Pakistan holds around 245,4 million people. The textile industry employs more than 40% of the country's workforce, accounting for 20 million. With the hike in energy expenses and numerous other reasons, Pakistan's industrial manufacturing sectors are being affected. The textile industry holds 60% of the country’s exports. It faced a 15% decrease in textile exports in the financial year 2022-2023. Pakistan is known as a production hub worldwide. However, some homegrown brands are now starting to gain importance and recognition. Some of these Pakistani brands and communities are focusing on supporting and trying to revitalise their country’s textile heritage.

Aomi

Aomi is a fashion brand in Pakistan, created by husband-wife duo Omer Farooq and Anusheh Omer. It is working on conceptual designs inspired by the rich heritage and history of Karachi (including the turmoil faced due to the political activities) with the artisanal works around the country. The label has its emphasis on presenting quality garments with rigid silhouettes. Aomi tries to speak with the customers about the history of its clothes. It has been using the Sindhi techniques of Kantha and Ralli.

Blocked Textiles

Blocked Textiles was founded by Ajsheen Numair in collaboration with the women of Sanghar suffering from an unsteady income basis. The brand focuses on keeping the country’s endangered crafts by recreating traditional block prints with modern motifs and patterns. It has also been working in tuning the skills such as Keengri, rilli, and tassel creation for traditionally modern clothes which include sarees and coord sets.

Bulbul

Bulbul was introduced by a former model and editor, Andleeb Rana, in Tharparkar with nomadic style silhouettes. She sought the migrating unique jogi tribes and sourced the dulais to upcycle them as a patchwork part of its shrug and kimono jackets. Dulai is a quilt, embroidered with kantha and rilli works handmade by the women, wrapped on a coiled cobra which will be gifted to every male child of a snake charmer community. The brand is supposed to act as a connection between fashion and craft.

Dara

Around southern Punjab, many female artisans had a problem getting married off at a young age once they passed their 8th grade. Dara was created by Aneela Rabbani Khar, a corporate lawyer-cum-farmer in Khar Gharbi. She created this brand to empower the young women and children of Punjab through education and vocational training at Dara Foundation Girls School and Dastkari Centre respectively.

Koel

Koel was launched by Noorjehan Bilgrami, an author, artist, and pioneer expert in the field of hand-block printing named Ajraks in Pakistan who has been working to revive the craft since 1998. Ajraks can be traced back to the days of Mohenjadaro which would have been extinct. But, some homegrown brands such as Koel are working hard to revive it. This brand follows an entire process of creating the hand-block printed clothes - from planting the endangered Indigofera Tinctoria to working on getting back the priceless rusting looms from Orangi town, Bilgrami.

Princess & the Cake

Founded by the UK-based Cordon Bleu chef Fatima Bukhari, Princess & the Cake specializes in catering for women and children of young age. It has a goal to popularize the kurta globally and reimagine the kachcha tanka. Kachcha tanka is an inherent aesthetic that involves smocking and needlework which was a major business in the founder’s hometown. She has been reworking the technique with a modern color palette.

Rastah

Rastah is a high-end streetwear brand, launched by cousins Ismail, Adnan, and Zain in 2018. With the guidance of the creative director Zain Ahmed, the label works on communicating the South Asian heritage, western silhouettes, and quality craftsmanship. Apart from its deep roots in sustainability, the brand is also working on upcycling the traditional arts for a contemporary collection, and using hand embroidery, manually painted motifs and hand-carved blocks to be used for printing. It is also committed to supporting the traditional artisans.

Shireen Rupani

Shireen Rupani is another Pakistani brand that has been working hard to promote the heritage and unique work of Ajraks with its contemporary designs. It works on various categories including Ajrak kurtas and accessories printed with Ajrak designs. The brand is also focusing on other traditional artisanal techniques such as Chikankari from India.

Cover image: Rastah campaign, Noorjehan Bilgrami from Koel and Aomi recent collection, courtesy Vogue, Koel website and Aomi website.