Fashioning a change

Few have seen Pakistani fashion as up close and personal as Sadaf Malaterre, and she is bringing all that experience to her exciting new label. As the industry gears up for the retail revolution, fashion needs new pioneers to champion the change.

By Mohsin Sayeed

 
In just few hours we will be ushering in 2007. Usual countdown, celebrations, never-to-be-followed resolutions, parties and all that razzmatazz. I am a bit more excited than usual and that's because after a long time I see a new designer worth celebrating, making 2007 more special than the recent years. And I have the honour of ushering her in, heralding and hailing her arrival before anyone else. All fashionistas, please welcome Sadaf Malaterre!

Yes, she is our own Sadaf, that darling model of the 1990s and sweetheart of almost all fashion professionals. For those who were born after her reign, too bad, that was the golden age of fashion in Pakistan. Sadaf is one of the many reasons that that era still shines bright.
 
On a nippy, windy sunny morning, typical of Karachi in winter, Sadaf and I met for at her flat in Old Clifton. It was a strike day; the city was unusually quiet and peaceful. No traffic noise outside, no grey smoke shrouding the horizon, no mad rush of busy city life. It was so overwhelmingly calm that Sadaf's two cats were philosophically gazing out of her fourth floor apartment window. And Sadaf and I got busy reminiscing the good old days of fashion.

Those were the days when Frieha Altaf discovered Sadaf and introduced her to the fashion scene. Spotted shopping at Neshmia's now-defunct boutique Cheetah (then the place for trendy knitwear casual chic), Frieha asked Sadaf to model in Shaiyanne Malik's show. Yes, these were the pre-Shaiyanne-Sohail choreography days when we still delegated work to
professionals and did not try to become Jack-of-all. Slender, tall, good looking and oozing with oomph, Sadaf became one of fashion's favourite girls. A barrage of shoots followed and soon came a time when no good show was considered complete without her.
 
To borrow from Bryan Adams, 'Those were the best days of our lives'. Cheesy? Perhaps yes, but they were. And Sadaf agrees. "There was quality in everything we did. And of course not so much politics in the field that stopped us from working with each other and getting divided into camps. It sounds like Utopia, but it did exist. Being competitive is good and a healthy part of the business, but being cut throat is something else," Sadaf recalls her days of modelling.
 
What happened then? Who was the devil that destroyed the peace and tranquility of fashion heaven?
"Well, more and more people came into the field as it became lucrative and the fashion platform became crowded. The size of the platform remained the same and the number of people wanting to be on it increased manifold. But instead of broadening the platform, we began pushing each other off it," Sadaf analyses the predicament of the industry. Huge amounts of money filtered in as Fashion became the new MBA in Pakistan. Hence, the erstwhile camaraderie got slapped around and replaced by cut throatism.
From outfits-for-payments to five-digit fee, modelling surely has a come a long way since then. Has Sadaf ever felt tempted by the money to go back to modelling?
 
"I am very happy for models these days. After all it's them who lend credibility and life to clothes, but I never feel the urge to do it again. I left it at a good time. I just don't feel like doing it again," she says in a firm manner.

Once she quit, she would get calls after years from designers trying to convince her to do just one last shoot or show. Her resolve was bigger than the offers she received. Still looking better than most of today's young clothes horses, I am sure she still gets offers. "I quit because I could not take it after a certain point. Make-up calls, waiting before a show, shoots, the whole charade became too much for me. Boredom had set in doing the same thing over and over again. No challenge. No excitement. I ceased to enjoy it. I would never do it again. Alright, let me rephrase it: I would never do it unless the offer is phenomenally irresistible and contributes significantly to my life," she dismisses the idea of going back to modelling.

Even back then Sadaf's modelling monotony found a perfect solution when she began helping Frieha with Catwalk projects.
I recall working with Sadaf back in those days as a team member. Sadaf was a breeze to work with. Always managing to get the work done much before the deadline, she never crumbled under pressure. Smiling, and always politely, she never lost her cool or raised her voice. I am quite convinced Frieha chose Sadaf because of her soothing personality and level headedness more than the management skills.  
 

"What I still find most tedious is getting work done here. You end up doing so much yourself. Somehow, one feels our people use Inshallah as a hidden disclaimer. They don't give you one hundred per cent commitment. Now the word has acquired a different cultural nuance," she explains.

But apart from this frustration, Sadaf enjoyed working with Frieha as her quest for challenge was met there. She learnt about putting together a show, minor details of the craft that have a huge impact on the final result and time and people management. "I would get the first or last make up call because I had to do production work, too," she laughs recalling those crazy days.

Time with Catwalk Productions led her to be team member on the milestone TV show Lux Style Ki Duniya (LSD) in 1994. That was yet another unique and fulfilling experience which helped her years later. "We would travel around Pakistan for various segments of the show. We went to places where we would never go otherwise like Thar and Kheora. I would work as

a stand-in model in LSD. Whenever someone did not turn up for a shoot, Frieha would look at me. I not only worked on and off camera, but had great fun, too," Sadaf goes down the memory lane.

