Shaheer Ahmed
A proud moment for Pakistani fashion industry! Designer Mahpara Khan styled none other than Queen Maxima of the Netherlands at the recent Jordanian Royal Wedding. A local media outlet spoke to the designer about her stunning gown and the amazing process behind the scenes.
“The design was completely handcrafted,” Khan said, adding that “It took a team of 20 people, rotating in shifts, around 100 days to complete the surface design (embellishments, handwork), while the toile (rough silhouette) took around a week.”
Even though the designer had not met the queen for fittings and measurements, she still managed to amaze everyone.
“In this particular design, there was added complexity of tailoring this to precise measurements without being in physical proximity to the Queen (who resides in the Netherlands),” the designer said.
Revealing that it took her “over 90 days” to finish, “We had to go back and forth with her stylists for over 90 days to get the fit and fall right. The Queen had seen a few samples at our studio and understood the level of detail and intricacy that would go into each design. This led to several months of coordination and design,” Mahpara said.
“I feel Pakistani bridal and formal wear is truly unique in that it truly is handcrafted in every sense of the word. The techniques used are ancient, and passed down from generation to generation. When everything is said and done, each dress has 50 different artisans who have worked on it,” she said.
Taking to Instagram, Mahpara wrote, “I had the privilege of designing a custom crafted formal for Her Majesty Queen Maxima of the Netherlands. The design features Mughal patterns fused with traditional dapka, naqshi, resham and gota work.”
