Omar Mansoor takes Pakistani Khaddar to international runways, highlights artisans’ contributions

LAHORE: Pakistani fashion designer Omar Mansoor has showcased the country’s traditional handwoven khaddar at international fashion platforms through his Spring-Summer 2027 collection, ‘The Living Loom’, highlighting Pakistan’s rich textile heritage and the generations of artisans behind its craftsmanship.

The collection was first presented at New York Fashion Week before being taken to London, bringing the traditional khaddar of Kamalia, Punjab, into the international fashion spotlight. The collection celebrates the skills of local weavers whose families have preserved the craft for generations.

Rather than transforming the fabric through excessive embellishment, Mansoor retained its natural texture and distinctive irregularities, allowing the traditional handwoven material to remain at the centre of his designs. Contemporary tailoring, including sharp jackets, coat dresses and clean silhouettes, provided a modern interpretation of the centuries-old textile tradition. In an interview with Minute Mirror, Mansoor said his collection was not simply about presenting traditional fabric on international runways but also about recognising the artisans whose contributions often remain invisible in the global fashion industry.

Discussing the lack of recognition for craftsmen from developing countries, he said the fashion industry frequently focused on designers and labels while overlooking the people who actually produced the garments. He observed that Pakistan had extraordinary artisans with skills passed down through generations, yet their names rarely appeared alongside the finished products. According to him, Pakistani designers must take responsibility for changing this practice rather than waiting for international fashion houses to recognise local craftsmanship.

Referring to controversies surrounding traditional products such as the Peshawari chappal, Kolhapuri footwear and Indigenous Mexican textiles, Mansoor said cultural borrowing was not new to fashion, but acknowledging the origins of traditional crafts was essential. He stressed that when traditional products were presented as new discoveries without acknowledging their cultural roots, the history and communities behind them were effectively erased.

Mansoor called for Pakistani designers to establish their own international presence by promoting indigenous textiles, traditional techniques and local artisans while telling their stories in their own words.

He also highlighted his collaboration with the Kaarvan Crafts Foundation through the ‘Culture to Couture’ initiative, which seeks to bring women artisans into the spotlight.

Explaining the initiative, he said the women involved in embroidery and other traditional crafts deserved public recognition for their contributions. The project tags the artisans responsible for individual garments on Instagram, while Kaarvan Crafts Foundation is helping them establish their own profiles to gain greater visibility.