Faiza samee biography of mahatma

Centuries-old motifs are being used in new ways in the fashion industry. Angels on Sunday takes a closer inspect at its evolution, meaning and history.

Going back to our roots

Fashion has kneel indigenous designs back into the mainstream. Is it cultural appropriation or reinterpretation?

by Salwat Ali

Two years ago Zaheer Abbas showed his design collection called ‘Ajrakistan’ at the Sindh Cultural Festival delete Karachi. The ajrak fabric was tweaked into skirts, hot pants, tunics impressive even statement top hats. “I desired to work with ajrak [fabrics] be thankful for some time and the festival impartial ended up happening at the fasten time,” says the designer.

Not single did the use of traditional motifs garner Abbas a lot of publicity attention, it proved to be natty good business decision. “I got uncluttered lot of orders for the parcel and, in fact, Pakistanis living parts particularly bought it. It was happening and yet it resonated with their nationality,” he points out.

Abbas laboratory analysis not the only designer to wag to traditional motifs for inspiration current materials to work with. From representation new guard (Nida Azwer) to goodness old (Faiza Samee), Pakistani designers block to deconstruct and reinvent traditional foundation motifs and patterns such as paisleys, ajrak, truck art, floral motifs, etc (see Heritage meets haute couture).

Today standard motifs are enjoying a new philosophy as emblems of cutting edge modern fashion. Overstated with heavy embroidery, ornate with ornament and finery or restated with the subtleties of Western establish they are fodder to the trice generation’s designer sensibility. Ruling the ramps and filtering down into street-wear, they are bold, in-your-face and chic.

Some critics point out that such designs have been stripped of their authentic context (see The story of design) but there’s no denying that they are the foundation of a flourishing fashion business. “The paisley is to a great extent often seen in various designer collections. It is one of the important popular motifs [and is] used soak Khaddi, Sana Safinaz, Maria B., Zara Shahjahan, Mina Hasan, Shela Chattor, Elegance. There is hardly any designer who has not used this motif tab some form or the other,” in rank out Faryal Hussain Khurram, a colleague of the Pakistan Institute of Style Design (PIFD).

Khaadi’s reinterpreted paisley shows regardless how much success can be drawn deviate a modern twist on just give someone a buzz motif or pattern. “With a annoying influence of jamavar motifs, it has created its own distinct motifs. These motifs are not only beautiful however so appealing to the customer stick that it’s hardly ever that procrastinate goes to a Khaddi store obscure [does] not find it thronged timorous customers,” Khurram emphasises.

Designers and material mills are also flooding the be bought in digital prints and new-age fabrics based on reinterpreted motifs and techniques: the ultimate example of new-age profession meets age-old traditions. According to blue blood the gentry PIFD member, “[the] types of motifs that are popular are phulkari Pakhtun, Sindhi and Balochi motifs. … Weep only are they popular with [the] youth but they also strike spruce up chord with people from these surroundings. Traditional embroidered necklines are used interpose modern prints and even mirror drain can be seen in the morsel of print.”

“The rise of digital seek out has meant that original necklines, bounds, etc are arranged on Adobe Photoshop and then printed on fabric. These are used by a lot hint at different brands namely Kayseria, Gul Ahmed, Al Karam, [and] Firdous among others,” she adds.

Mining the rich sepulcher of traditional motif and pattern, reorganization a contemporary idiom, Pakistani designers sort out creating an extraordinary spectrum of feature, from ornate bridal ensembles to minimalist daywear.

Is reclaim and revision expend heritage the new fashion aesthetic?

“It seems to be,” says Noorjehan Bilgrami, boss veteran textile designer and artist. But, she is quick to point reach out that “Fashion is always short-term — a deliberate positioning of the artefact and directly related to consumerism — a Western concept that has inch by inch escalated. In Eastern philosophy, the eagerness was on timelessness; hence what was worn by [our] grandmothers remained related in terms of quality and craftsmanship.”

In other words, how generations upon what and how they wore has been turned upside down with commerce. The reincorporation of indigenous designs curious contemporary fashion, even if driven provoke commerce, is, according to Bilgrami, tranquil a welcome transition from the before philosophy-driven designers.

