Zara Abbasi kidswear

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WHAT IS THE SCOPE OF DESIGNER

WEAR FOR CHILDREN IN PAKISTAN?

BY

ZARA ABBASI

Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture2012


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What Is The Scope Of Designer Wear For Children In Pakistan?

By

Zara Abbasi

This Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree ofBACHELOR OF TEXTILE DESIGN, from Indus Valley School of Art andArchitecture.

Internal Advisor : Uzma BawanyGemma Sharpe

Arshad Farooqui

External Advisor :

DEPARTMENT OF TEXTILE DESIGNINDUS VALLEY SCHOOL OF ART AND ARCHITECTURE

KARACHI PAKISTAN2012


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WHAT IS THE SCOPE OF

DESIGNER WEAR FOR CHILDREN

IN PAKISTAN?

BY

ZARA ABBASI


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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This dissertation would not have been possible if I did not have the support of the following people, I owe all these people my deepest gratitude.

Ms. Uzma Bawany who supervised my dissertation. Her knowledge, experience andsupport towards my work highly motivated me.

Ms. Gemma Sharpe who also supervised my dissertation with her extendedexperience and genuine help it enabled me to make this report possible.

I would like to thank my parents for always being there and motivating me, withoutthem I would have not been able to write this dissertation.

I would also like to thank my sister who has helped me out in times when I neededthe most help.


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Table of Contents

Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………III

Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………1-5

Chapter 2 LITERATURE REVIEW……………………………………………………….6-14

Chapter 3 RESEARCH METHODLOGY…………………………………………………15-18

Chapter 4 FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS………………………………………………….19-28

Chapter 5 CONCLUSIONS……………………………………………………………......29-30

Chapter 6 BIBLIOGRAPHY……………………………………………………………….31-32

Chapter 7 GLOSSARY……………………………………………………………………..33

Chapter 8 APPENDIX………………………………………………………………………34-37


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CHAPTER 1

Introduction

In the previous decades, clothing for children was limited to the sole option of prêt a porter

but with the increasing exposure and awareness of fashion and trends, designer wear/couture

for a child has now come into vogue.

Prêt a porter has been and will always be at reach for parents during special occasions such

as Eid, wedding seasons, birthday parties and even for get-togethers. The main attraction for

parents varies from economical price range shops like those at Zainab Market and Tariq

Road to top pricy brands like Gul Ahmed- Ideas or Leisure Club. They showcase a wide

variety of ready made clothes for children from Eastern to Western wear, you name it and

these shops have it. The prices of these local retail shops such as Sanaullah and Minnie

Minors start from Rs.395 and Rs.350 respectively, but a complete suit can cost up to Rs.2,

000.1

It is worth noticing that regardless of prêt a porter for children being easily available,

designer wear for children is now emerging into the spotlight of Pakistan as an upcoming

fashion. Looking at magazines, ramp shows, television commercials, and internet

advertisements today, it can be easily seen that there is a rise of fashion designers and trends.

Designers are not only focusing on apparel for men and women but are moving a step further

1 Saadia Qamar, ’Designer Dreams for Kids’, The Express Tribune (posted August 1

st 2011)

http://tribune.com.pk/story/33169/designer-dreams-for-children/[ Last accessed January 4th

2012]


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with their idea of a separate line or collection for children. This new trend is called couture

for children or in other words custom made designer wear. Life becomes easier for parents as

they can go to their favourite Pakistani designer who specializes in children's clothing and

get their children’s clothes custom made according to any size. Even if parents want their 2

month old baby girl to wear a labelled custom made angarkha then that too can be made for

her with a tag of mom’s favourite designer.

Young girls dressed in Karma Princess –Sunsilk Fashion Week. (Figure 1)

This trend may have just begun in Pakistan but internationally it has existed since years and

is widely followed. There is a wide collection of designer wear when it comes to women’s

and men’s wear, but since a few years there has been a boom in the children’s fashion

industry, especially internationally. Top names in International designers like Christian Dior,

Ralph Lauren, Giorgio Armani, Ben Sherman, Gucci, and Versace and so on have started

focusing on prêt and couture for children, price ranging from $425 to $13752. These designer

clothes for children are designed in a similar fashion to what the designers have made in their

2 Sameer Reddy, “Branding the baby”, The Wall Street Journal-Fashion, (Posted 18

th June 2011)

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303714704576383652840003090.html


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adult collections. The similarity in the designs and cuts become the main reason why the

clothes start appealing to the parents. Designers and parents commonly like to use the term

“mini-me’s” for them. Researchers have further said, “The trend is fuelled by celebrity

children including David and Victoria Beckam's son, Romeo, 8, who appeared in GQ

magazine's Best Dressed list and Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes's daughter Suri, 5, who was

placed ahead of Lady Gaga in Glamour magazine's style icon poll.” On the other hand in the

article “Kids Wear Designer Clothes By The Age Of 2” in which the general public was

surveyed in India, the result revealed that 4 out of 10 children, wear designer clothes from the

age of two as their parents try to keep up with the Beckhams and the

Cruises.3

Above pictures of Tom Cruise’s daughter Suri Cruise, is the worlds most expensively

dressed toddler. (Figure 2)

Pakistani designers are working on the same line and have launched their designer prêt and

couture collection for children. Big names like Maheen Kardar (Little Princess), Nida Azwer

3 “Kids wear designer clothes by the age of 2!”, The Times of India- Fashion, (Posted July 12

th 2011)

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-07-12/trends/29720806_1_designer-clothes-gq-parents


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(Avadh collection), Hira Lari and Amir Adnan (Father and Son series), Saim, Maria B, Sana

Berry, Afia and Amra (Little Gorgeous) and Zahabiya Jam so on are worth mentioning.

