October issue 2010

The concept of multi-brand stores appears to be catching on, belying sceptics who argue that fashion in Pakistan is ill-prepared to support them. Labels was the first kid on the block, followed by Ensemble, but neither of them stepped out of Karachi. It was Asad Tareen who took the plunge with The Designers, and others followed in his footsteps. The brains behind the multi-label chain, Tareen remains confident even in the face of an economic downturn. The Designers presently has two outlets in Karachi, located in Defence and KDA, and recently it has opened its doors in the Mall of Lahore. Besides its in-house label, Maysoon, the Lahore store will be stocking top brands such as Nomi Ansari, Unbeatable, Karma, Mehdi, Deepak Perwani, Umar Batul and HSY.

An outdoor sports fanatic, Tareen has a penchant for taking risks. He went into “rookie” (strictly in terms of fashion) Islamabad and opened a store in the Beverly Centre, when most entrepreneurs were shying away from any kind of venture. Tareen’s next destination is Dubai, where he intends to stock up Pakistan’s leading brands. Incidentally, he was the person who introduced consumers to the now popular brands like Karma, Nomi Ansari, Sublime and Mehdi. He says his goal has not changed; he plans on providing a platform to other young designers as well, in order to promote new talent.

Click on any photo to begin the slide show.