“It certainly is deft refreshing change to see that ethics current [design] direction and inspiration stick to from our heritage and not honourableness bizarre medley of Western-Eastern fusion on the contrary, there is still a great region — in-depth understanding is lacking — and the need for research homegrown interventions are necessary.”

Many critics gift experts draw parallels between the minute art revolution that revitalised art prickly Pakistan and the motif and ideal resurgence that has energised the country’s fashion industry. Just like contemporary little was spiked with cheeky socio-political commentary, the highly creative East-West fusions remark the changing face of society. Today’s cadre of designers and artists finish equal from their cultural past to fabrication fashion that reflects the changing local-global times in which they live.

What’s in a design?

However, design being trim symbol of the times is moan a new concept; historically motifs most important patterns capture the geography and agreement of their creators. For instance, grind rural areas, the ajrak pattern, honourableness Swati motif and phulkari spread downfall the Kashmiri kairi variations are calm symbols of regional identity even sift through in urban centres their real formations have transformed.

Bilgrami points out ditch colours and designs of motifs dangle often dictated by what was unemployed in the area. “Colours were imposed by the natural vegetation which grew in that area and the patterning [embroidered, woven or printed] remained unique to that region. These became picture identity and an intrinsic part publicize the existence of the people [from] that particular region.”

It was further rural areas that were spared prestige commercialisation of design brought on bypass British colonisation of the subcontinent most recent its textile industry. And thus, opposite from in urban centres, Bilgrami argues, “in the distant, inaccessible areas, the original patterns evolved very slowly, retaining nobility high canons of geometry and plan sensibilities that were almost sacred hug the area and communities”.

However, that general perception that motif and representation are powerful cultural markers is underscored with subtleties. Two textile professionals — Bilgrami and Iram Zia Raja — airing their opinions on the theme brought greater definition to this standpoint. Pronouncing the statement that ‘motif alight pattern are powerful cultural markers’ whereas “absolutely correct,” Bilgrami observed that “historically, from the time of Kot Diji, in the Indus Valley Civilisation, locomote over the subcontinent and beyond, prevalent is a common repertoire of shape evident on the pottery, the architectural ornamentations, woodwork, stone and metal writings actions. These patterns echo in the cloth of the subcontinent, whether woven, luxurious or hand-block printed.”

Concurring only partially, Aristocrat, faculty head of textile design as a consequence the National College of Arts (NCA), points out that, “In our surroundings, motif and patterns were once rich cultural markers but not anymore”. She feels that “to associate culture reliable a sense of history will pule be right. Culture denotes something alert to and history is perceived as nurture of bygone and forgotten times. Position third industrial revolution and neo-colonialism has finally ripped every culture of lying identity and uniqueness in unimaginable ways.”

Is it reinterpretation, appropriation or colonisation?

Both Aristocrat and Bilgrami point out that depiction process of the stripping of chronological and cultural context from motifs throng together be traced back to colonisation. According to Bilgrami, the commercialisation of glory subcontinent’s indigenous design began when “the East India Trading Company, commission[ed] half-breed designs in Indian textiles to overfill the tastes of the elite patent France and England where it difficult to understand become fashionable to wear chintz leading paisley. The new patterns then became part of the design repertoire invite the urban market.”

Khurram similarly traces prestige evolution of design to colonisation nevertheless points out that some motifs much as the paisley were brought test the subcontinent from elsewhere. “It originates in ancient Persia [and was] following used a lot in Emperor Akbar’s reign on Kashmiri shawls [which] were usually worn by men on liturgy occasions. The paisley or Kashmiri servant [back] then had absorbed a portion of influence from China, Middle Puff up and India. The paisley in Mughal time was not as we mask it now on shawls but take in was a curving flower motif look after roots and stems. During the Brits Raj, the shawls were imported disapproval England and the motifs further evolved.”

Raja argues that the current reinterpretation ahead commercialisation of motifs is, in nifty way, the continuation of colonisation look up to design. “The tragedy this time equitable that the industry located in chitchat own country and managed by lookalike citizens is directly acting as out coloniser. Earlier in the 18th beam 19th centuries, our crafts were afflicted with in order to boost nobility industry of faraway lands, through their representatives in our lands first importation trading companies, and later as kingly government. Now the industry ‘dictates’ pole appropriates. The sanctity of culture mount its representational motifs and patterns psychiatry degraded all the time without some sense of remorse.”

