The fashion industry in Pakistan is growing rapidly with new designers and boutiques popping up all over the country. Pakistani fashion designers are popular for their intricate and beautiful designs. Moreover, they are quickly gaining recognition on the international stage.

Read about the top 10 emerging fashion designers in this article. 

Fashion Designing: A Cultural Representation

Fashion reflects the culture of a country. It makes our life colorful and changes our life with time. It also brings variety into our lives and allows us to try something new each day. Clothes, we wear every day, reflect our personality, our confidence, and our status. They are in all fairness part of our identity. You can really tell a lot about a person by the clothes they wear. Without these pieces of cloth stitched together by thread man is nothing in society. Clothes represent modesty and elegance. For this very purpose, there are many industries and organizations dedicated to providing high-quality and durable clothes to meet the demands of customers.

Top 10 Fashion Designers in Pakistan You Must Follow 

In the words of Bill Cunningham:

“Fashion is the armor to survive the reality of everyday life.”

And according to Yves Saint Laurent:

“Fashion Fades but Style is Eternal.”

Pakistan has a rich history of textile production. Modern fashion design incorporates many of its traditional fabrics and techniques. Pakistani designers often implement traditional elements into their work, giving it a unique flavor that is both contemporary and timeless.

Fashion designing is a relatively new field in Pakistan, but it is one that is growing quickly. With the increasing popularity of Pakistani fashion both at home and abroad, there is sure to be an influx of new talent in the coming years.

Sadaf Fawad Khan

Sadaf Fawad Khan, Designer, Fashion industry

Sadaf married the well-known Pakistani actor Fawad Khan in 2005. They are the parents of three kids. She didn’t just stumble into the field of fashion design. Actually, Sadaf has a fairly long history of employment in the fashion sector. She began working at a clothing company after receiving her degree from LUMS. After working there for a while, she moved on to work for Levi’s for a while.

A few years later she made the decision to start her own business, which she did. She launched a silk garment business in 2012, and in 2015, she branched out into the bridal fashion industry. Sadaf is the founder of the bridal wear company SFK Bridals.

SFK Bridals made its debut in 2012 as Silk by Fawad Khan. The brand’s initial concentration was solely on silk creations in elegant and timeless styles. Later, in 2016, the company transformed into a full-service design studio producing bridal and formal attire for both men and women under the trademark SFK Bridals.

Designs by SFK Bridal feature a variety of unique looks with elements from both classic and modern inspirations. It takes great satisfaction in its exceptional craftsmanship and flair for original methods that bring traditional aesthetics up to day. It is a trademark to which SFK Bridal is highly devoted. Sadaf never stops looking for exquisite craftsmanship, glitz, and reverie.

Through her brand, Sadaf aims to reinvent and develop fashion by fusing various design and aesthetic components.  She further pledges to only produce items of the greatest calibre.

Ammar Belal

Ammar Belal, a Pakistani fashion designer who launched his own clothing line, is one of the creators whose influence on the fashion business can be seen. His father worked in the textile sector and produced apparel for a variety of well-known American companies.

His decision to pursue a career in fashion design was significantly influenced by this early experience. He began an internship as a Merchandising Assistant at Selfridges soon after graduating. He discovered his love for the design profession while he was living in London. The sole fashionista from South Asia/the Middle East to be accepted into Parsons School of Design’s Master of Fine Arts (MFA) programme is Ammar Belal.

Ammar Belal began his professional career in 2002 when he introduced his made-to-measure denim. His AS Jeans became well-known and were featured in Women’s Wear Daily (WWD). This is regarded as the bible of the fashion industry. It was a huge success.

Related: Fashion Brand Karma Brings Back The Popular Imran Khan Kurta

His streetwear company ABCD, Pakistan’s first luxury menswear brand, was a big success. The brand quickly spread to several Pakistani cities, making the country’s up-and-coming designer famous. Ammar Belal founded a clothing company bearing his name, with stores in Lahore and New York. There his distinctively styled menswear and womenswear are showcased.

Being the first person from South Asia or the Middle East to be accepted into the Parsons MFA (Fashion Design & Society) programme opened up new chances and difficulties for developing a global identity in design. A developing vision to explore the harmony of fashion, journalism, and social entrepreneurship is shown in his transdisciplinary story of teaching BFA Fashion (Senior Thesis) alongside BBA (Design & Management).

He won various prizes as a result of his talent, such as the Best Emerging Talent 2005, Best Menswear 2006 (Indus), and Best Menswear 2013 (Lux Style). 

Ansab Jahangir

Ansab Jahangir, designer, Clothing line

At the University of Waterloo, Ansab Jahangir earned a degree in Economics. However, fashion and design had always been her true loves. Immediately after her return from Canada, she made the decision to become one of the emerging fashion designers. 

Ansab’s mother, who used to sew clothes, served as her inspiration for entering this industry. After that, Ansab designed her own bridal gown for her wedding. Her curiosity in the subject was piqued by this. In 2015, Ansab Jahangir and her sister Zoha launched the company.

She develops her collection by giving it a theme. She primarily draws inspiration out of a genre of artwork that she wishes to include into the clothing. Her team of designers will then work on the appropriate color combination and the embroidered motifs.

The custom design she made specifically for Bollywood star Nargis Fakhri ended up becoming her most beloved creation. Her company designs personalized ensembles for celebrities like Ayeza Khan, Sana Javed, and Anmol Baloch. It does so while taking into account their individual appearances and fashion sense.

Ansab Jahangir, who is regarded as the diva of Kalidars, just recently established a studio in Karachi. Moreover, because of her internet presence, the designer has been getting a lot of attention in the business. She is renowned for her robust assortment of bold-hued clothing and for its feminine, stylish designs that exude vintage charm. She provides formals, bridals, and opulent pret. Pretty much every single celebrity and influencer over the holiday season is seen wearing her eid outfits.

Mina Hassan

Mina Hassan, designer, Clothing line

The great Madam Noor Jehan’s daughter, Mina Hassan, is vivacious enough to glorify her mother’s name. Noor Jehan’s daughters were accustomed to her sense of style early on. Mina was also inspired by Noor Jehan’s love of showy clothing and sparkling jewelry. She subsequently made the decision to pursue a degree in clothing design overseas and top the list of fashion designers.

With a degree from London, Mina began creating clothing for a small group of customers before gradually growing the company. She currently provides clothing to a few retailers. She recently started a store, and I’m looking forward to seeing how well it does.

Despite her outfits being a bit costly, customers love them. The ladies in Dubai, Delhi, and Karachi often have excellent sense of clothing, know how to dress, and choose quality over money.

Mina has always loved bridal and party attire, but lately transitioned into prêt and began shipping her clothing abroad. She entered the prêt industry since it is trendy and in demand year-round. Whereas bridals are only available during specific seasons. She creates various designs depending on the national taste. For instance, America favors semi-formal dark colors like black, peacock, etc., while India prefers heavy items and bright colors.

Her brand’s mission is to elevate women’s sense of refinement and style awareness. It is a broad feeling of poise and elegance that Mina Hasan promotes, which goes beyond simply wearing a gorgeous outfit and additionally, carrying it with grace and femininity.

Ali Xeeshan

Following the incredible success of his inaugural line at the PFDC Fashion Week in 2010, Ali Xeeshan founded his own fashion line, Ali Xeeshan Theater Studio. He earned a distinction in his studies at the Pakistan Institute of Fashion Design. Later, he continued his fashion education in Paris and Germany.

Ali is quirky and unique, and he exudes majesty. Anything except insignificant can be achieved by his designs. He soon gained international acclaim for his exquisite bridal wear and couture by fusing edgy designs and shapes with a natural flare for decoration and elaboration. His work, by a great craftsman and connoisseur of aesthetics, is essentially a dramatic larger-than-life art form that explores his unfathomable concept of the cosmos.

Related: Bagallery Arranges Glam Fest, Beauty and Fashion Expo

His Punjabi origin is reflected and evoked in Ali Xeeshan’s style, which combines the proud energy of the past with the ancient traditions. This blending of opposites results in a group that is tuned in to its unique priceless individuality. His compilations follow the same narrative format as in a story.

Everything begins with a trip inside, with the search for a balanced identity. An impossibly difficult search that leads to the development of a brand-new, unidentifiable persona. Even though they appear to be in total opposition to one another, each must include sufficient content to make sense on its own. And the styling is what makes each and every look readable. His entire body of work is a cultural fusion that never yields parody or caricature.

Mohsin Naveed Ranjha

Mohsin Naveed Ranjha, designer, Clothing line

Mohsin Naveed Ranjha, often known by his stage name MNR, is one of the select few designers from Pakistan to have quickly won over both admirers and critics. He is a fashion designer from Gujranwala, a historical city known for its rich culture and heritage. His livelihood depends on fashion, thus he is a fervent admirer of the art, design, and heritage. He founded MNR Design Studios in 2011, my own own design studio, as a result of his keen sense of fashion.

In Gujranwala, Pakistan, Mohsin established his company in 2013, and he made his runway premiere at HUM TV Bridal Couture Week in 2014. Since that day, he has distinguished himself in the industry with his amazing royal designs in a range of men’s and women’s apparel lines, including formals, semi-formals, bridals, and shawls.

The extremely historically influenced designer Mohsin Naveed Ranjha arrives in the heart of Lahore on MM Alam Road to introduce his regal dreams to Pakistan after experiencing astonishing recognition in Gujranwala for his Creative studio. His earliest flagship store allowed customers inside. His art speaks for itself after nine years of success from 2011 to the present at various Fashion Weeks.

MNR has presented his designs at numerous fashion weeks to date, including PFDC Sun Silk Fashion Week, HUM TV Bridal Couture Week 2014, Telenor Bridal Couture Week 2015, Q Mobile Bridal Couture Week 2016, and Pantene HUM Bridal Couture 2017.

He is popular for his traditional craftsmanship and use of striking colours. After showcasing his work through people like Mahira Khan, Sonya Hussyn, Naimal Khawar, Maya Ali, and many others, MNR is now a favourite among celebrities.

Faraz Manan

Faraz Manan, designer, Clothing line

Designer Faraz Manan began his career in 2003. Under his own name-brand Faraz Manan, Manan has since distinguished himself as among the nation’s top designers. He has distinguished himself as one of Pakistan’s leading designers thanks to his exceptional standing in the field, stunning aesthetics, and attention to detail.

His creations, whether they be high-end pret, fabrics, or bridal couture, have not only reached their peak of success nationally but also internationally. Faraz is undoubtedly a person of many wonders, having mastered the skill of layering, the clarity of a clear-cut diamond, and the originality of a master intellect.

Faraz is a seasoned fashion designer, and she excels at cleverly combining thread work, exquisite embellishments, applique, cut-work, and layering techniques with fusion tailoring. Pertaining to his genre and distinctive aesthetics, Faraz has proven to even beyond himself.

Kareena Kapoor Khan, who continues to be the designer’s muse, and Royal Families have enjoyed wearing Faraz’s couture creations. Being the sole designer from the subcontinent to have a flagship location in Dubai and is regarded as the area’s leading bridal designer.

At the Lux Style Trophies, one of the biggest award ceremonies held yearly in Pakistan, Manan won two awards in one night. Recognized for his accomplishments in the areas of Lawn and Bridal Couture, where he had a significant impact. In 2016, Faraz Manan earned the Designer of the Year (Bridal Couture) award at the esteemed Masala Awards held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. He also finished the year in style by winning the Designer of the Year Award at the yearly Hum Style Awards.

Zara Shahjahan

Zara Shahjahan, Fashion, Designers

After earning her degree from the prominent National College of Arts (NCA) in Lahore, Zara Shahjahan launched her design career in 2004. Due to her knowledge of several cultural fashion styles over the years, her design firm has expanded across national boundaries. In the spring of 2012, she launched her main store in Lahore, her hometown.

Zara’s focus on micro arts at NCA has tremendously improved her pattern-making abilities and eye for detail. She handles Couture, Western clothing, and Luxury Pret with equal elegance. She finds inspiration in nature, heritage, culture, and the arts, and combines intriguing elements from everything around her. The Zara Shahjahan brand is renowned for its supple, feminine style, especially in florals.

Related: Top 10 Pakistani Brands That Offer Amazing Winter Collection

She has a penchant for all things vintage, which she combines with her own distinctive aesthetic ethos. Gara embroidery, Swarovski crystals, and genuine handcrafted ornaments are lavishly used in her couture creations.

Her second line, Coco, which specialises in Ready-to-Wear casuals that blend solace, class, and style at amazing rates, was created in response to the high demand for her pre-wear. Coco is available at numerous stockists across the country and has a flagship store in Lahore. The leading creative designer for the lifestyle label So Kamal Pret is also Zara.

Saira Rizwan

Saira Rizwa, Fashion brand, Fashion Designers

Saira Rizwan, a high-end luxury brand, was established in 2007 and has since established a reputable name in Pakistan’s fashion designers. The firm produces a wide range of styles for a contemporary Pakistani woman, including traditional, modern, and fusion styles that showcase excellent patterns that are in line with the most recent fashions. The collections include bridal, formal, and lawn ready-to-wear.

Since she was a Lahore School of Economics bachelor’s student, Saira has been an avid student of fashion. She has successfully completed a number of American design courses. In Pakistan’s top fashion design firm after her return, she served as a manager before leaving to start her own label on her own.

The label has grown steadily for the past seven years. The main store and bridal studio for Saira Rizwan debuted in Lahore in 2012. The company debuted during Bridal Couture Week (BCW) in Lahore in October 2011 with the “Jehan” line. The “Persian” and “Tilkari” collections were featured in the second and third BCW showcases, which were held in November 2012 and December 2013, respectively. To the approval of her clientele, Saira introduced a small range of ready-to-wear stitched lawn motifs in June 2014.

For their exquisite refinement and subtle splendour, Saira Rizwan is at the top of the premium brands in Lahore. The designer is willing to try out general methods and develop her brand to new heights, which makes her work enjoyable for both her and her devoted customers. The core of the brand consists of using traditional rich brocades, transparent nets, organza fabric, and pristine zardozi, marori, and complex embroidered handworks to achieve a mix of modern eastern and couture.

Fahad HussaynFahad Hussayn, Fashion, Designer

Fahad Hussayn, who is one of the prominent fashion designers for more than sixteen years and is a under-rated name in couture. The birthplace of Fahad Hussayn is Faisalabad. His family has been involved in the field of fashion design for a number of years, thus he began his career in this field. Under his mother’s watchful eye, he took his initial steps into the fashion industry. He did his early schooling at Beacon House Faisalabad in O/A levels. After being accepted as a textile design student at Beacon House National University, he subsequently finished his bachelor’s degree.

In order to produce an avant-garde catalogue of Heritage Bridals, Custom Zari integrated Organza, Alta Moda Silk Prints, and Bespoke Menswear, Fahad Hussayn has launched a new interface called MARSA. This interface specialises in hand embroidery by manoeuvring substantial research into design.

 The collections feature jewel-encrusted and elaborate tapestries, and they are the result of a partnership between Fahad Hussayn along with Adeel Khalid (current CEO of Rang Rasiya), with Fahad serving as the project’s creative director and Adeel serving as the CEO. With a broad view of art and poignant craftsmanship, the new creative team has teamed up to produce fashion.

The new look of Fahad’s label puts emphasis on generating craft in its truest form and bringing back traditional techniques that blends with heritage artisanship and signature design elements with silk threads as well as zardozi on custom-made nets, while using warm and gossamer-like palettes that are meant to be opulent heirloom pieces.

The Bottom Line

In conclusion, Pakistani fashion designers are growing rapidly, with new and emerging designs making a name for themselves both domestically and internationally. These fashion designers are not only talented, but they are also helping to change the perception of Pakistan as a country, and showing the world that it is a creative and innovative place. They are continuously striving to make their mark in the industry and are succeeding in doing so. With their creative designs and hard work, they are managing to put Pakistan on the map as a country with promising talent in the fashion industry.