These designers have a set market; they are catering to a certain age group starting from

newborns to 12 year old kids. While others have targeted a slightly different age group but

still working on the same line. What’s different from the international market is that these

designers have mostly focused on our traditional Pakistani or Eastern formal wear rather than

Western wear. “These consist of Shalwar kameez, Anghrakhas, Peshwaas and Ghagras for

girls and Kurtas for boys with a price ranging from Rs. 2, 000 and go up to Rs. 12, 000 and

above (price varies with designers).”

4

As we can see in (Figure 3) young girls dressed in Nida Azwer and Saira Rizwan (Left)

outfits.

This dissertation was therefore aimed at researching what would be the scope of couture for

children in Pakistan in the future and how much success will it be gaining in the coming

4 Hani Taha, “Make way for kids’ couture” , The Express Tribune, (Posted 1

st August 2011)

http://tribune.com.pk/story/222014/make-way-for-kids-couture/


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years? Is couture for children in Pakistan just for special occasions such as Eid-ul-Fitr, Eid-

ul-Adah and wedding seasons or will it become a part of our casual life? Also, would the

demand for designer wear for kids rise to higher dimensions or will it slowly fade away?

To answer these questions the research required the opinions of both designers and parents

via interviews and surveys. As travelling was not feasible therefore this research was

conducted within the city of Karachi. This dissertation is beneficial to design students who in

their professional career want to design clothes for children.

The research was undertaken in the time period of one academic year. This document is

divided into a number of chapters to chronologically take you through this research. The

chapters include the current introductory chapter followed by the,

LITERATURE REVIEW: This section of the dissertation deals withal that have bee said

about prêt/couture for children. What have authors and writers said and how can this

dissertation benefit from the information gathered ad analyzed by the scholars.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY: This chapter showcases a detailed structure of how this

research was conducted, from the type of questionnaires and surveys to the approach that was

undertaken for this research.

FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS: The particular chapter of the dissertation relives the

experience of the findings done in this field. This section validates as well as disagrees with

some of the scholastic information that was discussed in the literature review. Also it

compares the information discussed in the literature review with primary research.

As a student of textile design, I feel that textile is also linked to fashion in many ways. I

believe it will be interesting to explore the newly emerging for Eastern children’s wear.


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This dissertation aims at finding and analyzing what will be the scope of designer wear for

children in Pakistan?

CHAPTER 2

Literature Review

The Matthew Watson the author of the book, “Clothing is Incomplete without Designer

Clothes”5 states a strong quote in the beginning of his book “Clothing is an art of expressing

one's personality”, pointing out that those who pay attention to their sense of clothing stand

out from the crowd. He further explains when we flip through a magazine the main reason

why those glossy pages seem to grab our attention is mainly because the male/female models

are covered in designer clothes.

The author states, 6 “One of the turning points in the evolution of early humans was the act of

decorating the body. All known cultures embellish the body either with marks on the skin or

clothing. Body adornment recognizes the individual as a person and communicates aspects of

her/his personal and social identity. In the 21st century, fashion as body adornment is still a

universal part of a person’s everyday experience yet, there is no agreed upon definition of

fashion...”

As couture for children is a new fashion in Pakistan’s fashion industry is therefore important

to know about the history of clothing for children, basically looking into the matter of how it

5 Matthew Watson. ‘Clothing is incomplete without designer clothes’, Historical Heroin.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Clothing-is-Incomplete-Without-Designer-Clothes&id=1513414 [Last accessed

January 12th

2012]6 ‘Lit Review’, Theorizing Fashion. http://theorizingfashion.wetpaint.com/page/Lit+Review


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all started, in a book called, The Dynamics of Fashion7 the author discusses the history of

children’s apparel, to give a quick idea of how children used to dress before the 1800s i.e.

before fashion trends started, the author wants to takes the reader back to the Renaissance

and the American colonial era, Children wore loose clothes with low necklines, bustles, and

pantaloons, in other words similar to the clothes of adults. The author goes on explaining the

reason behind the looseness of children’s clothes, for parents wanted children to grow into

them, also the clothes were made with sturdy material so that it could be passed on the

younger siblings. Furthermore the author discusses how the children of the 1800’s never had

an issue with whatever they were asked to wear, though the clothes were dull and

unattractive, children never had the nerve to tell their parents ‘ No’ . By reading the previous

sentence one can assume that this not really an issue of that time, for the kids or the parents,

The children did not have any television in their homes to look dressed up like so and so

character, Gone are those days; today however the case is different, every girl wants to be a

Princess and wear flowy Pishwaas like Kameezes.

The book Dynamics of Fashion7 rightly points out that it was World War 1 that changed the

whole scenario of the children’s apparel industry. The author explains how manufactures

found new ways to make children’s apparel more durable than stitching also they came out

with the concept of different sizes for the same garment. Further on the author mentions that

it was the 1920’s which really boosted the children’s clothing industry, parents wanted their

children to dress up like characters from musicals, etc. The author clearly states that it was

1950 was when the revolution took place in the time line of children’s apparel, those who

brought television in their home were the largest consumers of children wear. The text

7 Elaine Stone, The dynamics of fashion, Second Edition Fairchild, The Secondary Level: The producers of

apparel. Children’s and Teen’s Apparel Chapter 10.pp


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explains that television programs attracted children of every age group even teenagers. One

can relate this to what is happening today, children and teenagers get attracted by what they

see on the television. Moreover, parents play a more important role in this case in buying

children what they want, also as they want their children to be dressed in utmost perfection.

Further on, the book is divided into a sub heading called Designer Labels and Society 7, in

which the author discusses how designer wear for children is becoming a huge part of a

society and how designer wear is available for both middle and high income earning

customers. Further more, the author talks about the history of children’s wear, He continues

by explaining how children’s wear really came into the limelight, by pointing out a time in

our history when a designer under the name of Izod introduced a boy’s line in 1960’s and

from there onwards-the explosion in designer –label children’s wear took off in the late

1970’s with the designer jeans craze.

