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KARACHI, September 26, 2026: LAAM Fashion Week (LFW) brought its LFW Presents format to Karachi for the first time with Kaleidoscopic Karachi, a five-designer showcase at the historic Nusserwanjee Building at the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture (IVS).
The event featured Deepak Perwani, Wardha Saleem, Khaadi, The Pink Tree Company and Sana Safinaz.
The evening also opened with Tapu Javeri – A Four-Decade Fashion Retrospective. The exhibition explored decades of Pakistani fashion and Karachi’s visual history through the photographer’s archive.
Kaleidoscopic Karachi presented the city through different creative perspectives. The collections moved between glamour, street culture, heritage and craftsmanship.
Saad Ali, CEO and Founder of Design651 and Co-Founder of LAAM Fashion Week, said the decision to bring LFW Presents to Karachi reflected the need for a stronger fashion ecosystem.
“A brand-led Pakistan cannot be built inside two runway weeks a year,” Ali said.
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He said designers, brands and craftspeople need year-round opportunities to develop audiences and build lasting value.
Ali added that staging the event at a historic Karachi venue gave Pakistani fashion a setting connected to the city’s own history.
Deepak Perwani opened the runway with Cocktail Hour.
The collection drew inspiration from Karachi’s glamour during the mid-1970s. It explored the city’s clubs, nightlife and after-hours culture.
Perwani used sleek silhouettes, sparkle and glitter to reinterpret that period for a contemporary audience.
Supermodels Frieha Altaf, Seemi Pasha and Atiya Khan also walked the collection.
Their appearance added a strong connection to Karachi’s fashion history.
Wardha Saleem followed with Bander Road Se Kemari.
The collection drew from Karachi’s colonial architecture, balconies, monuments and historic buildings.
Saleem translated architectural details into cuts, drapes and prints. She also combined streetwear influences with a modern luxury aesthetic.
Areeba Habib served as the collection’s showstopper. She walked the runway in a gold and green lehenga.
The Pink Tree Company presented Hands That Craft, a collection focused on traditional craftsmanship.
The designs brought together textiles, block printing, dyeing, embroidery, gota and kaamdani.
The collection highlighted the role of artisans in Pakistan’s fashion industry. It also presented handmade techniques as an important part of contemporary fashion.
Aliya Iqbal Naqvi appeared as the showstopper in a colourful lehenga.
The presentation gained additional context from the historic Nusserwanjee Building, which itself represents Karachi’s architectural heritage.
Khaadi presented Karachi – It’s Complicated, a collection inspired by the contrasts that define the city.
The designs explored themes of love and tension, chaos and calm. Contrasting colours, woven fabrics and bold prints carried those ideas onto the runway.
Eman Suleman served as the collection’s showstopper.
She appeared in a striped black-and-white top with colourful embellishment and a flowing black skirt featuring a pink floral print.
The presentation also incorporated Chapter 2 into Khaadi’s wider design language.
Sana Safinaz presented Mastaani as the grand finale.
The luxury couture and festive collection featured 20 models. It combined traditional heritage with contemporary silhouettes and statement pieces.
Fluid drapes and couture lehengas created the collection’s visual identity.
Model Javeria Hanif served as the showstopper.
She walked the runway wearing a black veil, a heavily embellished gold blouse, a black lehenga and a red dupatta.
The event attracted figures from fashion, entertainment, media and the wider creative sector.
Among those attending were Bunto Kazmi, Faiza Samee, Fahad Mirza, Gohar Rasheed, Iqra Aziz, Kamiar Rokni, Kubra Khan, Nadia Hussain, Parishae Adnan, Saniya Maskatiya, Sarwat Gillani, Shehla Chatoor, Sharmila Faruqui, Sonya Battla, Zainab Chotani and Zainab Qayyum.
Designers, models, stylists, influencers, media professionals, corporate representatives and other members of Karachi’s creative community also attended.
Maheen Kardar, Executive Director of Designer Experience and Curation at LFW Presents, said Karachi was central to the event’s concept.
She described the city as an important part of Pakistan’s fashion history and said its layered identity shaped the showcase.
Amir Iqbal, Co-Founder and COO of LAAM and Co-Founder of LAAM Fashion Week, said technology plays a central role in the platform’s business model.
He said LAAM combines marketplace technology, content and international logistics to connect Pakistani fashion with customers worldwide.
According to LAAM, its platform serves customers in more than 120 countries.
Arif Iqbal, Co-Founder and CEO of LAAM, said technology also allows runway events to become global content and commerce experiences.
He said Kaleidoscopic Karachi demonstrated how fashion, technology and creative direction can work together within a single event.
The Nusserwanjee Building at IVS provided the setting for the event.
The historic structure has strong links to Karachi’s Parsi heritage. It was originally built in Kharadar before being dismantled and reconstructed at the IVS campus.
The building was rebuilt using its original stones. Architecture students at IVS helped restore the structure on the campus.
Its presence added a historical dimension to the fashion showcase and connected Karachi’s architectural past with its contemporary creative industries.
LFW Presents is a year-round showcase format created by LAAM Fashion Week.
The format aims to take fashion beyond traditional seasonal runway events and place designers in distinctive cultural settings.
Kaleidoscopic Karachi marked the second edition of LFW Presents and its first outside Lahore.
The showcase brought together fashion, photography, architecture and technology while presenting different views of Karachi’s cultural identity.
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