KARACHI: LAAM Fashion Week will bring its LFW Presents format to Karachi for the first time on Saturday with Kaleidoscopic Karachi, a five-designer showcase at the historic Nusserwanjee Building at the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture (IVS).
The event marks the second edition of the LFW Presents format and its first showcase outside Lahore. It will feature collections by Deepak Perwani, Khaadi, The Pink Tree Company, Wardha Saleem and Sana Safinaz.
The evening will begin with an archival exhibition by renowned photographer Tapu Javeri, titled Four Decades of Fashion Through the Lens of Tapu Javeri, offering a visual journey through Karachi’s fashion history.
According to the organisers, Kaleidoscopic Karachi draws inspiration from the city’s diversity, contrasts and evolving cultural identity. The showcase will bring together five different design perspectives, ranging from contemporary Western wear and artisanal craftsmanship to heritage-inspired fashion.
Maheen Kardar, Executive Director Designer Experience and Curation at LFW Presents, said the idea was to make the event feel like an experience of Karachi rather than a conventional fashion showcase.
“I wanted Kaleidoscopic Karachi to feel less like a fashion showcase and more like stepping into the city itself — layered, restless, colorful and full of contradictions,” she said.
Tapu Javeri said Karachi had remained closely connected to both his life and creative work. He described the exhibition as a journey through memories and four decades of fashion photography.
Deepak Perwani said his collection would focus on modern Western wear, built around the design philosophy that “less is more.”
Khaadi’s Saira Shamoon described the label’s collection as an energetic combination of colour, prints, glamour and visual contrasts inspired by Karachi.
The Pink Tree Company’s Mohsin Sayeed said the collection would explore the relationship between modernity and tradition, reflecting what he described as the beauty of Karachi.
Wardha Saleem, an IVS graduate, said her collection would feature embroidery, fabric manipulation and contemporary silhouettes, with an emphasis on earthy tones and craftsmanship.
Sana Hashwani of Sana Safinaz said the brand would present Mastaani, a 20-piece heritage collection. She described the line as cinematic, with a strong emphasis on textures and handwork.
The showcase will take place at the Nusserwanjee Building at IVS. The historic structure was originally constructed in the early twentieth century in Kharadar before being dismantled and reconstructed at the IVS campus by architecture students.
Through fashion, photography and heritage, Kaleidoscopic Karachi aims to bring together different aspects of the city’s cultural and creative identity in a single showcase.