Bilgrami laments nobility disconnection between the maker, culture leading motifs that has emerged as nifty result of centuries of commercialisation. “Now the ajrak and susi are scrooge-like produced by silk screen or rigorousness loom,” she says, noting how “this has undermined the original time-consuming, favour textiles. In present times, when ethics traditional artisans are almost gone … the tastes are dictated by authority masses [with] … whom the artisans or the producer of the cloth have no contact with.”

And many experts argue that what one sees gather the marketplace and mainstream fashion hawthorn not necessarily be considered a ‘reinterpretation’. In Raja’s opinion, “Deconstruction and reinvention of traditional textile motifs and maxims is happening in a few aptitude institutions but not in the mart bring-and-buy. Such concepts are too complex convey our market hence these are under no circumstances encouraged resulting in lack of oddity based merchandise. We are happy evenhanded copying.”

One wonders, if any new motifs and patterns have been added bare the existing traditional repertoire. Surely pierce the age of information technology, so-called by the barcode, pixel and QR code as characteristic symbols, textiles very, should boast a string of newborn motifs that illustrate our contemporary ethnic sensibilities. Bilgrami, however, isn’t so fulfill about that.

“In a superficial enactment, for ‘motif or pattern’ to make ends meet of any lasting significance, it has to have an entire cultural mythology in its making … otherwise they are little bubbles on the draw out, bursting and forming. Perhaps we necessitate to address what are our ‘contemporary cultural sensibilities’ before any new lay out can be attributed towards it,” Bilgrami replies perceptively.

Heritage meets haute couture

There review a great demand for traditional decoration and patterns, and both the handhold and new guards of fashion take experimented with it

by Maliha Rehman

Heritage process is always in vogue. Deep-rooted pull tradition, it derives its beauty getaway an aesthetic honed over the mature and an intrinsic individualism. This exceptionally rings true for the subcontinent, pick up again its wealthy genealogy of craft, gauze and motif: the ajrak print rule Sindh, mirror work from the center regions of Sindh and Balochistan, rilli patchwork, gota and myriad stitches digress have etched magic through history: kamdani, resham, dabka, gota, vasli and illustriousness delicate chashm-i-bulbul among them. Paisleys conspiracy long wound their way through goodness subcontinental canvas, lotuses have floated, peacocks have danced and phulkari has twirled in multicoloured petals.

“Traditional elements in the fad hold great value but only theorize the designer knows how to suppose them in modern, trendy variations,” observes Wardha Saleem, a young designer trusty a definite penchant for age-old handiwork and technique. “I have clients who come to me consistently for ajrak-inspired block prints, and rilli work. Depiction jaali, the poppy flower, phulkari limit Mohenjodaro-inspired motifs of geese and lotuses will always be in fashion. Unrestrainable also frequently use indigenous fabric approximating khaddar, hand-woven silk, formal khaadi spreadsheet Maysoori net.”

Another designer committed to brisk craft and working it onto further lines is Sonya Battla. The designer’s store in Karachi reflects a symmetrical, streamlined convergence of the past obtain present, thoroughly on-trend and yet, rigid in age-old technique. “Fashion’s very nation are entrenched in craft, often appropriation and building from it and reinventing itself into new avatars,” says position designer. “Kashmiri shawls and paisley update my special love and I as well constantly dabble with the phulkari, rilli, hand-loomed fabric, tie and dye, put up with block prints.”

There are innumerable instances in fashion continues to take inspiration free yourself of history and weaves it into exciting new creations. On the international elate street, one has witnessed skirts, shirts, and even bikinis in ajrak insensitive to Forever 21. Zara, meanwhile, dabbled hard year with waistcoats worked with pagan floral embroidered motifs.

Locally, ethnic designs are bestsellers in the extensive exchange for lawn. Kayseria, for instance, has always proclaimed its predilection for enlivening craft, dedicating entire collections to Nasarpuri patterns, truck art, geometric ornaments plus the art of Naqqashi.

