The fashion industry in Pakistan blends modern, traditional, and cultural values together. It is influenced by many factors like modesty and celebrity fashion statements. In this age of social media, the access to celebrity look books is quite handy, and thus it is shaping how women and girls dress nowadays. From farshi shalwar trends to stitched lawn suits the influencer and celebrity collaborations are massively impacting the fashion trends.
Celebrity Fashion Shapes Clothing Trends
Women in Pakistan are deeply influenced by the media’s portrayal of fashion, whether through designer campaigns or a specific style statement in a drama or film. Here’s how celebrities are shaping fashion trends across the country.
Celebrity Endorsements
Major designer collections collaborate with actresses, influencers, and models to promote their clothing lines. When common folk see their favorite actresses in such pieces, they instantly run to grab them and style themselves similarly.
While many buy the stitched ensembles, some women purchase the fabrics in those colors and get similar dresses stitched on their own.
Influence of Social Media
Rather than the mainstream media, social media and technology are rapidly influencing women and girls alike. The rise of influencers on Instagram and TikTok has revolutionized the way fashion spreads. With millions of followers, influencers and celebrities post on their handles about collections, dresses, skincare, and jewelry items that urge their followers to buy the same products. When these celebrities post their pictures in chic suits and dresses, women take it upon themselves to hunt for those.
Celebrity Weddings and Festivities
Another source of new fashion staples is celebrity weddings. The whole media industry is present at the events and people eagerly look for the designs, colors, adornments, trends, and laces. They then apply similar styles to their own dresses, carefully curating ensembles that match those fashion icons.
Other than the festive dresses, people also follow similar wedding functions, decor, and rituals.
Casual Looks
Nowadays, women are eagerly keeping up with the casual and formal fits of these celebrities, while paying special attention to their airport looks, casual dinner parties, brunches, and meetups. This gives them ideas on how to style and dress for casual get-together and everyday fashion.
Up till now, these looks have given rise to the trends of co-ord sets, loungewear, and monochrome suits.
Modest Trends
It is also with the power of Instagram that modest dresses have become a fashion staple. Women are investing in hijabs and abayas as many influencers style these beautifully. This has given rise to versatile hijab collections, abayas, and modest dresses, including long frocks. Specifically, girls are more attracted to long frocks that are available in light colors and prints, and are perfect to style daily or for casual gatherings, especially in a business casual setting.
Designer Replicas
Not everyone can afford a luxury ensemble from a high-end designer. Thus, it has given birth to a vast variety of affordable replicas in the market. Women who can’t afford costly pieces now prefer to purchase replicas, which are almost like the original dresses. This allows them to style like their favorite celebrities and wear luxury ensembles at half the price.
Seasonal Influences on Fashion Trends
Different fashion staples are the highlight of different seasons. For example, as stitched lawn suits take the center stage in summers, similarly velvet ensembles, marina suits, and pashmina shawls are the hype in winters. Similarly, for the wedding festive collections, chiffon and embroidered Zari, net, and organza are the favorite fabrics. Moreover, in Ramadan and Eid, celebrities showcase multiple trends when they gather for Iftar parties, Eid transmissions, or Ramadan shows, inspiring women to adapt to those trends. This Eid witnessed one such trend of Farshi Shalwar.
Negative Impact of Celebrity Fashion
These trendy fashion trends also have some negative impact on the people, as it has given rise to the issues of body-shaming, unrealistic beauty standards, and the pressure of keeping up with the latest fashion trends. Moreover, this has also led to buying unnecessary outfits that are considered outdated once the trend fades. This has resulted in sustainability issues as women rush to purchase new outfits and discard them as easily.
Celebrity fashion holds a powerful influence over Pakistani women’s clothing choices, from formal attire to casual wear. While this influence helps evolve fashion trends, it is essential to embrace style in a way that aligns with personal comfort, affordability, and sustainability. Fashion is an ever-changing cycle and striking a balance between trend-following and individuality remains key.
