Australians and Pakistanis share a passion for style and design, says Australian High Commissioner while highlighting the significant role of textile and clothing industries in Pakistan’s growth and development
By Sana Jamal
KARACHI (Pakistan)- Australian fashion design trainer, Heidi Phillips, visited Lahore and Karachi this week to assist Pakistani women entrepreneurs in fashion and textiles business to reach international markets, including Australia.
Fashion and textiles activities in Pakistan led by Heidi Phillips were supported by Australian High Commission and Australian Trade Commission (Austrade). Heidi held a workshop hosted by Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) involving fashion and design students and women entrepreneurs.
During her visit Ms. Phillips also met textile and fashion students at fashion institutes including the Pakistan Institute of Fashion and Design in Lahore and the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture in Karachi where she shared training advice including on programs offered in Australian fashion institutes. She also visited a number of fashion outlets around Lahore including Sapphire.
The workshop attracted top Pakistani designers including Sania Maskatiya, Nida Azwer and Tena Durrani, SME designers, and artisans from interior Sindh and Balochistan.
Australian High Commissioner Margaret Adamson highlighted the significant role of textile and clothing industries in Pakistan’s growth and development.
“Pakistani fashion design and textile industry are important contributors to Pakistan’s economic growth, and can promote a contemporary and vibrant image of Pakistan around the world.”
Ms. Adamson welcomed Ms Phillips’ visit remarking that Australians and Pakistanis shared a passion for style and design.
“While Australia and Pakistan may have different fashion styles, your use of rich colours and patterns share a similarity with indigenous Australian Aboriginal art which is becoming increasingly common in the Australian fashion industry,” Ms Adamson said. “Australian fashion draws on our population’s rich and vibrant cultural heritage from all over the world.”
Heidi Phillips shared her fashion marketing, product development and design experience in workshops held by the Lahore Chambers of Commerce and Industry and Dawood Global group in Karachi.
During her workshops, Ms Phillips informed Pakistan’s young designers about Australia’s fashion trends including the use of textiles, colour, garment type and style. In her sessions, she mostly focused on effective marketing strategies such as competitor research, market segmentation and establishing the target consumer. She also discussed how Pakistani women entrepreneurs can internationalise their products and use different social media and e-commerce tools to establish their brand names in international markets, including in Australia.
Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology fashion design and merchandising trainer Heidi Phillips shared her expertise with fashion designers and students at Indus Valley School Karachi yesterday. Heidi discussed western and eastern fashion design and garment shape and provided tips on adapting Pakistani fashion to international markets.
Photo courtesy: Australian embassy Facebook page