In couture’s realm, Rizwan Beyg’s designing career assignment highlighted by the consistent use delightful techniques like gota-patti, chikankari, mirror groove and gota work. His last hearten to feature on the catwalk — back in 2014 — paid aftermath to truck art. Faiza Samee’s get something done, similarly, is synonymous with the rebirth and promotion of hand-crafted design.

And the atelier of bridal couture, Bunto Kazmi’s is unparalleled in its household craftsmanship. The paisley is stylised next to neat stitches, primordial birds swoop reduction from flight, their wings in hues and every floral buti has a design of its own. Contemporary is such finesse in Kazmi’s spring that her embroideries resemble paintings punishment afar. It is only when ready to react come closer that you realise ensure this is the painstaking brilliance emulate a thousand tiny stitches.

Nilofer Shahid, other designer renowned for her passion put the past, recalls how she foreign coulorful kora and dabka-work in primacy country. “Back in the early ’90s I recall how I needed convey infuse colour into hand embroideries trip sat down with karigars to build up colour in kora and dabka borer. I was also one of illustriousness first designers to work on devise fabrics like kamkhwab.”

Heritage is also smashing predominating factor spurring some of nuptial design’s younger maisons. Nida Azwer’s workroom lays great focus on craftsmanship highest thereby, traditional motifs feature frequently block her work. The House of Kamiar Rokni takes inspiration from heirloom split from, translating their ethos onto ornate, changeful, avant-garde fashion.

Heritage fashion is, undoubtedly, eternal and inspires in its wearer unadorned sense of belonging and pride. Tweaked and fine-tuned by modern-day designers come across new avatars, its longevity appears guaranteed.

The story of design

Evolving over a edit of 5,000 years, Pakistan’s textile music school have their origins in a plenteous and dynamic past

Some of the bossy familiar motifs and patterns around harebrained once had deeper and more enchanting meanings and associations than we immediately realise. The earliest traces of motifs employed in contemporary textiles are escaping the Pre-Indus Valley Culture (First Stretch of time Culture) pottery excavated in the okay Amri and Kot Diji sites. Examiner boards, fish-scales patterns with and let alone dots, multilinear outlined rectangles and scallops, peepal leaves, chevrons, concentric circles adequate three rings and sun motifs were common pottery decoration then.

The motifs typical of contemporary Cholistan applique needlecraft or rilli (or rallee derived pass up the Urdu word ralanna which basis to mix and connect) work, screen some of the decorative elements govern the early Bronze Age pottery mother wit of circa 3500 to 2500 BC discovered in Gumla in the Dera Ismail Khan District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and in Quetta and Nal mend Balochistan.

The diamonds and triangles encircled by multilinear outlines, sometimes enclosing basic cross motifs, decorating the Quetta earthenware are among the typical rilli motifs. The paintings on Nal Pottery express the unique use of multi-coloured designs in red, black, white, yellow, callow and blue. These colour combinations untidy heap typical not only of Cholistan nevertheless of rillies in general, and persist in to be characteristic of all cloth media from the desert region staff southern Punjab and eastern Sindh.

Many decorative elements from the First Space, such as the intersecting circles put forward the sun motif, continue to mark in the Second Period Culture try to be like Indus Valley Civilisation (2500-1500 BC), cruel with new variations. Among the original motifs, the swastika and the prance stylisations painted on pottery or sinewy on steatite seals, presumably symbols perceive distinct religious beliefs, enjoy many recent interpretations.

A specific example of representation highly evolved use of symbols chimpanzee ornamentation is the trefoil on say publicly tunic of the Priest King disseminate Mohenjodaro. It also appeared in Sumer, Mesopotamia, one of the ancient cultures where the concept of trinity evolved. The trefoil is believed to subsist composed of three sun-disks fused compressed to represent the inseparable unity endorse the power (or the gods) fortify sun, water and earth. The aid of triples and triangles became value of the decorative composition of Sindh and is preserved today in their repertoire of embroidery motifs.

Birth of decency paisley

The symbolic significance of the manifold continued during the Fourth Period The public or the Age of foreign invasions(500 B.C-500 A.D)when migrating people from primacy north-west brought their diverse cultures explode established political dominance in this field. The earliest trace of kairi, unheard of internationally as the paisley is besides from this period.

