LAHORE: LAAM Fashion Week Season 2 opened in Lahore on Friday, bringing together some of Pakistan’s leading fashion designers, emerging creative talent and heritage-inspired collections in a four-day celebration of fashion, craftsmanship and contemporary design.
Co-created by LAAM and Design651, the fashion event began on October 23 with four runway presentations featuring established fashion houses, young designers and collections exploring Pakistan’s cultural identity.
The second edition features 43 shows and more than 50 designers and brands, covering luxury fashion, contemporary clothing, high-street labels, menswear and emerging design talent. The event will continue until October 26.
Starry Night brings Pakistan’s leading designers together
The opening presentation, LFW Presents: Starry Night, brought together 22 designers and fashion houses, each contributing a signature look inspired by the beauty and mystery of the night sky.
The runway featured midnight blues, deep purples, black and charcoal tones, complemented by shimmering crystals, sequins and metallic embellishments.
Among the participating designers were Hussain Rehar, HSY, Karma, Nickie Nina, Deepak Perwani, Mahgul, Wardha Saleem, Zaheer Abbas, Zainab Chottani, Sania Maskatiya, Khaadi, Fahad Hussayn, Kamiar Rokni and Meeras by Nilofer Shahid.
Rather than presenting full collections, the designers contributed individual creations to a unified visual concept, highlighting the diversity of Pakistan’s fashion industry.
Emerging designers take centre stage
The second presentation, The LFW Hot List, focused on young fashion talent through a collaboration with the Pakistan Institute of Fashion and Design (PIFD).
Ten emerging designers presented capsule collections, gaining an opportunity to showcase their work on a professional runway and connect with the wider fashion industry.
Sarah Kamran presented The Insect of Madonna, while Komal Asif introduced Mechanica and Hadeeqa Khalid showcased Dragons.
Other participating designers included Mahnoor Ijaz with Mol: The Daughter’s Worth, Raonaq Rabnawaz Maken with Amused to Death, Namra Fatima with Nocturnal Bloom and Muhammad Badar with Rustem e Punjab.
Momina Kashif presented Aks Dar Aks, Alishbah Javed showcased Autism Inside Her Spectrum, and Zainab Fatima introduced The Anatomy of Discomfort.
The initiative aims to bridge the gap between fashion education and professional practice by giving young designers exposure to runway production, collection presentation and industry opportunities.
Sania Maskatiya celebrates colour and craftsmanship
The evening Designer Showcase featured four fashion houses, beginning with Sania Maskatiya’s collection LALEH.
Returning to the Lahore runway, the designer presented a vibrant collection featuring painterly prints, expressive colours, intricate embellishments and traditional craftsmanship.
The collection reinterpreted time-honoured gota techniques through contemporary silhouettes, combining traditional decorative elements with modern styling.
Playful layering, bold colour combinations and detailed craftsmanship defined the presentation, reflecting the fashion house’s distinctive approach to occasion wear.
The looks were complemented by footwear from Charles & Keith and jewellery from Embellish by Saigals and Shop Local Jewels.
Saira Rizwan revisits Mughal heritage
Designer Saira Rizwan presented The Art of Heritage, drawing inspiration from Mughal architecture, botanical patterns and South Asian artistic traditions.
The collection featured deep burgundy, rust, antique gold, teal and fuchsia, with detailed embroidery and ornamental embellishments.
Traditional garments were redesigned with contemporary proportions, including elongated jackets, sculpted bodices, flared peplum shirts and layered ghararas.
Through architectural motifs, garden-inspired patterns and metallic detailing, the collection explored how historical design traditions can be adapted for contemporary fashion.
MIHHA makes runway debut
Fashion label MIHHA made its LAAM Fashion Week runway debut with its 2026 Exclusive Collection.
The presentation formed part of the evening Designer Showcase alongside established fashion houses, marking the label’s participation in the second edition of the event.
Deepak Perwani presents royal-inspired menswear
Deepak Perwani introduced LEGACY, a menswear collection inspired by the grandeur of the Maharajas and the traditions of South Asian aristocratic dressing.
The collection focused on tailored menswear, regal elegance and craftsmanship, reflecting the designer’s interpretation of inherited cultural traditions.
Through sophisticated silhouettes and heritage-inspired styling, the presentation explored how traditional menswear can retain its cultural character while adapting to contemporary fashion.
Nilofer Shahid explores Pakistan’s fashion history
The opening day concluded with LFW By Invite Only, featuring Meeras by Nilofer Shahid in a presentation examining Pakistan’s sartorial history through colonialism, identity and cultural reclamation.
The showcase traced changing clothing traditions across several historical periods, beginning with the Nawab era and the fashion influences of Mughal and Sikh Lahore.
Traditional ghararas, peshwaz, jama-inspired tunics, churidars and richly embellished garments represented the pre-colonial period.
The presentation then explored the colonial era, introducing structured jackets, trousers, high collars, gowns and capes influenced by European fashion.
Moving into post-colonial Pakistan, the collection reflected changing styles through chiffon saris, flared trousers, maxi dresses and long kameezes associated with different decades.
The final segment represented modern Pakistan, combining traditional garments with contemporary silhouettes, including embellished jackets, corsets, asymmetric designs and modern trousers.
The presentation examined how clothing has reflected political, social and cultural change while remaining an important expression of Pakistani identity.
Fashion week connects runway with digital shopping
Beyond the runway, LAAM Fashion Week continues to develop its runway-to-e-tail model, connecting fashion presentations with digital discovery and online commerce.
According to the organisers, the wider LAAM platform has recorded more than five million app downloads, serves over six million shoppers worldwide and hosts more than 4,000 active brands and designers.
The platform also lists over 250,000 active products, with deliveries reaching more than 1,200 cities globally.
Season 2 runway presentations are being livestreamed through the LAAM App and the event’s official website, while ARY Plus is serving as the official OTT livestreaming partner.
The event is powered by Haseens and Skynet, with ARY Digital Network as Official Media Partner and SALT as Food Partner. Mercantile, an Apple Authorized Distributor, is also associated with the event.
Designer HSY serves as Event Director, while Nabila and N-Gents are backstage partners. Maheen Kardar oversees designer experience and curation, with event production managed by JBnJaws.
With its opening day combining established fashion houses, new talent and historically inspired collections, LAAM Fashion Week Season 2 has set the stage for three more days of runway presentations in Lahore.
The event concludes on Monday, October 26.