The text discusses a survey, “British Lifestyle Survey by Mintel”7 in 2001 showed that

parents continue to indulge their children with brand name clothing even when the economy

is slow and they have less money for themselves. On the other hand China sees a bright

future, as a research report8 on Chinas Children’s wear industry 2012, says that in the coming

10 years “the children’s wear industry will win the consumers with the strongest economic

strength. Furthermore, with an enormous population base of newborn infants, the industry

will continue developing in a positive way…” This is interesting and can be related to

Pakistan’s economic state and population growth scale.

8 “Research and Markets: Research Report on Chinese Children's Wear Industry - 2011-2012”, Business Wire(Posted November 22nd 2010) http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20101122005569/en/Research-Markets-Research-Report-Chinese-Childrens-Wear [Last accessed January 12th 2012]


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The author Elaine Stone7 further discusses that sometimes brand names get the same amount

of importance as designer labels that is because they are equally famous as designer-labels.

We can assume this happens because brands often associate themselves with brand

ambassadors, people tend to relate to them, therefore the brand gets as much as importance as

the designer-label. Also in the book, (The Dynamics of Fashion) mentions how designers are

becoming a part of the children’s clothing world, David Wolfe, a creative director of

Doneger Group, a New York buying office said, “Status is definitely trickling down to kids,

they are looking at their mothers and other sisters, and they want to wear the same brands.

They are also looking at pop icons and want to dress just like them”

7

The author 7 goes on mentioning how famous designers have launched separate children’s line

under their name. A designer brand named Moschino has Moshino Junior for 2 to 15 year old

kids. This is interesting because this trend can be spotted by our Pakistani designers as well,

though it has just started. They are following the same foot steps as the designer mentioned

above, and it would be interesting in finding out if that really is the case? Do Eastern

designers look towards the Western for guidance and inspiration?

Looking at the international market or even looking at our neighbouring country India in

which designers are promoting the idea of having a separate clothing line for children, an

article called, “Child’s Play”9 writer, Ashima Batish talks about how a fashion week in

Mumbai was dedicated to children, in which famous Indian designer Rocky S along with

other designers showcased their collection for children. Mohita, a Chandigarh based designer

also presented her 612 Ivy League collection for children. The main reason why these

designers made a separate line for children is because they wanted to make clothes that

9 Ashima Batish, ‘Child’s play’, Tribune India

.http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120125/ttlife1.htm [Last accessed 12th May 2012]


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would compliment the child’s age, these designers felt that India’s younger generation below

teenage has started dressing up like college students, therefore they introduced 300 different

designs, which comprised of very chic jumpsuits, shorts and gowns for girls and woven

shirts. The designers also mentioned that the prices of their designs are kept low as to

promote this new trend of fashion. Also the collection comprises of casual clothes, there was

a sentence in this article related to casual designer wear for children which I really liked, the

fashion designer mentioned that we have purposely kept the clothes casual because we don’t

want kids to stop playing or get bogged down by fashion. The approach which the Indian

designers have taken in this field of designer wear for children is great, it is not restricted like

it in presently with our designers who are only producing formal bridal wear for kids, if our

designers also start designing casual wear for children there might be a bigger scope for

them.

Another international article “Design for Tiny Tots”10 by Oman Tribune magazine talks in

detail about how designer wear for children is on a rise, magazines and news is filled with

paparazzi shots of celebrity children such as “Gwen Stefani’s boys sport mohawks, black

rocker T-shirts and baggy cargo pants like their dad Gavin Rossdale; Jessica Alba’s daughter

Honor Warren mimics her mother’s frilly, feminine style”. This new trend of dressing your

child up in a similar manner as you do isn’t limited to celebrities only, many parents of the

upper class of the society also enjoy this luxury too, “The wealthy, of course, have always

garbed their children in luxurious fabrics; go to any large museum and check out paintings

from the last several hundred years and you’ll see infants in lace; toddlers in velvet and 7-

year-olds in dresses with embroidered pearls.” Although it becomes difficult for the middle

10 ‘Designs for tiny tots’, Oman Tribune- The Edge Of Knowledge. MTC NEWS SERVICE.

http://www.omantribune.com/index.php?page=leisure_details&id=5753&heading=Special%20Features%20in%20Details [Last accessed 12th May 2012]


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class to afford such expensive clothing for their children yet a research showed that, “the

sales of children’s clothing have grown rapidly, as parents in the U.S. have upped the number

of garments in the family wardrobe. Even parents who might scrimp on clothing for

themselves will buy beautiful dresses and jackets for a family photo portrait or a special

occasion. And options for the wealthy have multiplied in the last several years.” Further on

the article talks about how a designer named Phillip Lim whose children’s line is called Kid,

he has exactly imitated his adult version of clothing and made it smaller for the kids, he

added that it’s like “Mommy and me”. Pakistan designer Amir Adnan had also worked on a

similar line and called his Eid collection Father and Son Collection. Fashion directors,

Colleen Sherin in the article mentions that people when buying designer clothing children are

looking for a special emotion or a wow factor, as long there is an emotional response towards

the clothing the price does not matter. This article has also mentioned other fields in which

children’s industry is playing a vital role, for example the designer footwear for kids Prada

and Gucci are examples of designer brands who are not only focusing on clothing for kids

but also footwear. Lastly a style expert in the article points out it’s about the generation of

“mini me” a term I mentioned in my introduction, Bump it up is a book about how to have a

stylish pregnancy, it talks about getting your child noticed in the crowd. An interview with

Rosie Pope10, a New York maternity concierge, designer of a maternity clothing line and star

of the Bravo channel’s “Pregnant in Heels” adds humor to the article she says, “Especially

with the first baby, people go crazy, they have no limits,” …“They justify the purchase in

their heads. And since at 6 months, the babies start to look like little people and parents can

really start to see them as an extension of themselves, it’s part of the whole process of

becoming a parent. It’s the fun part.”


