BEYOND BORDERS "I'd like to see a fashion week that will include both Indian and Pakistani designers at one platform in one place" - Faiza Samee

Piyali Dasgupta
Tmes of India

Karachi based fashion designer Faiza Samee from Pakistan paid a short visit to the capital recently. She was among the Pakistani delegates who'd come to the Capital for the Aman Ki Asha foundation programme - an initiative of the Times Of India group.

When we got talking to Faiza, she told us that she has to her credit the wedding ensemble of Benazir Bhutto. She's also done shows along with Indian designers Rohit Bal, Ritu Kumar, Tarun Tahiliani and Rina Dhaka in Pakistan, India and other parts of the globe.

Talking about her favourite Indian fashion designer Rohit Bal, she said, "Gudda is one of my favourites. He's so talented and creative. Unfortunately, during this visit, I couldn't meet him, because I believe he's in Cannes. I was very keen to meet him ever since I heard about his ill health. The day I got to know about his heart attack, I called him up and conveyed my regards. I'm glad to know he's recovering fast and is back to work."

Talking about the experience of making the wedding ensemble for Benazir Bhutto, Faiza says, "It was a big opportunity for me. I've known her family for long. I had stitched a lehenga for her wedding. She liked it a lot. She was very fond of my designs and would buy a lot of stuff from me."

But, that's not all; her aim now is to design clothes for Bollywood. Faiza says, "I'm fascinated with Bollywood, but frankly, I haven't seen many Bollywood movies. The last movie I saw was Delhi 6, when I was in Singapore. I think that upcoming Bollywood actress, Sonam Kapoor is very beautiful. I think she's a rare beauty and has the classic and feminine look. If given a chance, I'd like to design clothes for her some day."

Talking about upcoming fashion designers in India, she says, "It's great to see so many talented young people entering the field of fashion. They are immensely talented and innovative in their work. I feel that the only problem is that I don't see too many young designers working on Indian outfits like saris anymore."

When the topic steers towards the relationship between the two countries, Faiza says, "We have two fashion weeks in Pakistan but I'd like to see a fashion week that will include both Indian and Pakistani designers at one platform in one place. I think it'll be a great idea for Pakistani and Indian designers to work together. Such fashion weeks will benefit both the countries, and will help designers from both the nations to showcase their talent on a common platform.

For years now, both the countries have shared a common root and there is hardly any difference between our de- signs. The collections showcase a lot of similarity like texture, embroidery work and karigari. In Pakistan, we still find Indian designer collections in stores, but you would hardly find a Pak- istani designer's collection in an Indian store. Who will bring the change?"

Finally, we ask her about her next trip to India. She says, "Inshallah! I hope to come back soon. It's always good to visit Delhi. I have many friends in Delhi and enjoy spending time with them.

During this visit too, my friends insisted I stay with them."

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