ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Ministry of Commerce, United Nations Industrial Development Organization and Italian designer Stella Jean have joined forces to bring the talents of Pakistan’s scenic valleys of Chitral, Gilgit, Hunza and Kalash to Milan’s runways.
Milan Fashion Week, which ran from September 17th to 23rd, is one of the leading and most watched international fashion weeks within September, otherwise known as fashion month where designers showcase their spring/summer 2020 collections across the globe from New York to London, Milan, France and beyond. And, among those ramps, were the handwork and honed craftsmanship of women from Pakistan’s beautiful north.
Stella Jean reportedly lived in Chitral for roughly 2 months where she immersed herself among the Kalash women and became familiar with their handicrafts and their signature hand embroidery on their dresses — a tradition which has been dying out.
Jean, inspired by the women and the hard work she witnessed, decided to use her next collection to highlight women of Pakistan’s north, empower them through employment all through her spring/summer 2020 collection.
For the endeavor, Jean teamed up with Karishma Ali, Pakistan’s female football team’s captain, and the Chitral Women’s Handicrafts Center. Hailing from Chitral herself, Ali is also the founder of Chitral’s first ever Women’s Sports Club.
According to Vogue, Jean tapped 46 Kalash women who embroidered over 4,000 meters of material ranging from dresses to belts to colorful seams and adding traditional touches across her collection.
Jean’s press release on the collection states that this is the first time the women and the center operated to produce garments or embroideries for a customer outside of their own community.
Designer Stella Jean’s Pakistan inspired collection hits Milan Fashion Week ramp
Designer Stella Jean’s Pakistan inspired collection hits Milan Fashion Week ramp
- Two months spent living in Chitral inspired Jean’s latest collection with incorporates embroideries and craftsmanship from Pakistan’s Kalash Valley
- For the first time, women of Pakistan mystic valleys produced garments and embroideries for a customer outside of their own community, designer says
Bangladesh flag carrier to launch Dhaka–Karachi flights this month after over 13 years
- Inaugural flight scheduled to depart from Dhaka to Karachi on Jan, 29, says Biman Bangladesh Airlines spokesperson
- Airline will operate two weekly flights from the Bangladeshi capital to Pakistan’s commercial hub on Thursdays and Saturdays
ISLAMABAD: Bangladesh’s flag carrier Biman Bangladesh Airlines has announced it will launch direct passenger flights between the cities of Dhaka and Karachi after over 13 years later this month, the airline said on Thursday, as both nations improve historically bitter ties.
Biman will operate two weekly flights to Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city by population and its commercial hub, on Thursdays and Saturdays, the airline’s spokesperson Boshra Islam told Arab News.
“Biman is launching its Karachi operations on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026,” she said, adding that the inaugural flight is scheduled to depart from Dhaka at 8:00 p.m. local time and arrive in Karachi at 11:00 p.m. Pakistan time.
Pakistan has granted Biman initial permission to operate the route for three months until Mar. 26, according to a spokesperson for the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority. The approval would be extended later, the official said.
The restoration of the airline’s flights to Pakistan marks a significant step in restoring direct air connectivity between the two South Asian nations.
Pakistan and Bangladesh were part of the same country until 1971, when the latter split from the former after a bloody civil war and became the independent state of Bangladesh.
Ties between both have improved significantly since 2024, after the fall of former Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina’s government due to a student-led uprising. Hasina was widely viewed in Pakistan as being close to India and openly critical of Islamabad.
The resumption of passenger flights comes as aviation and trade links between the two countries begin to recover after decades of limited engagement.
In November last year, state-owned Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) said it had signed a cargo agreement with Biman Bangladesh Airlines aimed at streamlining air freight operations and boosting bilateral trade.
A PIA spokesperson said the airlines had entered into a Cargo Interline Special Agreement as part of PIA’s strategy to expand its cargo business and offer more competitive services to customers.
Pakistan has stepped up efforts to rebuild relations with Bangladesh as ties between Dhaka and New Delhi remain strained over India’s decision to grant asylum to Hasina after she fled the country.
In February last year, a cargo vessel sailed directly from Pakistan to Bangladesh for the first time in decades and successfully unloaded its containers, port officials said.
The two countries signed six agreements in August 2025 covering areas such as visa exemptions for diplomatic and official passport holders, trade cooperation, media collaboration and cultural exchanges, officials said.