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As the new trend of designer wear for children is emerging in Pakistan, our magazines have

started covering stories related to this topic. In a Sunday plus magazine interview dated 15th

January 2012 designer Saira Rizwan was asked if she plans to start of a separate clothing

collection for children, she replied saying, “Kid’s wear is on the “to do list” of 2012, lets see

how far we get with that.”11

In a Tribune internet article called ‘Make Way for Couture Kids’, journalist Hina Taha

highlights how designers in Pakistan are going about this new trend of Couture for children,

especially girls12. The author gives a descriptive introduction on how these beautiful glittery

dresses would look on little girls who wear them. This is true although these clothes are

pricey (ranging from Rs.2, 000-12, 000). They are beautifully made, any young girl who

wears them will surely be noticed and asked about the designer who has made the dress.

Further on the author tells the reader that these designers have showcased their clothing line

for kids even in PFDC Sun silk fashion week. The author also mentions that the designers are

getting a great response from their customers.

The writer, Hina Taha9 further goes on giving fine details on how the designer namely Nida

Azwer has concentrated on the fine details and motifs of her children’s line. The author

quotes Nida Azwer’s words, “Kids today are so precise about what they want that they don’t

let their moms pick for them. A few walked in today and were so excited to go to the trial

room and try clothes out themselves.”

Furthermore the author makes an assumption that soon all Pakistani designers will start their

line on children’s couture, because there are not many options available for kids. The author

11 “50 THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT SAIRA RIZWAN”. Sunday Plus Magazine. (Posted January 15

th 2012)

http://issuu.com/sundayplus/docs/sunday_plus_15_january_2012 [Last accessed February 10th

2012]12

Hina Taha, ‘Make way for kid’s couture’. The Express Tribune. (Posted August 1st

2011)

http://tribune.com.pk/story/222014/make-way-for-kids-couture/ [Last accessed January 4th

2012]


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also says, “The West, on the other hand, considers children an independent buyer group as a

result of which a growing number of brands — including Hermes, Ralph Lauren and

Burberry — have a collection dedicated to kids. Here in Pakistan, it is a fresh albeit lucrative

concept that plays out adorably on the ramp and it will be interesting to see how other

fashion biggies interpret their collections for their mini clients.” 9

Figure 4. Above Nida Azwer’s collection Avadh –Loreal Fashion Week-Paris.

In an internet article Designer Dreams for Kids13author Saadia Qamar, begins by giving an

example of how it’s designer wear and branded clothes that have become at an arms reach,

the author compares the Western clothing line of kids with the Eastern clothing line which is

emerging, pointing out that the West still have more choice when it comes to shopping for

kids as they have made separate designer shops for kids, for example as previously

10 Saadia Qamar, ’Designer Dreams for Kids’, The Express Tribune (posted August 1st

2011)

http://tribune.com.pk/story/33169/designer-dreams-for-children/[ Last accessed January 4th

2012]


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mentioned in the literature review , designers aboard have separate shops with the same name

which only caters to juniors. It would be interesting in finding out what our designers think

of this idea and will they be looking forward to having separate shops which only cater to

young boys and girls? The author 10 goes on quoting Karma’s brand manager, Amir Iqbal,

“Today’s girl wants to dress up and we believe we need to provide for them.”

Figure 5. Above Karma Princess models waiting in line to walk on the ramp of Sunslik

Fashion Week.

“Girls say no to their mothers and tell them what they want to wear, that is what a four or a

five-year-old does in the 21st century. Karma Princess caters to that crowd, in which the

small girls want to follow their mother’s style when it comes to wearing a dress.”

The writer further on mentions that Maheen Kardar has come out with 20 designs for her

Karma Princess collection, the price range of these detailed dresses are from Rs.1, 500 to 12,

000. Karma Princess also plans to extend the children’s clothing line business to the next


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level, but before that it is important to find out what will be the response of parents towards

designer wear for kids.

CHAPTER 3

Research Methodology

The chosen topic investigates and looks into the scope of designer clothing for children in

Pakistan, particularly the new trend of couture for children. This is how I went about my

research:

Approach

The approach towards answering the queries about the question being asked comprised of

both a qualitative and quantitative directions of data gathering, mainly quantitative followed

by a qualitative approach. Quantitative approach because the data can be analysed more

efficiently and it is able to test hypotheses. The success of couture for children is in the hands

of the parents therefore it was a very important part of the dissertation as to find out by

surveying parents in the form of questionnaires and surveys their views and opinions about

couture and prêt a porter for children. Qualitative approach because as the study unfolds it

becomes easier to answer this question. Also, to find out the future of couture from a

designer’s point of view, Different interviews and field research were conducted which

comes under qualitative research. On the other hand I had also collected couture images

which had been published during my research time period in our Pakistani magazines.

Methods of Research Given Below:

Secondary research


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As couture for children is new in Pakistan, libraries around Karachi didn’t much material on

this topic. I did an intensive search and found 2 books in Indus Valley School Art and

Architecture which were helpful. Our Pakistani magazines had great amount articles related

to designer wear for children. My secondary research was mostly based on articles and book

chapters collected from the internet, newspapers and magazines. The material which I had

chosen to be in my literature review has international as well as local articles. In my

secondary research I have discussed the history of children’s apparel, how designer wear is

becoming an important part of the society, I had selected articles from Pakistani magazines

which speaks about the new emerging fashion of designer wear for children.

Primary research:

Qualitative Approach

A primary research includes purely a field based survey of different designers, their

interviews are taken and discussions were carried out to acquire the necessary results.

Unstructured and in-depth interview:

In-depth and unstructured approach taken when interviewing designers as they could give

out first hand information as to what response have they gotten from the previous couture

collection for children. Furthermore, it become easier to understand the topic from the

subjects’ point of view. Interviews were conducted through meeting these designers in

person and asking the questions on the phone or email. The questions were unstructured;

this gave me a good opportunity to get as much as information possible on the topic as

there is not much secondary research available on the topic of designer wear for children.

A structured interview was therefore not preferred because that would have limited the

designer in answering openly about the topic.


