The label has come a long way and Shah is pleased with the response received in Karachi. PHOTOS: PUBLICITY
KARACHI:
Friday evening at Labels saw the launch of Élan’s latest collection. The owner of the multi-brand store Zahir Rahimtoola said on the occasion, “Almost four years ago, the day we launched Sania Maskatiya’s Chamaak collection in our store, we also launched Khadijah Shah’s Élan, and I must say, both designers have grown over the years.”
About Shah, he says, “She is really the mascot of Labels, she is part of everything we do. Also as a retailer, I have seen her inventory and I’ve seen her at a consistent level as a designer.”
On this particular evening, Shah brought forward a line that consisted of a bridal collection called Sultanate and her luxury prêt collection, which consisted of 45 outfits. By evening, only 10 of these remained.
Speaking to Shah, one gets to know that she holds a degree in International Relations from the London School of Economics and used to tag along with her mother Anila Shah, who had her own stitching business. Shah once made something for her mother’s avid clients. She recalls, “People liked it so much that they started placing orders, and from then onwards, there was no looking back — it all caught up from there. It grew and today, you can see where the label is.”
“Talent is inborn, there is no doubt about that, but it is essential to get to know the technical skills, so I went up to Central St Martins for a few courses to get better accustomed with the technique of it all,” Shah says. Her outfits are exceedingly expensive. “I won’t say we are not expensive, yes we are, but we need to balance it out by giving quality stuff. I don’t compromise on quality. These are real pearls and Swarovski crystals, which you see on the fabric. I do try to cater to all price points when I customise an outfit for someone.”
In her Sultanate bridal collection, there was surprisingly not a trace of traditional red. Rather, the collection comprised light beige and grey hues. The subtle colours are a break from both norm and tradition, says Shah. “Personally, I gravitate towards a colour palette that is ethereal; the light feel you get from this combination is nowhere else to be found.” Taking her cues from international designers like Elie Saab and Vera Wang, she says, “I try to venture into colours sometimes, for my customised outfits, but not for my capsule collections.”
About her luxury prêt, Shah says, “These are not overly complicated silhouettes. It is an elegant and subtle line. It is straight, understated and there are elements that cater to a market consisting of anyone between the ages of 30 and 50 years. One should feel comfortable wearing it, it shouldn’t be overly edgy. Elegance suits everyone.”
Shah says, “While I was coming to Karachi, I thought my bridals wouldn’t sell, but I still wanted Karachiities to at least view these. However, I was utterly wrong. People have ended up placing orders here. That’s great.”
Shah is now in the process of opening her first flagship store in Lahore Galleria, which is still under construction. So why did it take so long for her to do so? “It takes a while to open your own store. Today, we are at a level where we can. It should be open by February or March 2014. After that, we will see if we want to start off with another [store] in Karachi.”
Bridal collection ranges between Rs200,000 and Rs1.2 million. Luxury prêt ranges between Rs25,000 and Rs45,000.
