culture of Pakistan, which is why I get sold out, while most designers even today, go for western designs and colours.”
Rizwan Beyg feels that another reason for the popularity of his lawns is that customers get good quality fabric with aesthetic designs – something that could only have been available in boutiques earlier – and at very affordable prices. And the best thing is that they can get their suits custom-made, so have a greater appeal and individuality.”
Accrediting designers in general for the surge in lawn popularity Beyg says “Thanks to our stepping into the picture, and coming up with creative designs and more attractive colour schemes, the demand for local lawn has increased. Whereas previously people would go for Swiss and French voile, now they have started opting for our designs, and encouraged by this trend, mill owners have improved the quality of their fabric as well. Our lawn has become heavier and glossier, and looks almost like silk – its sheep disguised as lamb, and is a value addition product. Hence, in spite of the numerous choices available in the form of imported lawn – French, Japanese, Korean, Thai and Swiss – we have managed to hold our own.”
So, it sure looks like lawn is going to remain a hot favorite with women in the years to come, and continue to become a value added product in the process.
Photo credits: Gul Ahmed and Sana Aslam
There was a time when lawn was a fabric only worn by the menial classes. Difficult to believe though it may seem today, those were the days when other than pure silks and pure chiffons, georgettes, crepes, wash-n-wear cotton, and other synthetic materials were regarded as the choice of the elite. Rarely, would ladies be seen in a lawn suit outside their home, and if they were, it would only be at a bazaar or some such low-profile place.
Then suddenly, the tables turned. A trend for women to get into dress designing took root, with more and more house-wives turning to it as a profession. And, as prêt a porter became common with ladies opening up boutiques and designing for other trendy women, ensembles that were more comfort-oriented came into vogue. Semi-formal and formal cotton suits with embellishments and embroidery were introduced, keeping in mind our uncomfortably hot summers. Whereas once it was unthinkable to be seen at a formal affair in a cotton suit, it suddenly became not only kosher but fashionable to be attired in them.
The next step was the popularising of lawns – a thin fabric even more suited to Pakistani summers than the relatively thicker cotton – but so far only the imported variety had held any appeal for the upper classes.
Women now jumped at the opportunity to be attired in the wispy, cool local fabric, and yet not be considered passe. Boutiques, such as Sundip and Generation became known for their trendy, exclusive and yet economically priced lawn suits, and further boosted the popularity of the material, so that women of all ages began to don them with aplomb.
Large fabric houses soon realized the potential of this material and began to invest in professional designers to come up with aesthetically appealing designs. Beginning with hiring students of fashion design to create exclusive prints for them, the top fabric houses in the country began to gradually patronize haute couture designers who would produce an affordable and yet up-market lawn range for them, by lending them their designs and labels.
With various designers stepping into the picture over these last two decades, lawn suits started acquiring new found dimensions. Gradually three piece suits became the rage, so that instead of being restricted to wearing a full suit of one print, women now had the option of wearing mix-and-match outfits. A printed kameez could be accompanied by either a plain shalwar or one with a different, yet complementing print. The design on the dupatta would normally have a little of both the kameez and shalwar patterns, giving the suit a finishing touch.
These days, printed chiffon dupattas accompany lawn suits, and some designers have even introduced net dupattas and jacquard dupattas. To give them a more formal touch, embroidery has been incorporated in the kameez. Some designers have been innovative enough to include piping fabric in the material, adding value to their product.
The quality of the fabric too, has improved beyond anything one could have imagined. Pure lawn’s greatest disadvantage used to be that it would crush easily, making the wearer look as if they had been sleeping in the fabric. Unless it was starched, it had a limp look, and those who didn’t want to bother with starching or didn’t like the stiffness it entailed would avoid wearing it altogether. That is far from the case these days. Today’s lawn has a soft, supple texture which gives it the feel of a mixed fabric, yet is made of pure yarn. Speaking about the popularity of lawn, Vaneeza says:
“It should have become the rage years ago, because of our weather. But, a fashion and design element was missing from the lawns because only mill owners were involved in their production, who looked upon it purely as a business venture. When Shehnaz Basit joined Gul Ahmed, she pushed the bar up, definitely, but the designs were still associated with the mill, rather than the designer. It was thanks to Shamail, who was the first haute couture designer to come up with a lawn line – her Jubilee collection — albeit on a small scale, that lawn really became universally popular.”