Fast forward to 2005 and Discover Asia seemed a piece of cake. Along with producer/director Nasir Tahiriani, Sadaf travelled around South East Asia and did a travel programme on the region. She researched and hosted the show. "After the Tsunami we thought about doing something constructive to help Thailand rebuild its economy. The show ran for a season and Thai tourism board reported a manifold increase in tourists from this part of the world," she proudly shares the information. Having completed three seasons and expanding the travel itinerary to Cambodia, Laos and Malaysia, Sadaf intends to go back to the region and do the fourth season in the near future.

She's always up for adventure, but Sadaf Malaterre found her true calling when on a trip to Karachi from Paris, Maheen discussed the possibility of her designing for the label. She had been asking her for a long time but Sadaf hesitated. "I did not know if I could it. But we agreed on the fact that the only way to find out is to take the plunge. Maheen was extremely open and generous," she recalls.

So, from 2000 to 2003, she worked for Maheen where she designed for the label and absolutely loved it. It turned out to be a win-win situation for both. Sadaf brought a new perspective to the label, a much needed freshness. She started designing accessories like scarves and stoles and brought in the concept of separates. On the other hand she gained technical knowledge, people management, client service and other such aspects of business. "I learnt a great deal from Maheen. We agreed on one thing that clothes should never overpower the personality. I always wore clothes but never made them. She taught me how to approach them from this angle," Sadaf acknowledges Maheen's contribution to her life.

Sadaf's foray into designing was predestined. She always loved playing with fabric when she was very young, to please her grandmother she sewed a garment from a gray and white fabric Her grandmother loved it and taught her sewing. She seemed to be a huge influence on Sadaf's life as it was she who gave her granddaughter her first cat. Today, Sadaf has grown to be a cat lover with 12 felines in her flat.

Sadaf enjoys fashion immensely. She always liked experimenting with fabric ("I love chiffon. It's so sensual and elegant to drape."); she succeeds in putting a look together that seems effortless. "The whole point in fashion is to be able to create a statement with ease and aplomb," she describes her take on fashion. In 2004, I saw her wearing a very interesting outfit. Layers of draped chiffon created a very edgy but sophisticated silhouette. When I praised it, she informed me that it was one of her own creations. I got extremely excited and made her promise that whenever she launched her label, I would be the first to do the honours in print.

Sadaf's fashion is very simple inspired by the fine art of living life . "Anything can inspire you. However, it should be relevant to your personality. You should be able to have fun with fashion. Never take yourself way too seriously particularly where fashion is concerned," she explains.

While Maheen gave her the freedom to create, Sadaf still felt responsible for potential design failure. "From the very beginning it was clear that one day I would have my own label. With your own label you can fly your imagination really high without any limits. You have the freedom to do what you want and can take risks without any fears." Passion takes over her tone. She plans to launch her label shortly. At the moment, she stocks at Mubashir Khan's new salon in Pakistan and at a swanky, exclusive outlet in Houston along with Karma, Deepak Perwani and HSY. Her clientele is growing rapidly, which includes women of all ages and graces.

"I am happy with the feedback from here and Houston. It really feels good when demand for new stock comes in." She hopes that one day her label grows and spreads to retail level and include accessories. "I will have shows, shops and everything that makes a successful designer brand," she says, eyes shining bright with a blend of ambition and desire.

And what about the fashion week? "What about it?" she asks me back. Will she participate in the Pakistan Fashion Week due to be held in November? "Of course, I will. I am confident that I would be able to cater to the requirements of a fashion week. I would love to show my label there," Sadaf replies enthusiastically.

It sounds like music to my ears. Even though she has just launched her label, Sadaf Malaterre is a supremely fashion week friendly designer and those are definitely a minority in Pakistan's nascent fashion industry. The total number of such designers doesn't even reach double digits here. Us fashion critics have been scratching our heads wondering who will be ready, willing and able to rise to the week long occasion. Sadaf Malaterre is a welcome addition to a very short list of Pakistani designers who understand prêt a porter.

While she is excited about the idea of a fashion week in Pakistan, she is not too sure of fashion councils. She has not joined either so far. It must be difficult for her to avoid pressure from both Fashion Pakistan and Pakistan Fashion Design Council, both of whom are actively trying recruit new members.

"It's too soon for me to join any. I am not saying that 'show me first and then I will join'. No. I need to evaluate for myself what I can get out of becoming a member of a council and what I could give them. Till that time I shall wait," Sadaf explains in her signature soft and polite tone.

Sadaf Malaterre is in no hurry. She is also clear that her rise up the fashion ranks is not a popularity contest. She realises that her sense of fashion will not be loved and liked by all but she is also clear that this is her style. She loves fashion and believes that her own interpretation of it will distinguish her from the bridal crazy fashion crowd. Sadaf is rare in the sense that even though she comes with a lot of fashion experience, she's bringing in a new sensibility as a designer. At a time when fashion desperately needs a new frontier, Sadaf Malaterre is a new star on the horizon. And for those of us gasping for design oxygen, she is a much needed breath of fresh air.

Check out Sadaf Malaterre's collection on pages Style Section