Display of top fashion designers creations at Lahore Fort

Pakistan Readymade Garments Manufacturers & Exporters Association (PRGMEA) has announced to display the top 10 fashion designers' creative work at Lahore Fort from 3rd to 9th Nov, 2019, which will be open for public. The display ceremony of selected fashion designers' creations is being held at Royal Kitchen of the historical Lahore Fort in collaboration with the Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA), which will be largely attended by the industrialists, researchers, brand owners and especially the sustainability enthusiasts.

IAF regional chairman and PRGMEA chief coordinator Ijaz Khokhar stated that the display event of top designers' Sustainable Fashion Projects is a part of Global Fashion Awards (GFA) 2019 being held during its 35th IAF World Fashion Convention in Lahore in collaboration with the International Apparel Federation (IAF) in Nov 2019. He said that the IAF-PRGMEA GFA 2019 is the Pakistan's largest sustainable fashion competition.

Ijaz Khokhar observed that the display event has been arranged to celebrate the alternative practices in design concepts and garment constructed by applying reuse, recycle and upcycle techniques. The newly-elected PRGMEA Senior Vice Chairman Sohail Afzal Sheikh said that in the face of growing environmental threats, there is an urgent need to radically change our consumption and manufacturing systems.

He said that the fashion industry is valued at around $2.4 trillion and employs over 75 million people worldwide. It loses about $500 billion of value every year due to the lack of recycling. "An integrated approach that goes beyond individual sustainable development goals is required. This is the first step to celebrate the alternative practices in fashion industry of Pakistan by using sustainable techniques in fashion industry."

Sohail Sheikh observed that PRGMEA and IAF had launched this competition in July this year with the networking and training workshop at NIC LUMS Lahore for designers, fashion faculty of universities and industry. PRGMEA Executive Committee member Dr Ayyaz Uddin said that the Global Fashion Awards competition is aimed at educating young fashion designers about sustainable design techniques and theories. It has also provided a platform in the spotlight for these aspiring designers. Dr Ayyaz Uddin said that the top ten finalists will present their creations at the Festive Fashion Dinner at the 35th Fashion Convention in Lahore on the 12th of November, 2019.