According to Vaneeza, it was Shamail’s collection that sowed the seeds for designer involvement in lawn, for both manufacturers and designers realized that they stood to benefit from this partnership. Manufacturers of the fabric discovered that their product was becoming up-market with designers stepping into the picture, and designers found that they were reaching out to a much wider customer base.
Entering this field three years ago, Vaneeza clarifies that she actually launched her career as a designer, with a prêt collection that she introduced on the ramp in Lahore years ago. She modelled for her own line by default, as one of the models didn’t show up, and also realized that it was not her cup of tea dealing with karigars. Having embarked on a long and successful career of modelling since then, but still wanting to design for a large clientele, she opted to deal with factories instead. Today, although her V Lawn is not affiliated to any one mill, she feels that her fabric is constantly improving because she is willing to experiment rather than be stuck to just one fabric house.
With innovation the key words behind her label, Vaneeza introduced khaddi dupattas with her lawn suits this summer, and for her next collection is trying to come up with wrinkle-free coating for her suits. She says she “Goes for bold, modern prints” and her “dupattas are all panel, which few designers do as not everyone has the machines for it.”
So, what are the other designers doing this year for their lawn collections, and what are the colours and prints in vogue? Says Sana, the indispensable second half of the designer duo, Sana Safinaz, “We’ve been doing lawns for the last ten years, and this has been our most successful season by far. We’ve been more into colour this time, and have stepped out of our comfort zone by introducing a bright palette with oranges and magentas. We’ve also incorporated embroidery this time.
I never used to wear lawn earlier, but now I find them eminently wearable. The other day, the Speaker of the National Assembly was in one of our lawn suits on TV! All credit goes to Safinaz for their popularity, for she really works hard on our lawn collection.”
Of the opinion that lawn started becoming increasingly popular owing to sweltering weather conditions coupled with frequent power breakdowns, Sana says “When we introduced our first lawn collection a decade ago, we had a home run with it. Over the years, the craze for wearing lawn, particularly designer prints, has increased exponentially, so that this year round, we’ve had our most successful lawn season to date. The West too, has gone into prints big time, and the print revival there has had a positive effect here too, so that wearing prints is very in now.”
Sana predicts that lawn will continue to play a big part in the Pakistani woman’s wardrobe, especially now that most of the major cloth mills have begun to use the services of designers to come up with creative prints in bold combinations. Says she: “Designers have taken it to another level altogether with these fun-to-wear prints, and lawn is no longer about being drab and unexciting.”
Speaking about the popularity of lawn, Rizwan Beyg says, “We’ve always had a ‘darzi culture’ in Pakistan. The best option is invariably to buy seven-and-a-half yards of fabric and take it to the tailor to get a custom-made outfit. We talk of fashion all the time, but 90 per cent of our people still prefer to wear shalwar kameez, no matter what the international trends are. Whether rural, semi-urban or urban, most women are into wearing shalwar kameez rather than western prêt.”
Having launched his prints some 17 years ago, Beyg claims “At that time people used to go to international fairs, bring fabric from there, and copy the prints here, although the designs had no relevance in Pakistan. I came up with prints people could relate to, such as motifs from our ‘dastarkhwans’, carpets and rillis. They have resonance with the culture of Pakistan, which is why I get sold out, while most designers even today, go for western designs and colours.”
Rizwan Beyg feels that another reason for the popularity of his lawns is that customers get good quality fabric with aesthetic designs – something that could only have been available in boutiques earlier – and at very affordable prices. And the best thing is that they can get their suits custom-made, so have a greater appeal and individuality.”
Accrediting designers in general for the surge in lawn popularity Beyg says “Thanks to our stepping into the picture, and coming up with creative designs and more attractive colour schemes, the demand for local lawn has increased. Whereas previously people would go for Swiss and French voile, now they have started opting for our designs, and encouraged by this trend, mill owners have improved the quality of their fabric as well. Our lawn has become heavier and glossier, and looks almost like silk – its sheep disguised as lamb, and is a value addition product. Hence, in spite of the numerous choices available in the form of imported lawn – French, Japanese, Korean, Thai and Swiss – we have managed to hold our own.”
So, it sure looks like lawn is going to remain a hot favorite with women in the years to come, and continue to become a value added product in the process.
0 comments: