Frankly, Fahad Hussayn

Fashion in Pakistan has its own narrative to tell and each designer has their individual career journey to narrate through which their success is charted within the industry. Fahad Hussayn is one name in that list who has seen it all and has a brilliant story to tell amidst many grand highs and some lows. The designer opens up a new chapter of his life in the new decade and it seems, the only way he knows, is upwards.

What does the designer have in the offing, how did his past shape his present and future, and what are his opinions on the many changes in the industry? BOLD reveals in this exclusive tête-à-tête with Fahad Hussayn…

After a tumultuous year, 2021 served as an official anniversary of your return. How would you define it?

Last year was a rather tough year, and this one was something completely different. After a long time, I now have the liberty to work separately on both of my brands – Couture and Print Museum. I would say that 2021 was quite eventful and I was able to showcase all the collections that I had planned for this year and bring them to fruition. I am now looking for an even better 2022!

You also had a great year in terms of showcasing your collection- both in a solo show and at BCW; how do you feel about them?

The solo show was aimed more at putting out the idea of what Janjaalpura – my multidisciplinary fashion collection – stands for. It was designed as an art performance, where we saw public interaction coalesce with space, music, fashion, and performance, to send out our message. I would definitely love to continue doing them as they are way more than just a fashion show.

Having said that, BCW was an equally great experience. It was one of our most organized shows to date, and we were able to present both my collections, Couture and Print Museum. I think being on the runway with BCW gives us a completely different mileage whereas a solo show is targeted more for a niche audience.

Would you continue with doing solo shows?

I would love to continue with solo shows as it gives me way more space to experiment and do what I want to. I have made it a point now to include a solo show in each annual campaign that I do.

Do you think fashion weeks make sense anymore?

I for one, am quite in favour of them. Fashion Weeks used to be all the thrill back in the day, and I am waiting to experience that once again. They bring together quite a distinct energy from different places – between designers, models, etc. – and bring a lot more attention and mileage to the collections when compared to just doing solo shows. I think fashion weeks need to make sense because it needs to be turned into a business that keeps people talking about it. Unfortunately, not a lot of people do that.

Fashion has quite little governmental support, and if I may say so, shallow acknowledgement for the consumers as well. Fashion weeks need to be a place that should be taken more seriously.

You have also been quite vocal about the support and the lack thereof towards fashion designers by the rest of the industry (i.e. journalists etc) during previous times and even today.  What is your stance right now?

That is true. I think the support system between designers is great in Lahore. When we were stepping into the industry, we were taught the stance of ‘Karachi vs Lahore’ and how things need to be – and because of that, I’ve never had the feeling from any designer that there was any difference amongst us. Now though, between the new lot, you do see this lack of support between each other. They look more guarded and there are way fewer fraternal bonds between them.

You also speak about a new phenomenon taking over which are ‘stylists.’ You have been doing it for a decade and more. How do you see this new and individual addition?

I love doing shoots. I work exceptionally well with Maram Azmat – someone I consider my mentor! I’m also great with the skills I have acquired and I love applying all of them to my shoots. So, it is definitely something I have done without labelling it as what it is today. However, today, there are new jobs that people have in the industry, and I am proud that something of this sort has become a norm now. This industry has propped up a new wing, which is great. I do feel we need to do a little bit more and bring forth more ideology.

Are there any ‘stylists’ you genuinely like the work of?

One stylist who I am in complete awe of is Law Roach. The way he has turned around fashion statements for his clients is plain genius!

Coming to the near future; where do you see yourself and the brand – what can we expect out of the Fahad Hussayn label?

You will see some mass lawn collections being released as part of our seasonal collections. Apart from that, we will be dropping our new fashion film out soon, where we always have an important social message attached. We are targeting social agendas through our films; for example, how weddings are a huge part of our community and culture – however elitist we may consider the culture to be – we decided to set our narrative to support women who want to choose their happiness, be it to exit a relationship or get into a new one. You’ll be seeing a lot more of this in our brand which stands strong in challenging social taboos.

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