LAHORE-Mohsin Naveed Ranjha, designer on everybody’s watch list, has received an accolade from the highest authority in fashion.
MNR has redefined age-old techniques in a contemporary era, creating a style that is rich in eastern aesthetics and his mastery of craft is evident in each design. In conversation with The Nation, he talked about his upcoming collection to be showcased in PLBW19. Following are the excerpts.
How do you feel the Pakistani Fashion Industry has evolved overtime?
I believe that the industry has gotten out of the trivial race for looking the most west-inspired and burlesque, I love how everyone has started to understand their style and they know what they want and where they want it from.
The involvement of many talented and fresh designers has not only given a lot of options to people but also has left them with the contentment of catering to the desired target market that they want.
What inspired you to create this collection for PLBW 19 and how has the journey for this been so far?
True to our identity, at MNR we value tradition and always aim at taking inspiration from age old techniques and historical South Asian art forms. For this collection we explored the beauty of flora in South East Asian miniature paintings constructing each piece of fabric together carefully to emote glamorous silhouettes that startle in signature MNR hues.
How have you incorporated the creative vision for the brand in this particular collection?
We always have had the expertise of eastern fashion, our vision has always been essentially creating couture that project the raw beauty of our region.
We try and work around extremely traditional elements and silhouettes and we are doing that this time around as well.
What should we expect from the collection in terms of the designs, silhouettes and overall look and feel?
The collection is a dreamy play of silhouettes essentially worn by South-Asian royalty. We have played around more forgiving cuts, layers of fabric draped to depict old age grandeur. Both Abu Bakar and myself have been extremely invested in each minor detail of the collection.
How do you feel PLBW this year will be different in terms of the deliverables?
PLBW this year seems promising because more fresh talent are participating. In regard to models and the designers that are participating, it’s encouraging to see how more and more people are working hard to produce great fashion. Also the involvement of new set designers, choreographers and organizers and an overall mood of diversity has been developed which feels great.
What is the name of the collection that MNR will be showcasing at PLBW19?
The name and theme of our collection this year is Chahar Bagh, it has played an important part in Islamic art and architecture since centuries. We are trying to present our version of the chahar bagh, a collection that is a marriage of beautiful raw colors with surreal flora elements.
Whose collection do you look forward to seeing the most at PLBW?
It would be biased if I take one name because I realize how everyone is working so hard for their collections and am always excited and enthralled to see how everyone presents their work. Wish them best of luck.
What’s the typical creative play and process you follow for each piece in the collection?
The design process is fairly similar to other fashion businesses but the fact that each team member is personally involved in bringing life to a piece of fabric, one thing I share with my team who I call my family is that they all work so passionately and tirelessly and each one plays an important role in shaping a garment and design pieces that makes our clients look beautiful and feel beautiful.
What’s next and upcoming for Mohsin Naveed Ranjha?
Both Abu Bakar and myself have been restless the past year as we are trying to expand the business in different dimensions, we have recently launched a bridal collection in acknowledgement to us completing 5 glorious years in the business of fashion. We’re striving every day to bring something new and innovative to our capacities.