Eight years after initiating a market for 'designer lawn',
this bright St. Martins graduate talks to Instep about expanding his acumen to
pret and perhaps even bridals...
Instep: How would you define your latest collection?
Yahsir Waheed: My new collection is all about floral
prints. That is the basic theme and then we have given a new twist to them.
There are cherry blossoms, roses and psychedelic flowers, but there is a theme
behind every flower. The cherry blossoms are given a Japanese treatment and they
remind you of a kimono print. Then there are roses done with diagonal lines.
This year we have used a deeper colour palette instead of opting for a brighter
one. So they are far from being the typical floral prints that you see on
lawns.
Instep: Do you ever think that everything that you are
doing has already been done and what do you do to counter it?
YW: We work very hard towards giving something new all the
time. To come up with totally different prints is a challenge for us. We try
very consciously to review our collections, come up with innovative designs,
give different combos and do something new all the time.
Instep: Yahsir Waheed prints have always known to be loud
and vibrant; would you ever want to change this?
YW: We are all about colours. That's our signature and we
would like to stick to that. This time what we have done is that we have opted
for a deep colour palette. It's summers and lawn joras usually go through a
number of washes, therefore the idea of deeper colours.
Instep: You were the first ones to break the monotony of a
three–piece lawn set. How is it with this collection?
YW: We have always advocated white shalwars, in fact we
were the first ones to do that. Some of our clients make shirts out of dupatta
pieces though we always give that little piping on the shirts to separate them.
I have also tried to encourage separate use of the three prints through my
shoots. They can look coordinated or otherwise. You can give your
individualistic touch to them as well by using separate fabrics for separate
pieces. It is all about how you wear them.
Instep: Many new brands of fabric are stepping into the
lawn market. How do they affect you?
YW: Obviously it increases the choice bracket of the
customer. But it is great to know that we are pioneers in this field. Yahsir
Waheed has continued to sell and hold exhibitions. There should be some reason
for our survival. In these eight long years in the business, we have
established a strong clientele. Competition has little affect on us.
Instep: Do you think that lawn designing is a cohesive
vehicle to transfer trends to masses?
YW: I would agree. We started it the other way around. We
reached out to the masses first before anything else. Now I want to take out my
pret line. That is the next step for me as I feel that it is perfect time to
consolidate and cash in on the brand value.
Instep: Pret, meaning Yahsir Waheed stores?
YW: We already have one in Lahore
and we are opening one in Karachi
Instep: What is your pret line going to be like?
YW: I'm not getting into high end clothing. Just like my
lawn collections, my pret is also going to be very affordable. It will be for
the young woman, for people who want to buy an affordable yet trendy garment
off the rack. I have never followed the norms. When there was so much money in
bridals, I kept myself to designing lawns. Now I might be venturing beyond.
--Yahsir Waheed was
talking to Ahmer Ashraf
You can see Yahsir's new collection on pages 34-37 and he
is holding the exhibition of his new collection in Marriott Hotel, Islamabad