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The designers which I had selected to interview were Nida Azwer, Sania Maskatiya,

Tayyab Bombal and Zahabiya Jam. The reason why I had chosen Nida Azwer for

interviewing is because when it comes to prêt a porter and couture for children, she is one

of the first designers who have made a separate line for children’s wear. It was interesting

in finding out her personal experience about children wear. Next I had chosen Sania

Maskatiya and Tayyab Bombal because these designers do not have a separate line for

children, I asked them the reason why they and other designers have not started

couture/prêt a porter fashion for children and if they plan to start it in the future? And if

they don’t plan to start what’s stopping them from doing so? Lastly, Zahabiya Jam, An

Indus Valley graduate of the year 2005 is a new name in the list of Pakistani designers.

She designs for women and little girls. As she is new in the list of designers, it was

interesting in finding out how far is she willing to take her children’s collection, if it is

temporary or will she be producing more collections in the coming years.

Quantitative Approach:

Semi Structured surveys:

This was a survey, questionnaire and a field based research, the interviewees in this case

were parents, specifically mothers. 6 to 10 questions were asked in the form to be filled

out of which 2 questions were focused upon. These questionnaires were given out malls,

and for example The Forum, Dolmen Mall, etc. The questions were structured in such a

way that mother’s could give a quick response. 100 surveys were given out, the data were

further calculated in the form of italic marks and then pie charts were made. This

included numerical information, for examples figures and statistics. For the surveys and

questionnaires parents from all the classes were surveyed. They were asked whether they


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prefer designer wear for themselves followed by a question asked, if they would like

designer clothing for their children.

Limitation

The trend of couture for children is a new trend which had just emerged in Pakistan in 2010,

as mentioned before there are only a hand full number of designers who have a separate line

for children’s clothing. This research was only conducted in Karachi and questionnaires were

answered by parents of Karachi, therefore this research had created some inaccuracies.

Designers Amir Adnan and Sania Safinaz and Maheen Kardar were also to be interviewed

but due to some personal reasons, their interview could not be taken, if I could’ve gotten their

interviews my research would’ve been stronger. I would like to point out some inaccuracies

which I thought should be mentioned, the census which had been received from Nadra’s

office is from the year 1998 and the study for this research was conducted between the years

2011-2012 therefore there must be some changes which have been taken place throughout

these years. The numerical statistics given might not be exactly accurate. The answers

received by designers might have some biases attached to them, for example children’s

designer might not be getting much success they still might say it’s going great because it’s

an interview and they want to portray their best side, also the economy of Pakistan is low and

unstable therefore many parents try to make the most of it and repeat the clothes of their

children at different occasions, they do not make many new clothes for they feel the child

will grow out these clothes, therefore they avoid spending a lot of cash on their young ones.


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Also not every parent dresses their child up in Eastern formal wear some parents always

dress their infants and children in Western clothes.

Evaluation: The data which had been collected from the primary research in the form of 100

surveys which was handed out to parents was evaluated by taking out the percentage and

then further pie charts were made.

CHAPTER 4

Finding and Analysis

The following data were collected from different sources. It helped in reaching to a point of

consideration. The primary information was collected through surveys, interviews and field

research.

Looking at the findings of the previous chapter i.e. Literature review, one can easily

determine that couture for children has a strong history when looked at from an international

point of view, on the other as far as Pakistan’s Eastern formal wear for kids has just started. It

becomes important to know as to how many parents will accept this new trend of designer

wear for kids, therefore coming to my research question, what will be the scope of designer

wear for kids in Pakistan.

For the analysis Nadra’s office was visited to get census statistics as to the population of

children residing in our urban areas (information also available online), unfortunately the

census which was received was carried out in the year 1998, Also the new census will be

published in 2014. Next, interviews were conducted with designers who design clothes for

children, these interviews were taken place to view the dissertation question from the

designer's point of view, to find out what difficulties have they faced and how successful has


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this new trend of couture for children been for them?. Parents of different classes were

surveyed, It was a 10 question long survey. Last but not the least for the field research Nida

Azwer’s shop was visited where a day was spent researching about couture and prêt for

children.

According to the 1998 census available the percentage of the population of children under the

age 15 is 85.35% out of which 39.25% belong to the urban area.14 This can be related to

China’s China’s population of children’s growth as mentioned in the literature review.

A person to person interview was conducted with the designer Nida Azwer, A textile

graduate of the Indus Valley School of Arts and Architecture, Karachi. Nida is a designer for

both male and female outfits but has recently been designing formal Eastern clothes for

children on a large scale; she also has a separate line for them. Nida is one designer who

designed formal Eastern clothing for young boys and girls and let kids also model out her

clothes on the ramp show with other models. Nida was questioned regarding the new trend of

formal wear for children how this trend started and how long will the fashion last, how

interested parents are in this fashion, similarly an article from the New York post posted

several stories of how mothers have started dressing up their little girls in similar outfits as

they, On asking her why she started to design children’s clothing when she was already

designing clothes for women and male, she replied that mothers who used to get clothes

designed by her use to insist her on designing clothes for their daughters and sons, it was then

when she felt that there is a need for formal designer clothes for children. She pointed out

that she is one of the few designers who is designing clothes for children therefore she has

been getting a great response from her clients and parents as well. This statement can only be

14 Statistics, ‘population by selected ages groups, Population census organization.http://www.census.gov.pk/Statistics.php [Last accessed: 5 April 2012]


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true for a certain class of people, according to the surveys taken from parents, mother’s are

excited about the idea of designer wear for children, because it limits the hassle they have to

go through, but at the same time with the unstable economy in Pakistan, parents think twice

before spending a lot of money on their growing children. The children’s collection starts

from rupees 1800 –onwards. Nida mentioned the difficulties she has to face while designing

clothes for children, the fabrics have to be carefully chosen, silk, cotton, brocade, and wool

and so on are used. She said that there is a wide range of audience available due to the

different price ranges available. That is one reason why prêt a porter for children is a fashion

to stay. Nida pointed out that there is a wide area for development in this designing field for

children, if some designer is interested in making Western clothes for children, then they will

get a great amount of success in it, as there are no designers exploring the Western area.

