LAHORE - Pakistan’s well-known haute couturier, Nilofer Shahid, was awarded with “Le grade de chevalier dans l’ordre des Arts et des lettres” in recognition for her contribution to the development of art, culture and fashion design.
She was awarded at a ceremony held at the Governor House. The award was conferred by French Ambassador Philippe Thiébaud.
Nilofer Shahid has been working relentlessly for the past 35 years in fashion with a passion and volcanic creativity; she has reinvented the classic vision of Haute couture garments and accessories with her highly researched collections. Her haute couture maison “Meeras” which literally translate as heritage, opened in 1991. Nilofer has received numerous national awards in the past; the Lux Style Award for Achievement in Fashion in 2003, a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Indus Style Awards in 2006 and an award for one of the Top 7 Women Entrepreneurs in Pakistan at the International Conference on Women Leadership in 2008, to name a few leading up to this much coveted honour by the government of the French Republic. Nilofer, herself, belongs to a prestigious Pathan family of warriors, poets, writers and painters. Her bloodline has been traced back to the royal families of Afghanistan and Turkey.
Nilofer, ambassadress of her country’s traditions has the distinction of being exhibited at world renowned venues, like the Louvre in Paris to Royal Albert Hall in UK, From Prague to Zurich, from Hollywood to the Middle East, from India to Central Asia.