ISLAMABAD: The International Apparel Federation’s Thirty-fifty World Fashion Convention (WFC) will be held in Pakistan in November this year, the chief coordinator for the event said on Thursday, the first time the South Asian nation will host the prestigious apparel summit.
The International Apparel Federation (IAF) represents 150,000 companies and apparel associations from 60 countries. This year’s convention is expected to host delegates from more than 45 countries.
The Pakistan government asked the Pakistan Readymade Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association last year to put in a bid to host the event, Ijaz Khokhar, a former PRGMEA chairman and the chief coordinator for this year’s convention, told Arab News.
He said the government had pushed for the convention to be held in Pakistan “so that our country and our countrymen can show a softer image of Pakistan around the globe.”
The convention, whose membership registration opens in June, is a multi-day event featuring panel discussions, lectures and workshops about the textile and garment industry attended by well-known fashion designers, buyers, brands and fashion houses and influencers from around the world.
It moves each year to a different country and is coming to Pakistan a year after the IAF opened a regional office in Sialkot.
“The IAF Convention caters to apparel industry leaders from across the supply chain, from all continents. This convention is a unique opportunity to gain the insights necessary to understand where our industry is heading,” the IAF said on its website.
“Top speakers from across the globe cover the width of the supply chain, from raw materials to apparel sourcing and from production to retail trends. On top of that, the convention provides an excellent opportunity to meet the global industry in one location in a few days time.”
Khokhar said the visiting delegates, many of whom would be coming to Pakistan for the first time, “will see physically with their own eyes the products of Pakistan, the standard of our textile and garment companies.”
The delegates will tour Pakistani garment and textile factories and also be able to view a ‘small products showcase’ at the hall where the convention will be held, he said. International designers and companies will also speak at sessions.
Among this year’s attendees will be Li & Fung Limited, Khokhar confirmed, the Hong Kong-based supply chain giant primarily for US and EU brands, department stores, hypermarkets, specialty stores, catalogue-led companies, and e-commerce sites.
“Li and Fung’s chief operating officer was here to discuss the plan,” Khokhar said. “He will be one of our speakers, plus he will be trying to bring Chinese companies from Hong Kong to come and join this session.”
Khokhar described the event as a large scale “social networking opportunity” for both foreigners and locals.
“The main focus is to send a soft image of Pakistan, to give [attendees] knowledge about what we produce, and to allow interaction between our people and their community,” the chief coordinator said, adding that the convention went “beyond business”: “It’s about establishing friendships, connections, exchanging business cards and ideas … which can make individual relationships grow stronger with the countries and their people.”
“For example someone coming from Brazil, when they go back they will bring a message to the Brazilian companies that Pakistan is a suitable place for their products,” Khokhar said.
The coordinator said he was in talks with President Dr. Arif Alvi to inaugurate the event: “I already spoke to him and he is very much willing to conduct the opening ceremony as well as start the inaugural session.” The president’s office could not be reached for comment.
However, Khokhar said, the convention was a purely private sector initiative with the government merely supporting it from the sidelines.
Pakistan to host World Fashion Convention in November
Pakistan to host World Fashion Convention in November
- Event seeks to present ‘softer image’ of Pakistan abroad, convention coordinator says
- This year’s summit is expected to host delegates from over 45 countries
Ramadan tests Pakistan’s daily wage workers but faith endures
- Reduced work hours during fasting month cut already fragile incomes
- Charities, local businesses step in as laborers try to support families back home
ISLAMABAD: Abdul Waqif grips a worn-out shovel and digs into the earth beneath the harsh midday sun, his body bent with age but still moving steadily. Moments later, the 70-year-old hoists a heavy bag of cement onto his shoulders and carries it toward an under-construction house, all while fasting.
For Waqif and thousands of daily wage laborers across Pakistan, Ramadan is not just a month of spiritual devotion. It is also a month of shrinking incomes.
Waqif migrated from Mohmand tribal district in northwestern Pakistan to Islamabad two decades ago in search of work. Like many laborers from rural and former tribal areas, he left behind limited local opportunities to earn a living in larger cities such as Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi.
In Pakistan, daily wage workers, particularly in construction and manual labor, are among the most economically vulnerable. They are paid only for days worked, receive no job security or benefits, and often rely on informal arrangements. Any slowdown in economic activity directly affects their ability to feed their families.
Economic activity typically slows during Ramadan, when Muslims fast from dawn to sunset. Employers often reduce work hours or postpone physically demanding projects to ease the burden on fasting workers. While intended as a gesture of consideration, it means fewer working hours and fewer earnings.
For laborers such as Waqif, who earns between Rs1,000-1,200 [$3.59-4.31] per day, even a slight reduction in work can be devastating.
His suhoor, the pre-dawn meal before fasting begins, usually consists of a few chapatis from a nearby hotel. The hunger and thirst that follow him through the day are constant companions as he lifts bricks and mixes cement in the heat.
But so is his faith.
“Allah gives me courage. I am hungry and thirsty, but I keep working,” Waqif said while wiping the sweat off his brow.
Back in Mohmand district, his wife, four daughters and two sons depend on the money he sends home. Every rupee matters.
“I support them with this work,” Waqif said. “I eat three meals a day here and I also have to save money for my children and send it to them.”
The reduction in work during Ramadan weighs heavily on him.
“I don’t find much work in Ramadan, and I’m worried for my family,” Waqif said.
‘HONEST LIVING’
Finding food for suhoor is sometimes a challenge. On some mornings, someone offers him a piece of flatbread. Other times, he buys what little he can afford from a nearby eatery.
Muhammad Sajid, owner of Al-Hadi restaurant in Islamabad’s G-15 sector, says he tries to ease that burden by offering meals to laborers at half price.
“We don’t let anyone go hungry,” Sajid told Arab News. “We offer sehri and iftar as much as anyone can afford.”
The restaurant serves tea, yogurt, several types of curries and parathas.
Charity groups also expand operations during Ramadan, when community support traditionally increases. The Junaid Welfare Foundation runs a roadside dastarkhwan, or communal meal spread, serving hundreds daily.
Haq Rawan Shareefi, a manager at the foundation, said around 500 people are provided iftar meals each day. The cost of one person’s iftar is Rs200 [$0.72].
“That means, on iftar and sehri, our expenses range from Rs150,000 [$538.97] to Rs200,000 [$718.63],” Shareefi said.
For Waqif, breaking his fast at sunset brings temporary relief from the physical strain of the day. But the financial uncertainty remains.
“I ask Allah for this,” he said. “May Allah give me strength to earn honest living for my children.”
