Ayesha Khurram: Designer Diva and Lahore's best kept secret...till now!

By Rasikh Ismail

KARACHI: Ayesha Khurram is a Diva and a half and Lahore’s best kept secret. An alluring lady with style, poise and grace oozing from her personality.

Her sensibilities are not only reflective in the ensembles created but also the way her outlets are designed and product displayed. Fair faced finishes, straight lines and to jolt ones sensibilities a dash of the colour red in the logo itself tells you a lot about Ayesha the person.

As a designer Ayesha believes in winning by creating outfits that are practical, comfortable, elegant and wearable. She is not out to prove anything but genuinely loves the craft and is addicted to it .She is not driven by the business aspect but all the same considers it as an important aspect and distributes her time effectively between being an entrepreneur and a creative person.

Being part of one of Pakistan’s biggest family names in business she takes pride in not having used that infrastructure or any other support as a crutch to establish her brand. After the flagship store in Defence, Lahore, her second store on MM Alam Road opened its doors recently.

Ayesha Khuram is a higher-end brand that is uniquely affordable and keenly followed by a select clientele that considers it a must-have. Although she herself is low-key the brand is representative of her alter ego - a balanced yet bold; independent and clear headed personality not scared to experiment and make a statement.

Business Recorder recently had an opportunity to chat and get insight into her direction for the future.

BR: Where did your sense of fashion come from? Who inspired you?

AK: As a child my mother and a few other ladies in the family evoked inspiration - beautiful; stunning and elegant yet always sophisticated and well presented. My earliest memories are of those ladies draped in silks; chiffon or crisp cottons with flowing dupattas draped around with that single pearl string enhancing and completing the immaculate look. It was larger than life in my mind. With crisp images like that around me it wasn’t surprising that I had inculcated a strong desire to dress the world, at least my world. I started very young; and as a child I was shy almost to an unhealthy extent where my clothes and creations for family members drew attention to me directly without me trying to start a conversation. At that time of life it seemed like a blessing.

BR: What is the thought process while designing pieces?

AK: Simplicity in cuts; line and proportion with underlining innovation executed with passion does it for me. Like any other creative person the outcome is a reflection of all influences in my life; be it through traveling or our immense cultural heritage. I will even add that certain lines are created for boisterous personality types that I so longed to be when young and looked up to as a child. I guess a big part of my alter ego is that person. I instinctively design for this person that my brand represents; she is an educated; independent; working woman that has mastered the art of balancing professional; personal and social life; she is not shy of making a statement; public speaking or advocating her belief system. There is a different mood; requirement and need for different occasions. For example, she will not go to work with embellishments and heavy embroidery; although for evenings a little Swarovski embellishment goes a long way yet for weddings and related events the motto of this woman is “Bring it on ; let me show you how it should be carried”. So while I design for this fictitious person or personality, I have to keep in mind different moods and needs and hence the range of designs. Yet as described before it all ties in and converges at innovation with simplicity and a focus on cuts and lines.

BR: Philosophy about art of fashion?

AK: It’s art. Art that you can feel, touch and wear. Art that makes you feel good and more confident. Art that reflects your own personality not of the designer, and is comfortable.

BR: What about Fashion as a business?

AK: Sure it’s a business. I am part an entrepreneur and part artist. One has to wear many hats to get the job done. You hear a lot of talks of certain designers are a “sell out” to commercialism, etc. That’s part of going up the ladder as far as the business model is concerned. I am blessed that way and don’t need to go in that direction as I am not dependent on this as my primary income and thus people don’t see me doing self-hype a lot. Even if I didn’t have a clothing line or sell a single creation I’d still be making clothes to satisfy my creative side. This functional art is a need for me now to express myself.

BR: What’s your advice to budding talent?

AK: First things first. Make your own clothes. Start sewing, cutting and designing for yourself and friends, learn the steps, get the basics right, then promote yourself and your brand as initially nobody else will do it for you. That’s the only way you can create and develop a brand that is unique and that you can call your own. Don’t fall for fatalism and acceptance of the inevitable like so many women do in our culture. Take charge and as for me nothing is inevitable but success and personal satisfaction. And that’s what I would like to tell the new entrants.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2011