The Embassy of Pakistan in France held a fashion show in Paris to honor the Pakistani rural women artisans and promote their works. The fashion show was held in collaboration with renowned designer Omar Mansoor and Kaarvan Crafts Foundation.
Ambassador of Pakistan Asim Iftikhar Ahmad welcomed the guests and highlighted the contribution of rural women including artisans-entrepreneurs towards national development and shaping the hopes and dreams of millions in Pakistan.
Fashion in Pakistan has always been a captivating fusion of tradition and modernity, noted the ambassador, apprising the guests of Pakistan’s rich heritage of handcrafted clothing and textiles: intricate embroideries, block printing, ajrak, phulkari work, chunri making, ralli and so on.
Fashion designers are incorporating these artisanal techniques into contemporary designs, giving them a fresh and modern twist.
Kaarvan Crafts Foundation led by Danish Khan was established in 2004 and it provides life skills to Pakistani rural women.
Kaarvan has mobilized, trained and capacitated more than 29,000 women in over 1,000 of villages of 26 different districts across Pakistan. With its Theory of Change revolving around education, enablement and empowerment of women’s economic capacities – Kaarvan places women at the heart of development.
The fashion show held at the Embassy’s beautiful hall enthralled the audience with a diversity of designs and universal appeal. The bond between the designer and the gorgeous models made the dreamy creations come to life appearing even more spectacular.
A documentary featuring testimonials of female artisans-at-work facilitated by Kaarvan was also displayed.
