By Maliha Rehman
Emraan Rajput knows what men want to wear – his burgeoning business is testament to this. From Western-wear to Eastern silhouettes, the designer’s fine eye for neat cuts and great quality draws in a regular clientele.
They come to him when they see an artistic campaign on Instagram, showcasing a range of well-tailored suits of elegant kurtas and shalwars. They might come because they are intrigued by the designer’s prowess for making some of Pakistan’s top-tier heroes look exceptionally good – Bilal Abbas Khan, Danish Taimoor and Wahaj Ali, among others, are all Emraan’s regular muses. They may get enticed by the hype generated by a show on the catwalk, featuring varied designs worn by models and celebrities. And once these clients come and make a purchase, they come again the next time simply because an Emraan Rajput design is invariably neat, sophisticated and well-finished and they want to buy more!
Come Eid, customers tend to particularly zero in on Eastern-wear and keeping this in mind, Emraan tends to conceive multiple collections to appeal to different aesthetics. This year’s lineups are titled Nisbat, Mayassar and Nasheman and are dominated by fabrics that range from raw silk to paper cotton and khadi net. Resham, karandi-work, silver gota and sequins are utilized as embellishments. There are innovations in the lowers – the Dhaka pajama has been incorporated with some designs – and many of the design details are subtle, only to be appreciated by the discerning savant. As is the case with Emraan Rajput, all three lines are quintessentially elegant.
Nisbat, for instance, is a collection dominated by muted solid tones and kurtas, shalwars and pants. With design elements added through buttons and neat collars, it’s a line for the man who prefers classic lines rather than experimentation.
Mayassar, on the other hand, is more carefree: the embroideries are in standout, quirky patterns and the colors are a youthful mix running the gamut from olive to deep red, light orange, peach and white.
Nasheman is more sophisticated with adventurous details added in like kurtas with front slits and colors that vary from black and beige to deep purple. Actor Danish Taimoor models this particular line, prompting his wife Ayeza Khan to remark in a recent Instastory that only Emraan Rajput could have had convinced her husband to wear purple, a color that even she had to convince him to wear at their wedding.
This, in essence, defines Emraan’s Rajput’s forte as a designer; to create sophisticated, urbane menswear and play with color in such a refined way that even the less experimental customer gets convinced!
From Nisbat to Mayassar to Nasheman, the Emraan Rajput entourage this Eid-ul-Fitr is a visually pleasing one. Moreover, the designer’s repute for quality control ensures that this is Eastern-wear that will last the long haul – from the Eid lunch to the Eid dinner to, perhaps, the wedding festivities that will follow a few days later?
It’s all very festive without being OTT – very Emraan Rajput.
What do you think?