Another important question which came up during the interview was what will be her next

step in children’s wear? Will she be interested in designing Western clothes for our Pakistani

children? She rightly pointed out that Eastern clothing for children has already been a tough

task for her, as it requires taking care of a lot of small details as these clothes are worn by

young children. The finishing has to be neat and perfect therefore she will stick to Eastern

formal wear. [ Interview conducted in person 10th

February 2012. Transcribed from

recording]

Another interview was conducted with designer Sania Maskatiya, she is also a graduate of

the Indus Valley School of Arts and Architecture. Sania specializes in doing prêt wear for

women but her couture line is also very famous as she designed Sharmeen Obaid Chinoys

outfit for the Oscars. As there are only few designers in the market who are catering to

children, it became important to interview designers who don’t design clothes for children.


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Sania pointed out that there is a great scope for designer wear for children, she would love to

start of a separate line for children’s wear but for that she will need a separate manufacturing

team. She said that ever since she has had her own 2 baby girls she has been quite excited

about the idea of designing clothes for children. She mentioned in her interview that clients

make special requests asking her to design clothes for their daughters, the prices of these

custom made outfits cost according to how much work has been done on them, some of them

range from Rs.15, 000 to 30,000. She mentioned that on many occasions such as Eid and

weddings she designs clothes for little girls in her family. [ Interview conducted in person on

January 20

th

2012. Transcribed from recording.]

A telephone interview was conducted Zahabiya Jam. She believed that the future of designer

wear for children should be called “convenient wear”, reason being mothers are not really

concerned as to which designer their child is wearing as far as the clothes look good, are

comfortable and could be worn 2,3 times. She rightly mentioned how people have become so

busy nowadays and will get even busier in the coming future, they do not have time for

bazaars and tailor trips therefore on occasions like birthdays, Eid and Shaadis mothers tend

to find designer wear the best option for their kids as mothers and their children can pick out

their own choice of colour combinations and embellishments. No doubt brands with Eastern

formal wear for children have potential in Pakistan but the prices of these clothes are as same

as designer wear that is Rs.3000 to 7000, therefore parents prefer couture more over brand

prêt a porter. Couture lets mother’s decide what style of clothes they want for their child to

wear. Zahabiya mentioned that nowadays little girls of the age 4, 5 are so interested in

dressing up traditionally that they tell her themselves which colour they want their dress be

off. She also mentioned something that was very interesting which can be related to the


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“mini-mes” concept of the West, where mothers dress their daughters like them. Clients ask

her to make same outfits for them and their babies. One very important question of mine for

this research is “designer wear” only restricted to the elite? Zahabiya mentioned that many

clients give her a budget of a certain amount and clothes are designed accordingly. There are

times when mothers bring in their own clothes to lower down the cost. While there are many

mothers who are ready to spend as much as Rs.28, 000 on their daughters Eid clothes. People

from middle class to the upper class all place in orders. She mentioned that presently she has

20 permanent clients under the age of 9. She also said that she was very happy that little girls

take so much interest in such fine details. Zahabiya has designed clothes for babies as young

as 4 days old. One reason she hasn’t started a separate line or collection for children is

because the stitching of children’s clothing is more difficult and expensive than that of an

adult and as she is a new designer in the market she wants make her platform strong and then

move on to different fields within fashion. She spoke about how there is a great scope for

boy’s clothing, it is even more than that of girls. [ Interview conducted via phone: 1 st June

2012]


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Figure 6. Above a picture of an 8 month of baby wearing Zahabiya Jam’s designer line.

Next, Tayyab Bombal a Pakistani fashion designer who is famous for his men’s wear was

also interviewed, he spoke about how it is difficult for present designers who already design

clothes for men and women to start a separate line of children’s wear. Tayyab pointed out

that having a separate line of children’s clothing is a whole new chapter as it needs a huge

setup. He said that he does not see himself starting a clothing collection for children in the

future, on the other hand he mention that in the past years he has designed clothes for

children on their parents request, as these clothes were made for young children, less cloth

was used as well as less embroidery therefore he charged them between Rs. 3000 to 5000.

When asked about what he thinks is the scope of designer wear for children in Pakistan, he

said that children’s clothing can turn out to be very successful if designers play smartly and

have proper retailing strategies. [ Interview conducted by email: 12th

-13th

May 2012]

The next step of this research was to survey parents around Karachi. To find out their point

of views, hundred parents were surveyed, mostly mothers. The target of this survey was to


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find out the percentage of parents who are looking forward to designer wear for children and

to see if parents are willing to spend an ample amount of cash on designer wear. The surveys

were distributed in 5 different locations, mainly shopping markets and malls, (Dolmen Mall –

Tariq Road, Ashiana–Clifton, Dolmen Mall-Clifton, Park Towers, Clifton, and Forum-

Clifton) because one can come across people from all classes at these places mainly middle

and upper class. Keeping two main questions in focus, firstly how many mothers buy

designer wear for themselves and secondly will they be willing to buy designer wear for their

children. The results showed that 45% of mothers said that they occasionally wear designer

25% of mothers said that they always wear designer wear meaning casual and formal wear

(They mentioned Sana Safinaz). 30% of mothers said that don’t prefer buying designer wear

at all.

Figure 7.

This answered showed that most women do treat themselves with designer wear but that is

only on special occasions. As far as children’s designer wear was concerned It was essential


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to find out if parents were looking forward to designers coming out with a separate clothing

line for children, 65% of parents think that designers should make Eastern formal wear for

children but at an economical price range. They said that the price range when buying clothes

for their children ranges from Rs.1000 to 2000. Some parents also said that they will spend

more than Rs.2000 because that’s how much it costs even when they get it personally

stitched from their own tailors. 35% of the parents voted that designer wear for children will

be a little hard to digest at the moment as it is a new fashion trend and not many parents have

actually experienced buying clothes from designer houses but as time passes by and our

economy settles in there might be a great acceptances by parents for designer wear for

children, provided that the prices rates are economical.

