NEW YORK: Wednesday, May 18, 2005
IMG has announced plans to become the International Consultant for Pakistan Fashion Week, according to an official release from the company that also produces New York’s Olympus Fashion Week, and has also been managing Lakme India Fashion Week since 2000. (The Daily is an IMG-owned publication).
Organizing the event will be ARY Digital Network, Pakistan’s leading television network. The first-ever fashion week in Pakistan will be held at Lahore this October. “We are excited that ARY Digital Networks has taken the initiative to organize Pakistan Fashion Week,” said Ravi Krishnan, managing director of IMG/TWI, South Asia and senior vice president of IMG, who added that he expects this event to showcase the best fashion talent in both Pakistan and India. “We hope this will be the catalyst for the Pakistan Fashion Industry to make its mark and also provide an opportunity for Indian Designers to open up what could be a significant market for them. IMG is proud to be playing a role in this historic initiative.” The event is expected to draw 12,000 attendees.
The participating designers will showcase their ready-to-wear and bridal lines at this, the country’s largest fashion event. The four-day event will include 16 shows, exhibition stalls, and business seminars. Thirty designers, 25 from Pakistan and 5 from India, are expected to participate. The participation of Indian designers is likely to cater to the increasing demand in Pakistan for their products. Pakistan Fashion Week has been conceived with the primary objective of creating business relationships and facilitating a dialogue between designers, trade buyers, and media.
According to the release, Pakistan Fashion Week is expected to provide a platform to develop business opportunities for designers, encourage investments and professional input in design labels, and aid the growth of the designer ready-to-wear lines. The development of an entire fashion supply chain is also estimated to create employment for a large number of youth in Pakistan. The event will also provide Indian designers with an outlet to highlight their creativity and tap a new market.
”We expect this initiative to help grow and support the evolving fashion industry through a structured approach,” said Salman Iqbal, president and CEO of ARY Digital Network, in the statement.
