Many articles, blog posts and documentaries on the Pakistani fashion industry propagate the idea that it is colored by a compromise between West and East, by a struggle against religious extremism and is a mark of creative rebellion against oppression. While that is true to some extent, evidenced by threats of violence against fashion exhibitions, for example, I find there is no acknowledgment that the Pakistani fashion industry is exactly that: an industry. It is governed by trends as well as the economic principles of supply and demand, or cost and benefit.
Evidence that the industry is governed by economics comes in the form of different trends, which indicate that the industry is dominated by consumer tastes and preferences. For example, the style in fashion now is called the “Anarkali Frock,” a flared, long top with tighter full-length trousers.
Just four short months ago in 2015, the trend was almost the opposite. Tops were not flared and were much shorter. Trousers in style were akin to cigarette pants.
Such fluctuations have occurred for years. In 2013, for example, a long, straight top instead of flared top, was considered fashionable.
Changes in consumer tastes and preferences occur in almost every industry and, in this case, keep the Pakistani fashion industry generating revenue. It thrives on new forms of design and production and, through these new forms, contributes to the economy.
The Trade Development Authority of Pakistan, the country’s main trade organization, declares on its website that fashion is an important element of Pakistan’s economy, particularly due to export potential.
An article from 2014 published by Gulf News states that since Pakistan Fashion Week London, an annual fashion show displaying Pakistani styles and trends, launched in 2011, almost 120 designers, out of which nearly 90 percent, are now stocking shops all over the UK and Europe. Every garment bought from those shops contributes to Pakistan’s rate of employment, export revenue and overall economy.
So, the next time you read or see something about the Pakistani fashion industry, think of it not only in terms of a fight against oppression, but also in terms of an economically driven industry. Let us propagate the nuance that the Pakistani fashion industry is colored by a compromise between consumer and producer, a timeless struggle between demand and supply and a continuous analysis of cost and benefit.