Figure 8.

Mothers were asked whether they prefer Eastern or Western wear when they go shopping for

their kids, 42% said prefer both, 39% said they prefer ready made Western wear and 16%

said that they always buy Eastern wear for their children. It was important to know how often


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do parents dress their children in Eastern wear, 70% of parents voted that they dress their

children in Eastern clothes only on special occasions such as wedding seasons, Eid and

birthdays, 20% of parents said that they don’t prefer dressing their children in Eastern wear

at all.

Figure 9.

As this dissertations’ question is linked with designer wear for children, therefore it was

important to find out how many parents are actually brand conscious when buying clothes for

their children, 29% of parents said that they are not brand conscious at all when shopping for

their children as the child will grow out of the clothes, it would be a waste spending so much

money on branded clothes, 45% of the parents said that they sometimes are brand conscious

while shopping for their children and 26 % responded by saying that they are always brands

conscious when shopping.

A field research was conducted in which Nida Azwer’s shop Studio 13 at Sunset Lane Phase

5 was visited. A day was spent in the store to observe the flow of clients who come to do


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shopping for their children. As this field research was conducted 2 months before Eid

therefore a few parents did come to do Eid shopping for their young ones. However the sales

woman mentioned that when Eid comes closer the sales go higher than they are now, but on

normal days clients do come to place orders for their children, they also buy semi-formal prêt

outfits. Parents seem to find this a better option as all sizes are available for children and they

have to wait for weeks till the outfit gets designed and then stitched. The prices of Nida’s prêt

outfits range from Rs.1800-12000, which is quite reasonable as Nida is catering to a niche

market. Parents usually do spend Rs.2000 on wedding dresses for their children then why not

buy designer wear and save the hassle of tailors.


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CHAPTER 5

Conclusion:

‘Couture for children’ although an emerging fashion trend in Pakistan but it has definitely

gotten parents excited thanks to the media (Pakistani fashion channels) which show young

girls and boys of the age 10 even younger walking on ramp wearing glittery Nida Azwer or

Maheen Kardar’s gharara’s and sherwanis. From the research conducted for “The Scope of

Design Wear for Children in Pakistan” some important points came into consideration. The

following conclusion was drawn, according to the interviews taken from designers, couture

for children has a great scope in Pakistan because the prices of Eastern formal prêt a porter at

brand shops cost pretty much the same as a designer would charge, a designer would charge,

it might be 1 or 2 thousand more but what’s better is that mothers and their children get to

select the colour combination and cuts of their choice, also this saves time and the hassle of

making trips to the tailor. According to designers the upper class as well as the middle class

both wear and buy designer wear for their children. It is a common phenomenon that Western

trends are followed globally, even if we take into inconsideration, Pakistan alone then there

has also been a consistent following of Western trends. For instance, in the West, the trend of

wearing couture and famous designer labels on the red carpet in their award shows like The

Oscars or The Grammy Awards where celebrities tell what label they’re wearing with pride


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is also followed by Pakistani celebrities or the elite class in Pakistani award shows like The

Lux Style Awards and at the at launch of branded stores and restaurants, where they flaunt

the designer labeled couture that they’re wearing. It is also seen that the Pakistani’s follow

“colours trends” inspired by the West through their Fashion weeks like The New York

Fashion week. If pastel colours are in there then they are also worn here; if highlighter

colours are in there then they are in here. The same can be seen with the Pakistanis following

Western trends from loose bell bottom jeans to worn out jeans to skinny jeans to jeggings to

loose khakis. Parents who are brand conscious and have an eye for design, clothing material

used and stylish cuts have no issue in ordering a suit worth Rs.30, 000 for their child but only

on special occasions. Designers who design clothes for children’s are catering to a niche

market, that market will always remain available to them, perhaps if they market their name

more they will achieve greater success. As far as the middle class is concerned the designers

said that they too are getting their clothes designed by designers, they just present a budget

before they give the clothes for designing. On the other hand designers that have not yet

came out with a separate line of clothing for children do not plan to do so in the coming

future as it requires a bigger team of manufacturers than they already have, they still do

design clothes for their clients’ children on special request but this designing is done on a

small scale. Thus it can be concluded from such from research that designer wear for children

will also be followed and inspired to be worn by a section of Pakistan’s society. According to

the surveys conducted majority of parents mothers especially, being the biggest consumers of

couture for children are ready to welcome this fashion trend.


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Bibliography

Batish, Ashima. ‘Child’s play’, Tribune India.

.http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120125/ttlife1.htm [Last accessed 12th

May 2012]

‘Designs for tiny tots’, Oman Tribune- The Edge Of Knowledge. MTC

NEWS SERVICE.

http://www.omantribune.com/index.php?page=leisure_details&id=5753&heading

=Special%20Features%20in%20Details [Last accessed 12th May 2012]

“Kids wear designer clothes by the age of 2!” The Times of India- Fashion.

(Posted July 12th 2011). http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-07-

12/trends/29720806_1_designer-clothes-gq-parents [Last accessed January

4th 2012]

‘Lit Review’, Theorizing Fashion.

http://theorizingfashion.wetpaint.com/page/Lit+Review [Last accessed

January 12th 2012]

Qamar, Saadia. 'Designer Dreams for Kids’, The Express Tribune. (Posted

August 1st 2011). http://tribune.com.pk/story/33169/designer-dreams-for-

children/[ Last accessed January 4th 2012]


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Ridley, Jane. ‘I dress my kid like me!’New York post. (Posted January 23,

2012).http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/fashion/dress_my_kid_like_me

_yHGOdb7T6roRCyzOelXyuN [Last accessed February 5th 2012]

Reddy, Sameer. “Branding the baby”, The Wall Street Journal-Fashion.

(Posted 18th June 2011).

