By Aisha Haque

Winter Fashion Gala (WFG) 2025, held in collaboration with the Goethe-Institut Pakistan and the Alliance Francaise de Karachi recently, featured some of Pakistan’s leading designers and brands, while working with talent in hair, make-up and grooming, modeling as well as partnering with film industry professionals. It is the collective vision of the Goethe-Institute Director Mr. Andreas Schiekofer and the Alliance Francaise de Karachi Director Mr. Gregoire Brault, alongside WFG organizer and designer Zubair Shah, to support fashion and cultural activities that contribute to projecting a soft image of Pakistan.

Nine Figures (9F) by Fahad Mustafa opened WFG with their Winter/Spring collection, showcasing a thoughtfully curated mix of fashion trends, combining elements of streetwear, casual styles, oversized silhouettes and cozy knitwear. The brand showed pieces that resonated with various generations, ensuring that everyone  express their unique style.

Each piece in Sohaye by Diners’ floral collection shown at WFG was a celebration of nature’s grace, crafted to reflect the beauty of a thousand blooms. The florals were well received by the audience. Diners made its presence at the WFG runway reinforcing its presence with elegantly crafted menswear that reached across a diverse design spectrum.

Experts from Film Indus Echoes were shown on the occasion with the team. Indus Echoes is premiered in Pakistan, and will be followed by an international premiere at the Jaipur International Film Festival.Director Rahul Aijaz along with the film’s Executive Producer Mohammad Kamran Jawaid and cast Vajdan Shah, Absaar Mahar & Samina Sahar briefly shed light on the unique project.

Veteran stylist extraordinaire Saraphine Andrew and her team at The Trio Salon brought their own unique brand of zany energy and technique to the WFG ramp with a unique and one-of-a-kind hair and  make-up show with outfits provided by the promising young second generation designer Parishae Adnan for the House of Amir Adnan, working in a garmonious synergy with each other, and the talented actress, director and creative visionary Angeline Malik lending intricate jewellery pieces from her newly launched jewellery line for the sefment. 

Next, the Indus University fashion students’ graduating thesis show featured highly stylized individual pieces of innovative costume designs denoting their unique take on style, unbounded creativity and conceptual energy to highlight various themes and issues.

Edge Republic presented Regalia – A Celebration of Timeless Elegance at the WFG runway. The collection redefined luxury in men’s high fashion, and designed for the modern gentleman, their exclusive line of tuxedos and suits embodied sophistication, craftsmanship, and regal charm

Seema Shah Bridals (S.S. Bridals) is a relatively young bridal fashion design enterprise launched with the aim towards revivalist trends and sustainable fashion.
The designer label Zubair Shah is a unisex, primarily western wear brand that started out shortly after the coronavirus pandemic hit in 2021, and it has since grown exponentially. He showed a stylized, formal collection based on the theme ‘Black & Gold’ with TV celebrity showstoppers Tehreem Omair, Neha and Sarah Umair.

Popular television actor Junaid Akhter walked for 9F by Fahad Mustafa, TV actress Aruba Mirza for Sohaye, and character actress Sarah Umair for S.S. Bridals. Aayan Rockstar performed covers of popular film numbers while Kathak exponent Asfand Khattak performed to the beat of classical eastern music.