By Maliha Rehman
The realm of men’s footwear is a long ignored one in Pakistan. Brands tend to follow staid, commercially friendly lines. A man wanting to make an avant-garde statement while prioritizing comfort often has to delve towards international ateliers. With the rupee constantly devaluating and travel fluctuating due to a persistent pandemic, a high-end shopping binge isn’t an easy indulgence.
The impeccable quality of a handmade Italian shoe is undeniable. A bona fide Armani or Tom Ford design is an eternal statement-maker. But with prices running into hundreds of thousands, the statements come at a heavy cost. It has been unfortunate that, despite counting leather as one of its major exports, the Pakistani market is yet to fully realize the potential of high-end luxury pure leather shoes.
This was a thought that occurred to Hasnain Lehri while communicating with Logo, a brand specializing in high quality leather goods for the past 25 years. Logo’s forte lies in creating high quality, leather shoes, starting off with men’s shoes in its earlier years and diversifying towards women’s shoes later on. Hasnain, one of the country’s top models, with a slew of awards to his credit and extensive experience in working with high-fashion brands, suggested a collaboration.
“I visited the Logo factory and they had such state-of-the-art technology, like laser cutting, cross-pleating, all using pure leather,” says Hasnain. “I suggested designing a shoe collection for the brand. I may not be a designer but I have worked with high-end brands for years and by this time, I do think that I have some idea of what people will like. The brand was very enthusiastic.”
The Logo x Hasnain Lehri Limited Edition line was thus formulated, a shoe collection consisting of 15 designs with Hasnain aiming for an aesthetic synonymous with global trends and the experts at Logo bringing his vision to fruition.
“Models don’t just always sell clothes and accessories by wearing them. Sometimes, they can go a step further and become part of the designing process. People associate a certain quality and design sensibility with models and truly, we are often involved in a lot more than just wearing the clothes.” – Hasnain Lehri
The collection
Scanning the Logo x Hasnain Lehri line, which launched about a month ago, the shoes designs vary from formals to semi formals to easy breezy slip-ons. The subtlety in the details add a refined touch – these are designs aiming for the sophisticated, urbane man who isn’t fond of unnecessary fripperies. Pure leather loafers glint with minimal buckles that flash the brand’s logo, leather strips are cross-pleated on mules and leather slip-ons bridge the gap between casual-wear and formals, embellished with buckles and pleats.
A classic round-toe black shoe has ‘Logo’ printed all along it. One particular loafer – I consider it the collection’s piece de resistance – is created from cut-worked leather in brown ombre shades. A carefree pair of sandals are crafted from rich brown leather that slightly overlaps at the top, with buckles binding the straps.
Particularly noticeable about the shoes is how lightweight they are. High-fashion shoes by international brands may look great but often, they are heavy, weighed down perhaps by leather soles. The Pakistani counterparts are easy-to-wear particularly because they are very light.
Model turns designer?
But why did Hasnain opt to design a shoe line while he is still thriving as a model? He elaborates, “Models don’t just always sell clothes and accessories by wearing them. Sometimes, they can go a step further and become part of the designing process. People associate a certain quality and design sensibility with models and truly, we are often involved in a lot more than just wearing the clothes. There have been many times when I have given my input to the stylist or the photographer at a shoot. They trust me and often take my suggestions into account. I applied the same know-how to designing this collection.”
The Logo x Hasnain Lehri collection is high-end and niche, with prices teetering all the way up to more than Rs 20,000. The shoes are, however, pure leather – similar international designs tend to be priced at much more.
According to Logo’s CEO Sheikh Hassan Saeed, the collection has gotten a great response. “I am very happy with the way the collection was received and look forward to more from this collaboration.”
Hasnain points out, “A lot of men I know have had no choice but to purchase from international labels. This collection is completely made in Pakistan but the designs and the brand’s quality control provides men with an option that can be purchased locally.”
Will we be seeing Hasnain try his hand at designing more often? “I do plan to come up with another shoe collection,” he says. “I just want to do work that excites me and pushes me further. It could be working on a video, designing a fashion line or creating the storyboard for a fashion shoot.”
It is quite common the world over for brands to collaborate with celebrities, creating limited edition lineups that resonate with the celebrity’s personality or sense of style. For instance, Kate Moss has worked with Topshop and Gigi Hadid has collaborated with Tommy Hilfiger to name a few.
In Pakistan, though, models have so far been more or less limited to shoots and the catwalk. When a Pakistani model hopes to explore new ground, he or she usually dabbles with acting or turns designer, investing into an eponymous label. The Logo x Hasnain Lehri line, however, is the first collaboration where a brand has chosen to place its faith on the design acumen and pull of a model. It’s an intuitive, clever move by Hasnain Lehri and it may pave new avenues for established models wanting to expand their repertoire.
The resulting collection’s very fashion forward too. It’s a win-win.
What do you think?