Vancouver’s First Ever South Asian Fashion Week Aims To Showcase The Best Of Two Worlds
From March 2nd to March 4th, a fusion of the West & East will be unveiled in a celebration of royal extravagance at South Asian Fashion Week. It will be held at the Hard Rock Casino for the first time in Vancouver. It will feature an opening-night gala dinner, dance and cabaret performances, meet-and-greets with designers, and a live auction benefiting the Maple Batalia Memorial Scholarship for the Arts.
South Asian Fashion Week is founded by Cindy Khella, Farah Hasan, Hartej Dhanda and Pindie Dhaliwal. Their mission is to create a platform that introduces the world to regionally and internationally designed South Asian womenswear, menswear and accessories. The founders want the fashion to tell the stories, trends, and traditions of South Asia.
South Asian led brands that are participating include House of Fida, Zuri Designs, Indochino, Lux Collection, Bombay Couture and Armaan. Examples of how these brands are fusing Western & Eastern designs can be seen below. Their designs include rich fabrics, ornate beading, intricate embroidery, and bespoke cuts. This new fashion design exudes a blend of traditional cultural elements with modern details.
For too long the world has associated South Asian style with India & Bollywood. The founders have made it clear that they want to showcase traditional and contemporary clothing from a variety of regions from South Asia. It should be noted that the first edition of South Asian Fashion Week will focus on Indian and Pakistani fashions, while future editions will highlight other parts of the region.
“We want to challenge and expand people’s imagination to go beyond Bollywood when it comes to South Asian fashion. South Asia is highly diverse, and includes Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, not just India.” — South Asian Fashion Week Co-Founder Farah Hasan
In today’s heated political climate, we appreciate the position the founders are taking with regards to cultural appropriation. They’re not worried about other people “appropriating” the South Asian style, tradition and culture. Instead, they want to share it with the world and encourage people from all backgrounds to explore & wear South Asian fashion.
“Cultural appropriation is a hot button issue, especially in fashion. At SAFW, we want to give everyone the permission to freely explore wearing traditional South Asian apparel. We invite everyone to celebrate the artistry of South Asian fashion and design on the runway, and in the streets.” — South Asian Fashion Week Co-Founder Cindy Khella
Cultural appropriation has been a recent debate among the youth in the mainstream. Cultural appropriation is the adoption of elements of a minority culture by members of the dominant culture. Elements include religious traditions, fashion, symbols, language, and songs. Should Justin Bieber not wear dreadlocks because dreadlocks are allegedly from black culture? Should African-Americans not wear African clothing and tribal marks? Should Justin Trudeau not wear grand, ceremonial and traditional Indian outfits?
While there have been issues in the past of cultural appropriation, it’s 2018. It’s a fact that most of us are living in highly diverse & multi-cultural societies. The reality of human experience is that borrowing and cultural mixture are common & widespread today. Most people wear clothing from other cultures out of admiration & adoration, not to degrade or belittle it.
We would rather use the term cultural fluidity, which can clearly be observed in the fusion-style of South Asian Fashion Week’s designs. The founders of South Asian Fashion Week are South Asian themselves, and have no problems about it. Events like South Asian Fashion Week are all about bringing people together, learning about our differences and celebrating diversity. It’s a net positive for society.
Let us know your thoughts about South Asian Fashion Week in the comments below! We read & respond to every comment.
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