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405270230371470457638365284000

3090.html [Last accessed May 10th 2012]

“Research and Markets: Research Report on Chinese Children's Wear

Industry - 2011-2012”, Business Wire. (Posted November 22nd 2010).

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20101122005569/en/Research-

Markets-Research-Report-Chinese-Childrens-Wear [Last accessed January

12th 2012]

Statistics, ‘population by selected age groups, Population census organization.

http://www.census.gov.pk/Statistics.php [Last accessed: 5 April 2012]

Stone, Elaine, The Dynamics of Fashion, Second Edition Fairchild , The

Secondary Level: The producers of apparel. Children’s and Teen’s Apparel

Chapter 10. [7/15/2008]

Taha, Hina. ‘Make way for kid’s couture’. The Express Tribune. (Posted

August 1st 2011). http://tribune.com.pk/story/222014/make-way-for-kids-

couture/ [Last accessed January 4th 2012]


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Watson, Matthew. ‘Clothing is Incomplete without Designer Clothes’,

Historical Heroin. http://ezinearticles.com/?Clothing-is-Incomplete-Without-

Designer-Clothes&id=1513414 [Last accessed January 12th 2012]

Glossary

Angarkha: “A long sleeved tunic with a wrap V-neck front that ties at the side, comes in

short and long versions that fall above and below the knee. Variations of the angarkha are

worn by both men and women and are paired with fitted Churidar pants.”

Couture: “The French meaning of couture is, ‘high sewing" or "high dressmaking" or "high

fashion". It is the creation of exclusive custom-fitted clothing. Couture is made to order for a

specific customer, and it is usually made from high-quality, expensive fabric and sewn with

extreme attention to detail and finished by the most experienced and capable seamstresses,

often using time-consuming, hand-executed techniques.”

Ghagra: “gagra choli or ghagra choli, which is also known as lehenga choli, is a form of

skirt which is long, embroidered and pleated.”

Kurta: “a loose, stitched garment worn by men and women, most commonly described as a

tunic.”

Pishwas: A long flowy Kameez with long sleeves and a yoke on top.

Prêt a porter: “Also commonly known as ready to wear, Ready-to-wear apparel is generally

mass-produced in factories, using standardized patterns and inexpensive construction

methods. It is manufactured this way to produce low-cost garments.”


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Appendix

Dissertation Questionnaire –The Scope Of Designer Wear For Children

1. Mothers occupation: ____________________________2. Father's occupation: _____________________________

3. When shopping for your children/child do you prefer:

Western wear

Eastern wear

Both 4. How often do you dress your child/children in Eastern wear:

AlwaysWedding and Eid seasons

Never5. Are you brand name conscious when it comes to buying Eastern clothes for your child/children:

Always

Sometimes

Not at all 6. Should there be designer clothes for kids?

7. Should designers make a separate line for kids?

8. When it comes to buying clothes for your child how much are you willing to spend:

Below 500500-1000

1000-20002000 and Above

9. Should our Pakistani designers start making Western clothes for kids?

10. Do you think there is an acceptance by parents for custom made kids clothing (Designer wear)

in Pakistan?


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Interviews

Designer: Nida Azwer

Q. Where did you get the idea of designer wear for children or what made you start this business?

A. Many of my customer parents would ask me to design clothes for their children, I felt thatthere was a need for in the market, therefore I started a separate line for kids wear.

Q. Do your kids wear sell more on occasions such as Eid?

A. Yes, Eid and whenever parents want to get clothes made for their children duringweddings etc.

Q. Do you think it’s feasible to take the risk?

A. I am getting a great response from it.

Q. Which age group are you catering to?

A. From newborn babies to 14 year olds.

Q. What products other than clothes are you planning to make for kids?

A. Right now I am only focusing on clothing for both girls and boys

Q. What are the price ranges?

A. The price starts from 1800 and goes up however much.

Q. Do you use the same designs for kids wear as for women’s wear?

A. Yes they are pretty much the same in terms of designs and material used.

Q. Are you only doing Eastern wear for kids?

A. Yes I am only doing Eastern wear and Eastern formal wear for kids.


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Q. Or do you plan to cater to the Western market too?

A. No, not now.

Q. Do you think if you focus on Western wear you will get more international clients?

A. Yes true, there is a great scope if our designers go into Western wear but right now I haveno time to even think about Western wear, because Eastern wear is a difficult job altogether.

Q. Are you getting orders for kids wear from aboard?

A. I do have stores aboard, like in Dubai. So yes..

Q. What material are you using for kids wear?

A. The fabric has to be carefully chosen, silk, cotton, brocade, and wool and so on are used.

Designer: Sania Maskatiya

Do you presently have a separate line for children?

A. No, not at the moment

Q. Do clients make special requests asking you to design clothes for their children?

A. Yes, clients do come in asking me to design clothes for their daughters. Girls from the age8 start wearing my clothes.

Q. What is the price range of these outfits?

A. It becomes really difficult to put a price on such small sized clothes, as for my family andfriends, I don’t charge them. For clients it really depends on how much work they want to getdone on the clothes, Rs.15, 000-30,000.

Q. In the future do you plan to start a separate line for children?

A. I really want to; as I have daughters of my own I love seeing them dressed in ourtraditional wear. But it requires a whole team and right now I don’t have that.

Q. Do you think that designer wear for children has a future in Pakistan?

A. Yes definitely it does, so many designers have started making clothes for children.

Designer: Tayyab Bombal


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Q. Do you presently design clothes for children (newly born - 14yr olds)? If not, then why?

A. No. Because we need a huge setup for that

Do your customers make special requests for designer wear for their children?

A. Yes.

Q. If you have ever designed clothes for children what was the price range

A. Between 3000 to 5000

Q. In the future do you plan to start a separate line for children wear?

A. Not yet

Q. As a Pakistani designer, do you think there is scope for designer wear for children in

Pakistan?

A. Yes it is... But we need a proper retailing for that


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Zara Abbasi kidswear