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    A Flower from Every Meadow - Design and Innovation in Pakistan's Dress Tradition

    Written by: Javeriah Farrukh
    Posted on: June 16, 2015 |

    The curator, Nasreen Askari (C) with designers Faiza Samee (L) and Sonya Battla (R)

    Imagine donning a dress that embodies the gradual evolution of design and innovation from the quintessential garments of the Pagans of Indus Kohistan. Imagine experiencing 7,000 years of a country’s dressing traditions like a black-and-white motion picture running in front of you. This is what the recently held exhibition at Mohatta Palace, Karachi, brought to life with its enchanting depiction of the rich textile heritage of Pakistan. Titled “A Flower from Every Meadow”, the exhibition opened on June 10th, and showcases a number of exquisite pieces and fabrics from collections of renowned scholars, authors, and collectors such as Sheila Paine. Nasreen Askari, the charismatic curator, remains busy with the throngs of people who visit the exhibition every day. She guides her visitors and explains in great detail the theme behind every gallery and the rich history behind the textiles displayed.

    The exhibition has been divided into three categories of fabric, namely painted/tie-dyed fabrics, woven fabrics and embroidered fabrics. It displays across seven galleries its vast collection of textiles from the Indus Valley, right up to the mountains of the North. The most striking feature of the gallery is the beautiful, almost effortless, transition one witnesses between the dresses of the traditional and modern eras. Commenting on the exhibition, Askari told Youlin: “Our dress heritage has experienced a transition, in that dresses are now more personal than they were 7,000 years ago. Traditional textiles from the Indus Kohistan, Sindhi, and Balochi traditions, among others, depict the identity of those cultures. Today’s dress, however, is the manifestation of the more personal, less communal nature of fashion that fuses elements from across these dress traditions into one piece,” she added.

    The exhibition opens with a warm, dimly lit gallery honoring the master craftsmen of Pakistan. With a rhythmic hum of the Sindhi flute in the background, one witnesses the ateliers of the craftsmen of ajrak, a red-and-blue fabric with floral and geometric block-print patterns, the bandhani, a tie-dyed fabric, and khes weaving, a traditional Sindhi spread-weaving craft on wooden pit looms. This introduction to the master craftsmen sets the perfect prologue to the gallery that follows, of painted, printed and tie-dyed fabrics displayed in an elaborate hallway. Sindhi ajraks, women’s tunics, skirts, shawls and ceremonial garments are all on display, narrating stories of their indigenous culture through their vibrant prints and eccentric patterns.

    A Flower from Every Meadow - Mohatta Palace Exhibition

    Woman’s shawl (ludi) Kutchi Rabari group, Dano Dandhal village, Nagar Parker Mid 20th century
    Rabari women use coarse handspun wool for their garments, the ludis usually a black woolen shawl or “odhani” that Rabari girls embroider for their trousseaux. Its field has a tie-dyed pattern of red, orange or yellow spots and is elaborately embroidered at its ends with medallions and stylized renditions of yellow mimosa (acacia Arabic) blooms. Alternating stylized mango trees (ambh) are also seen amongst the mimosa.

    The colours of Sindh slowly fade into the distance and the hallway opens into another gallery dedicated to the Northern Areas. Titled “Where Mountains Meet”, this gallery displays woven fabrics from Hunza, Gilgit, Balochistan, Chitral and the surrounding regions. Tailored for the climate of these places, these garments are warm, in subtle hues, and made from densely woven and felted woolen cloth, with embroidery, columns, vegetal forms, and ram’s horns. They trace some of their influence in design to Central Asian culture.

    A Flower from Every Meadow - Mohatta Palace Exhibition

    Woman’s coat Indus Kohistan, Kolai valley c. mid 20th century
    Sheep’s wool with multi-colored cotton embroidery in simple patterns of spots and geometric lines and elaborate branching vegetal and floral forms.

    In the far corner of this gallery, like a hidden jewel, is pitched the gidaan, a nomadic Balochi tent woven from goat’s wool. The dull glow of a lantern lights the inside of the gidaan, revealing a burst of colours from the nomadic items of necessity inside the tent. The backdrop from here on changes quite drastically as one enters the next gallery, displaying carpets from around Pakistan. Aptly titled “The Flying Carpets”, this gallery has a delightful collection of hand-woven rugs, carpets and centerpieces from Balochistan, Lahore, and other areas of Punjab.

