 JAN 25 - India's ace fashion designer
Rohit Bal has been raving about
Pakistani warmth and generosity after a recent visit to Karachi.
I'm already planning my next trip and
this time I'm looking at Lahore," he told Times of India
today.
The cross-border fashion yatra
is being undertaken by both sides nowadays. Pakistan's "minimalist " fashion designer Sonya Battla
is in Lucknow for a recon of the Indian market. While, ace Indian
guru Rohit Bal is the
latest to join the fashion designers' peace brigade.
Back from a trip to Karachi to raise
funds for the Oct 8 quake victims that killed 87,000 people, Rohit
aka Gudda is agog with
excitement. "It was my first trip to Pakistan and it went beyond my
expectations."
The trip dispelled any preconceived
notions he had about Pakistan, he said. "The trip was an eye-opener.
Pakistanis are very cultured and warm. Their language is beautiful
and the place, lovely."
He's especially bowled over Pakistani hospitality. "It was almost
like the red carpet was laid out for me. From the hotel staff to the
hosts, they were all very warm. And the food was to die for." He
feasted on the "kababs and biryani. And I partied a lot. I went for
a party to Ali Azmat's (lead singer of Junoon) house and it rocked
till 7 am. These guys sure know how to party!"
"They all knew about me and they love talking about Bollywood."
And it was not all play, as Rohit Bal revealed, "I showed my clothes
along with Faiza Samee and Nilofer Shahid, the foremost designers of
Pakistan."
"The most interesting thing was that unlike Delhi and Mumbai, people
dug deep into their pockets for the auction. An outfit of mine was
auctioned for Rs 10 lakh!"
Nine Indian models including Arjun Rampal were part of the project.
"People went crazy over Arjun and were grabbing him to take his
shirt off!," he added.
In Pakistan, Bal also had the opportunity to see the work of several
Pakistani designers. "They are not short of talent. There is a lot
of potential in their fabrics, embroideries."
Rohit''s shopping spree in Karachi included dinky buses and trucks.
"I was very impressed by the 'bus art' in Pakistan, where local
trucks and buses are all done up brightly with kitschy decoration.
It's something unique and I brought the miniatures back with me as
mementoes of my trip." |
Articles/Opinions
