Talking trends with Sana Malik of Haute Fashion, Pakistan
Q: How did you come up with the idea of documenting and critiquing the fashion industry, and showcasing trends via a blog?
Sana: I was a keen observer of what trends people follow and how they express themselves through fashion. Soon these observations became my passion and formed a connection with me thus becoming a story of my own, a story that I had to share with the world.
Q: What are the worst trends that you feel Pakistanis are most obsessed with?
Sana: There are loads of trends that I find very annoying and frustrating. Such as, coloring your hair to rose gold shades or going full on blonde. Going overboard with chokers, unpleasant Man-Buns, overly distressed jeans, fringes and last, but not least, sporting cold shoulders with lehngacholis and eastern wear in general.
Q: Your take on our designers plagiarizing the work of international designers?
Sana: There was a saying, “Art is either plagiarism or revolution” I saw the art of fashion design in our industry as a revolution but most of the times it turned out to be plagiarism. I started blogging to try differentiating revolution and plagiarism.
Q: Shed some light on what are the most awaited trends of 2017?
Sana: Well again I think there will be loads of trends coming but some will stay for a long while, such as: stripes, patched fabrics, shiny and metallic fabrics, flashy statement logos, platform sneakers and ruffles.
Q: The designers that you think will own 2017?
Sana: I feel Suffuse by Sana Yasir and Mohsin Naveed Ranjha will do great.
Q: What it is the one thing that irritates you the most about the Pakistani fashion industry?
Sana: Originality is something we need to work on. We can do anything but when we fail it’s because we are too lazy to invent; it’s not that there is a lack of talent; there’s a lack of interest amongst some of our designers.
Q: List your top three all time favourite designers.
Sana: Hands down it has to be Nomi Ansari, Élan and Muse.
Q: What’s your take on designer prices? Do you think they’ve gone too high?
Sana: Yes. Some designers are flying sky high with the prices;those are making stuff for just the elite class, but there are some of the designers whose prices are justified in the form of quality.
Q: What colors do you think will own 2017?
Sana: I feel oxblood and spicy reds, shades of greens and creams and khaki tones will rule the year.
Q: Lastly, Do you think Pakistani designers are as good as international designers, such as Indian designers?
Sana: Yes. Pakistani designers are good. Praise to them is due also because we don’t have a strong showbiz industry apart from our TV dramas. Still, our fashion designers and the fashion industry are flourishing. That’s only because of the immense talent that we have in the industry.