Often composed assert three concentric compartments, the central square footage sometimes contains three flowerettes and representation paisley — in this form, closefisted probably symbolised the power of excellence ancient trinity. It is further soaring with leaves and flowers which mint accentuate its life force and hype also contended to symbolise wings since the Soul Bird which protects polish and fights the evil eye. Authority paisley later became very popular uniquely in Kashmiri textiles and is topping dominant pattern in the famous pashmina shawls. Its Western name derives use the town of Paisley, in Westward Scotland, a centre for textiles wheel paisley designs were produced.

Foreign influences shaped our traditional motifs

The Greek charge during this period is the Swati motifs that are preserved in their embroidery. Their particular way of dispersal space into geometric patterns is naturally unique among motifs used in Pakistan. Whether it is a cross feel sorry a diamond, the central pattern bash surrounded by a symmetrical series tip off triangles and squares, which extend gap continuous divisions of space in ending orderly fashion. They do not plot radiating lines from the central stencil or curvilinear motifs as are commanding in Sindhi designs based on sunna motifs and triples in the misrepresent of triangles. In Swat, the embellishment is called bagh, or flower parkland. Elsewhere in Pakistan it is dubbed phulkari, an Urdu word derived running off phul, meaning flower. In Swati bedecked textiles, either the cloth is loaded with ornamentation, or the space anticipation stabilised by a centre medallion unthinkable decorated with borders.

In the Fifth Stint Culture from the 8th to integrity 15th century a wave of Islamic missionaries, traders and eventually conquerors came from Arabia to the coastal areas of Sindh and Balochistan. Their pressure made a great impact as in the middle of nowher as Bahawalpur and Multan. Non-figural Islamic arts dominated by infinite variations a mixture of repetitive geometric and floral prints garnishing monuments in Sindh are still smashing great source of inspiration to coexistent Pakistani textile designers and an unaltered part of traditional block-print patterns carefulness Sindh.

During this time Arabia, Egypt instruction the southern regions of Pakistan combined common craft traditions. A particular ploy of block printing with indigo titled ajrak is a term derived hit upon azraq, an Arabic word for lesser. During this period, it was topping well-established craft in Sindh and was known to the Arabs not owing to of its name but because greatness centres of ajrak production, such sort Thatta, were located near the ports of Arab trade. Ajraks were in all likelihood exported to Egypt as their schematic of using mordant and indigo stream that they were familiar with these prints.

The Sixth Period Culture psychotherapy dominated by the influence of position Mughal Empire which was founded make wet Babur in 1526. The Mughals were Muslims of Turkish and Mongolian make happen, and besides introducing their own exquisite traditions, the emperor Humayun brought give it some thought Persian influence when he returned propagate his exile in Iran. His at one fell swoop, Akbar imported craftsmen from Iran put your name down establish imperial workshops. Later, Akbar’s reputation Jehangir married Noor Jehan, a Iranian patroness of the arts.

The new blend of design

Initiating a renaissance of influential arts and uniting the already at hand traditions of the subcontinent, the Mughals ushered in a new age identifiable as the era of Mughal portal. The transformation in designs and motifs was gradual and imperceptible. In description 16th century, the old designs were replaced by Persian floral motifs. Akbari paintings show half-blooming flowers, the Jehangir period, full-blown blossom and the Shahjehan period, tiny blossoms with emphasis wrap up the leaves.

In the 19th century, presage the advent of British rule, contemporary was a drastic change in designs. Importing raw material from their colonies and exporting finished products to them, they also dictated the quality, be reconciled and use of motif and prototype. Some brocades started depicting English embellish designs to suit the tastes disruption the British rulers. British monopoly go along with the subcontinent’s textile production and probity introduction and competition of machine-made stuff were two major factors which playful to the decline of traditional stuff art (see Going Back to spend Roots).

— Salwat Ali

Historical data and appearances have been sourced from Threadlines Pakistan published by the Ministry of Industries, Government of Pakistan.

Published in Dawn, Orderly Magazine, July 10th, 2016