‘Kaleidoscopic Karachi’ Brings Eastern and Western Fashion to One Runway
LAAM Fashion Week 2026 showcase highlights Karachi’s colours, culture and evolving fashion scene
KARACHI: Karachi’s diverse culture, vibrant colours and changing fashion identity took centre stage at “Kaleidoscopic Karachi”, a special showcase held as part of LAAM Fashion Week 2026.
The one-day event was hosted at the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture and featured collections from some of Pakistan’s prominent fashion brands and designers.
Deepak Perwani, Wardha Saleem, Khaadi, The Pink Tree Company and Sana Safinaz presented their latest collections, combining traditional eastern influences with contemporary western silhouettes.
The showcase also attracted several well-known figures from Pakistan’s fashion and entertainment industries, including Sharmila Farooqi, Aly Khan, Sarwat Gillani, Fahad Mirza, Maheen Khan, Preshay Adnan and Zainab Qayyum.
1990s Models Return to the Runway
One of the memorable moments of the evening was the appearance of veteran models Fariha Altaf and Simi Pasha, who were among the recognisable faces of Pakistan’s fashion industry during the 1990s.
Their return to the runway added a nostalgic element to an event that brought different generations of Pakistan’s fashion scene together.
Fashion designer Hassan Sheheryar Yasin, popularly known as HSY, welcomed the collaboration among designers and said it was encouraging to see industry professionals supporting one another.
He also praised Karachi’s creative potential and described the event as an opportunity to showcase a side of the city that had received less attention in recent years.
HSY began his career as a fashion choreographer in 1994 before establishing his own fashion label in 2000. His brand initially focused on bridal and formal couture and later expanded into jewellery.
Speaking about LAAM Fashion Week, he described the platform as an important development for Pakistan’s fashion industry and said it could help the sector continue to grow.
Fashion and Photography Come Together
The event also featured a retrospective exhibition celebrating four decades of work by renowned Pakistani fashion photographer Tapu Javeri.
The exhibition displayed a selection of Javeri’s photographs and traced changes in Pakistani fashion and visual culture over several decades.
Javeri reflected on how photography has evolved from the days when photographers had limited shots available on a single film roll and had to carefully plan every picture.
He also discussed the impact of digital editing and Photoshop, which transformed the way photographs could be produced and modified.
According to Javeri, artificial intelligence is now bringing another major change to the industry by allowing images to be created and altered on a much larger scale.
The “Kaleidoscopic Karachi” showcase ultimately connected different eras of Pakistani fashion, bringing together traditional influences, modern design, established industry figures and emerging creative possibilities on one platform.
