Nomi Ansari is the man behind one of Pakistan's popular and contemporary fashion labels.   

Dubbing his label as "revivalists of the national dress", Nomi Ansari's clothes are in no way orthodox, old fashioned, or even traditional in the pure sense of the word. His collections are contemporary, using a variety of colors and fabrics in many different cuts and styles to suit today's woman.

The clothes do not discriminate among customers - housewives, models, students, actresses - regardless of what you do with your day, you can find something nice to wear from the Nomi Ansari collection.

The Nomi Ansari brand is available in the US, Dubai, and Pakistan - and also online at www.nomiansari.ws

1. How would you introduce yourself to our readers?

Nomi Ansari is the designer label for the women of today; we cater for all body types and age groups. My label is festive and all about colors and traditions with style and glamour.

2. How long have you been in this industry and what do you specialize in?

I graduated from the Pakistan School of Fashion Design which is affiliated with La Chambre Syndicale de Paris in 2001. I launched my label right after I graduated in 2001, my label specializes in eastern wear, especially shalwars of all kinds; basically we are revivalists of the national dress which is kameez shalwar. We are known for our unique color combos and mix and match of different kind of fabrics.

3. With so much competition in the industry, how do you manage to stay on the top?

I don’t consider myself to be on top at all. I believe in working hard and coming up with new collections and designs with a whole new look and color palette every season. We don’t repeat our designs much and we produce customized ensembles for our clientele. My clients are from all parts of the country.

4. What are the challenges that one faces as a designer in Pakistan?

Yes there are plenty of challenges in this field, the biggest one being able to keep our labor in place; to find labor in this country is really difficult and expensive. Then there are the overheads, electricity issues and most important fabric and raw material choices are very limited.

5. Who are Nomi Ansari’s clients and where can one buy your label?

The Nomi Ansari clientele is very vast; we don’t have any age limitation or price factor disorders. My clients range from housewives, working women, politicians, film stars, models, students and actresses. To find us is not difficult - we are available in Houston at fiza (www.fizaus.com), Kimaya (Main Jumeira Road Dubai), in Lahore, and our head office is in Karachi. Or one can log on to www.nomiansari.ws

6. What in your opinion can be done about the replication of designer’s styles that end up hanging in every kaam wali gali and small store?

No one can stop the replicas at all; I feel good at the end of the day thinking that my designs are good enough to be copied and people like them enough to copy them. That is why we introduce new designs every season. The nuisance is if the copy cats go global. For example look at Louis Vuitton - the copies or replicas are available everywhere. But it’s all part of this industry.

7. Numerous fashion shows are being held in Pakistan these days, promoting designers and clothes; in your opinion what more can be done to promote this industry?

Fashion shows do play an important role as far as media attention is concerned but I think the Export Promotion Bureau should promote new designers rather than promoting the older ones. We are the future of this country.

8. We see a lot of black and white this year for fall at the runways in Paris and NY, what influence does that have on our market, and what can we expect to see for fall 2007?

Yes we do watch the international market for inspiration and trends. We do plan to follow the same trends and are working on a new collection of lots of black and whites with red detailing, but in a contemporary way. We will market them for our Pakistani, Indian and Dubai clientele.

9. If given a chance to work with any designer in the world who would you choose and why?

That would have to be John Galliano, he is the best. His work is fresh and colorful. He is a great inspiration to me personally and I would love to be able to work with him.

10. Lastly what message would you like to give to the readers of The Saturday Post?

Be proud of who you are, wear whatever is comfortable. Wear outfits that go with your personality, skin tone, and body type. Eat healthy, sleep well and drink a lot of water. Inhale positivity and exhale negativity.