ISLAMABAD: On one ramp, you could see a bridal collection followed by resort wear, then a line of edgy tuxedos.
There are veteran designers who have become household names and whose aesthetics can be spotted and recognized, but there is also a new crop.
These new brands focus on wearability, contemporary cuts and aesthetics, but there is also a significant amount of thought put into the business of fashion and understanding changing clientele. Speaking to rising stars in the industry, Arab News got an insight into how they are changing it.
“At the core of Zuria Dor designs is the focus on the millennial generation,” said Madiha Latif, half of the creative team behind the brand with Kinza Latif.
“As millennials ourselves, the designs project what we think would be appreciated by our generational peers: Modern, independent, driven women who are set to rule the world.”
Hamza Bokhari, creative head of Jeem, also sought to design for the modern Pakistani lady.
“My design philosophy revolves around this present-day woman who is deeply rooted in her culture and heritage,” he said. “It’s an amalgamation of old-world craft and modern relevance.”
Rehar, who runs his eponymous label 'Hussain Rehar', joined the fashion world at Elan after graduating from fashion design school.
His philosophy is “creating distinctive and new designs in their own nature by setting new trends and providing the fashion industry with a taste of individualism.”
Rehar said: “It’s very important for a designer, or anyone for that matter, to progress, to keep on improving.”
He added: “The fashion industry is all about innovation. You have to innovate to make a mark, or else you just blend in and lose your identity. Change is what drives and fascinates people to invest.”
Bokhari said: “I started about five years ago. At that time, Pakistan was going through a transitional phase from couture to affordable luxury.”
He added: “Retail is a very integral part of any fashion business, which also in a way helps you with the couture side of it.” The Latifs prefer to be described as engineers rather than designers. “Engineers are trained to be problem-solvers, drivers of change, long-term planners, constant learners, systematic and technology driven,” said Madiha.
“Many boxes need to be ticked for the brand’s vision to become a reality, but we want to spearhead systematic improvement on the design and manufacturing fronts. Who better to do it than individuals with formal training in engineering?”
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Pakistan’s new designers bet on wearability, modern relevance
Pakistan’s new designers bet on wearability, modern relevance
Sotheby’s to bring coveted Rembrandt lion drawing to Diriyah
DUBAI: Later this month, Sotheby’s will bring to Saudi Arabia what it describes as the most important Rembrandt drawing to appear at auction in 50 years. Estimated at $15–20 million, “Young Lion Resting” comes to market from The Leiden Collection, one of the world’s most important private collections of 17th-century Dutch and Flemish art.
The drawing will be on public view at Diriyah’s Bujairi Terrace from Jan. 24 to 25, alongside the full contents of “Origins II” — Sotheby’s forthcoming second auction in Saudi Arabia — ahead of its offering at Sotheby’s New York on Feb. 4, 2026. The entire proceeds from the sale will benefit Panthera, the world’s leading organization dedicated to the conservation of wild cats. The work is being sold by The Leiden Collection in partnership with its co-owner, philanthropist Jon Ayers, the chairman of the board of Panthera.
Established in 2006, Panthera was founded by the late wildlife biologist Dr. Alan Rabinowitz and Dr. Thomas S. Kaplan. The organization is actively engaged in the Middle East, where it is spearheading the reintroduction of the critically endangered Arabian leopard to AlUla, in partnership with the Royal Commission for AlUla.
“Young Lion Resting” is one of only six known Rembrandt drawings of lions and the only example remaining in private hands. Executed when Rembrandt was in his early to mid-thirties, the work captures the animal’s power and restless energy with striking immediacy, suggesting it was drawn from life. Long before Rembrandt sketched a lion in 17th-century Europe, lions roamed northwest Arabia, their presence still echoed in AlUla’s ancient rock carvings and the Lion Tombs of Dadan.
For Dr. Kaplan, the drawing holds personal significance as his first Rembrandt acquisition. From 2017 to 2024, he served as chairman of the International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage, of which Saudi Arabia is a founding member.
The Diriyah exhibition will also present, for the first time, the full range of works offered in “Origins II,” a 64-lot sale of modern and contemporary art, culminating in an open-air auction on Jan. 31 at 7.30 pm.
