March welcomes the season of lawn

The advent of spring signals only one thing in Pakistan’s major cities: the arrival of summer lawn.

As our textile industry goes from strength to strength, lawn manufacturers as well as designers producing lawn under their own labels do not disappoint as each year they compete to create the best combination of prints, colours and fabric to beat the summer heat.

The lawn season not only means a hike in sales for the brands and mills, but has also spurned a secondary market of counterfeit designs and productions, which goes to show the extent of demand by the masses for new designs at a variety of price points.

Lawn makers up their marketing campaigns each year – with their products splashed on billboards across the city, and on social media - and this time will also be pandering to early Eid shoppers, as Ramzan is around the corner.

Here is a round-up of some of the picks of the season:

Sana Safinaz

The first designer house to foray into lawn, the fashion house produces multiple lines of unstitched fabric collections all year round, but their summer lawn collection is indisputably their most awaited. Leading the way in brand marketing, the lawn marketing campaign each year aims to push boundaries and provide a much welcome respite from the mundane. The campaigns serves to showcase the new collection of lawn as much as an aspirational lifestyle that is underlying in the brand’s ethos. (Launched)

Khaadi

A local favourite for their revival of the age-old technique of weaving fabric and their wallet-friendly prices, Khaadi produces fabric all year round, sold at their multiple retail outlets throughout Pakistan as well as Dubai and London. Their new flagship store at Dolmen Mall in bustling Karachi is pushing the boundaries of modern retail in Pakistan. (Launched)

Nur by Nida Azwer

A known designer in the lawn landscape, Azwer has been producing bespoke designs in limited quantities offering a parallel aesthetic to the one offered in her Prêt-a-Porter and Couture collections. She remains true to her design ethos, and for that year after year, loyal clientele flock to her for her limited-edition pieces. (Launched)

Gul Ahmed

A perennial classic, this textile mill is much- loved for its all-weather lawn and its classic styles and designs appealing to women of all ages, offering both stitched and unstitched varieties. (Launched)

Elan

Another designer heavy-weight, Elan cemented its position in the competitive bridal couture market before foraying into lawn, becoming very popular and spurring sold-out designs and waitlist for its much-awaited lawn, especially in its hometown city of Lahore. However, no date has been set for this year’s release. (Date unknown)