    A distinctive feature of the exhibition is the way every gallery fuses into the next. Some are shocking contrasts, while others are simply an extension of the previous theme. The main gallery leading out of the carpets display, for example, is a large hall, with high ceilings and delicate glass casings that encapsulate the visitor in all their grandeur. From left to right, one can see rich embroidered tunics, and shawls adorned with shells, coins, beads and metals. This collection brings together hand-embroidered pieces from ancient cultures of Balochistan, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

    A Flower from Every Meadow - Mohatta Palace Exhibition

    A view of the main gallery displaying embroidered pieces

    Displayed amidst this embroidered magnificence are two pieces, known to be among the oldest relics of the Indus Kohistan, which have never been displayed in Pakistan before. The jumlo and the choprai are a tunic and shawl embellished with talismanic symbols of Pagan worship of the Indus Kohistan.

    A Flower from Every Meadow - Mohatta Palace Exhibition

    Woman’s dress (jumlo) Indus Kohistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa c. early 20th century
    Cotton embroidered with silk, buttons, zip fasteners, etc.

    Still mesmerized by the beauty of the garments, as the visitor exits the main gallery and enters the last one, a more breathtaking sight awaits – the evolution of traditional dresses into contemporary outfits. To highlight the contemporary dress philosophy of Pakistan, creations by the country’s top designers including Bunto Kazmi, Nilofer Shahid, Sonya Battla, Faiza Samee, Khaadi, Maheen Khan, Shamaeel Ansari, Rizwan Beyg, and Sana Safinaz, are displayed. The outfits represent an amalgamation of elements from all dress traditions of the country and modern cuts. The most striking piece from this collection is Maheen Khan’s “Koya”, which takes up an initiative to revive Pakistan’s fading silk-weaving craft.

    Dazed by the scintillating beauty of the designers’ pieces, the visitor makes his way out, and there stands the final piece of the exhibition – a dramatic Sana Safinaz monochrome gown. A befitting conclusion to the exhibition, the gown is a stark contrast to designs of earlier periods. However, closer inspection of the Ottoman period inspired motifs, floral patterns and embroidery on the fine silk and organza trail reveals that it in fact embodies aspects of its ancestors. The monochrome gown finale is not just another beautiful piece at the exhibition; it is a statement – one that compels the visitor to wonder about the sublime transition of the dress heritage of Pakistan, and what its future would hold.


    As the new year begins, let us also start anew. I’m delighted to extend, on behalf of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and in my own name, new year’s greeting and sincere wishes to YOULIN magazine’s staff and readers.

    Only in hard times can courage and perseverance be manifested. Only with courage can we live to the fullest. 2020 was an extraordinary year. Confronted by the COVID-19 pandemic, China and Pakistan supported each other and took on the challenge in solidarity. The ironclad China-Pakistan friendship grew stronger as time went by. The China Pakistan Economic Corridor projects advanced steadily in difficult times, become a standard-bearer project of the Belt and Road Initiative in balancing pandemic prevention and project achievement. The handling capacity of the Gwadar Port has continued to rise and Afghanistan transit trade through the port has officially been launched. The Karakoram Highway Phase II upgrade project is fully open to traffic. The Lahore Orange Line project has been put into operation. The construction of Matiari-Lahore HVDC project was fully completed. A batch of green and clean energy projects, such as the Kohala and Azad Pattan hydropower plants have been substantially promoted. Development agreement for the Rashakai SEZ has been signed. The China-Pakistan Community of Shared Future has become closer and closer.

    Reviewing the past and looking to the future, we are confident to write a brilliant new chapter. The year 2021 is the 100th birthday of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan. The 100-year journey of CPC surges forward with great momentum and China-Pakistan relationship has flourished in the past 70 years. Standing at a new historic point, China is willing to work together with Pakistan to further implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, connect the CPEC cooperation with the vision of the “Naya Pakistan”, promote the long-term development of the China-Pakistan All-weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership with love, dedication and commitment. Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founding father of Pakistan said, “We are going through fire. The sunshine has yet to come.” Yes, Pakistan’s best days are ahead, China will stand with Pakistan firmly all the way.

    YOULIN magazine is dedicated to promoting cultural exchanges between China and Pakistan and is a window for Pakistani friends to learn about China, especially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. It is hoped that with the joint efforts of China and Pakistan, YOULIN can listen more to the voices of readers in China and Pakistan, better play its role as a bridge to promote more effectively people-to-people bond.

    Last but not least, I would like to wish all the staff and readers of YOULIN a warm and prosper year in 2021.

    Nong Rong Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of
    The People’s Republic of China to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
    January 2021