Islamic festival of Eid Al-Adha brings out sartorial best in Pakistan

Generation’s Eid collections have been a mainstay of the high-street mega-retailer since opening its doors in 1983. A model wears an outfit from their 2019 Eid al-Adha collection “Angrakel.” (Photo courtesy: Generation/Instagram)

Hira Ali’s Royâ collection for Eid is formal enough that customers can carry their looks into wedding season. A model in an ensemble called “Coco” from Ali’s Eid al-Adha 2019 collection. (Photo courtesy: Hira Ali/Instagram)

A model wears a periwinkle blue collection from fashion house Mahgul. Designer Mahgul Kabir’s collection focusses on the occasion as well as Eid falling in summer months. (Photo courtesy: Mahgul/Instagram)

• Weather plays a significant role in crafting Eid collections, Pakistani designers say
• Straddling to be uniquely traditional and innovative, fashion houses launch signature Eid collection

ISLAMABAD: The annual Islamic festivals of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha bring out the sartorial best in Pakistan. Celebrations that often begin at the mosque call for an ensemble that is respectful of the occasion but also ups the ante for your daily wear. Arab News spoke to some members of Pakistan’s fashion fraternity on how they craft Eid capsule collections twice a year and the alignment these collections have with their brands.
“For Eid you really have to straddle to be traditional and innovative. We have been designing Eid collections ever since the brand’s inception in 1983,” Khadija Rehman, the creative director at Generation, told Arab News. “Eid was the biggest event of the season before lawn mania came into existence. Eid was a time when everyone had to go out and get a new outfit.”
“When designing an Eid collection, you must keep in mind the changing weather: If the festival comes in high summer, the colors will be different; if it comes in monsoon, they will have a different touch. You don’t want to go into shaadi wear. You want to have some cotton, with a bit of ghota, tilla, or some kind of shine. The element of shine is important. As a brand you have to be clear about your identity.”
The weather was something that all the brands and designers said played a critical role in how they designed for the holiday.
“[What we keep in mind is] simply the nature of the occasion,” Mahgul Kabir of design house Mahgul told Arab News. “Eid is a festive occasion which happens to fall during a very hot period and one has to design primarily day time occasion wear.”
“We love bringing in new designs every Eid keeping in mind the season, the weather and our color palette,” said Yasin. “It changes every Eid and we like bringing something new yet remaining true to our design aesthetic.”
There was also a lot of consideration by the designers for the clothing being formal appropriate without veering entirely into the wedding territory.
Kamiar Rokni, who helms his eponymous label The House of Kamiar Rokni, is known for his ornate work and drool-inducing bridal collections for which earlier this year he won a Lux Style Award. For him, Eid collections need to honor the day but veer a bit away from his bridal offerings. “[It] has to have a sense of occasion, it has to be formal and special but not too heavy as its not wedding wear. I keep in mind the time of year and the different age groups that need to be dressed.”
Hira Ali, however, made her Eid collection wedding adjacent and weather appropriate.
“Eid has been coming in summers, so you have to consider what kind of material you use while designing an Eid collection,” Ali told Arab News. “The signature Hira Ali aesthetics are consistent through all our designs whether it be our bridals or Eid collection, our formal wear or western wear, making our pieces adaptable to wherever you want to wear them.”