Fashion Designer Monica Paracha talks to Fashion Central

Fashion Designer

Monica Couture is a not just another fashion brand. It has set itself a noble and challenging task of reviving centuries’ old techniques of hand embroidery and embellishment using gold, silver and silk threads and semi-precious stones. These specialized crafts move down in families but are a dying art due to lack of innovation and declining demand and its total absence in the pret wear.
Monica Co culture’s strategy is to introduce it in more popular, middle ranging lines with rapid turnover to create demand for the work. Traditional patterns and motifs inspired from Ottoman and Mughal periods on latest trends and cuts catering to the international market is one of the ways to operationalize this strategy
Q What is your educational and professional background and how do you feel it prepared you for a career in design
Degree in Economics and statistics and a course in fashion merchandising.
Q What drew you to fashion and specifically to starting your own line?
I felt sad that there is no Pakistani designer in the International market and our ‘high- end’ product is not competitive interenationally.


Q What advice would you give a fashion newbie or student, looking to become a designer?
Apprenticeship with a good fashion house before you  take the plunge and launch your own brand
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Q What is the most difficult aspect in launching your own label, i.e. design, production, sales, finance, advertising?
Financing and advertising

Q Your label has a very strong ecological conscience, how did that develop?
I try to use waste fabrics to build new innovative designs; it’s economical and green.

Q You are particularly fond of using sustainable textiles; can you give us some more details on this?
‘I only work with natural fabrics

Q What advice would you give other brands or designers who are interested in making a step towards going green, where should they start?
Be innovative by using waste and recycle cloth

Q What do you wish you had known before entering the fashion industry?
More about opportunities available for support of the SME sector in Pakistan.

Q What inspires you most as a designer?
Our cultural heritage.

Q Do you think that music affects your design?
It does, I love music
Q Who are some designers that you think have some great style?