Tag: Elan

  • Élan’s Khadijah Shah denies accusations of torturing employee

    Élan’s Khadijah Shah denies accusations of torturing employee

    Élan’s Khadijah Shah seems to have found herself in controversy yet again. A video of a man claiming to be imprisoned by the designer in her warehouse since the past six months is doing the rounds on social media.

    According to the man in the video, Shah, the founder and Creative Director of Pakistan’s leading luxury clothing brand, has not paid the worker for two months and has refused to let him leave the warehouse where business operations take place. The man added that Shah along with her associate Rehan Bashir has exploited 144 other labourers along with him and has refused to let them leave the warehouse.

    “I worked for their Élan Lawn 2020 project. They asked to bring in extra labour to which I obliged. However, when I asked for payment, my staff and I were imprisoned here. We are being humiliated every day,” he said.

    Soon after the allegations surfaced, Khadijah responded to them on Instagram saying that the man had stolen from her and was now seeking revenge for being terminated.

    Khadija said that the man in the video was in the packing department from where he had stolen over 7000 pieces of Élan lawn.

    The designer added that the matter came to light when a huge amount of inventory was missing and customers began to file complaints for missing pieces. She said they had to halt dispatches due to incomplete orders. Shah added that an FIR has also been registered against the former employee and that he has asked her for forgiveness.

    Shah further said that she is not one of those who put people in dungeons and torture them.

    Later, the designer also cracked a joke on the situation, saying “After I torture people in dungeons with Rehan Bashir, we eat lots of dessert.”

    Shah is one of Pakistan’s most renowned designers. Her brand Élan had also designed an outfit for Kate Middleton when she came to Pakistan.

  • Khadijah Shah responds to backlash on Élan’s ‘racist’ lawn campaign

    Khadijah Shah responds to backlash on Élan’s ‘racist’ lawn campaign

    Lawn campaigns are a big deal in Pakistan and all designers go above and beyond to come up with eye-catching ones. However, some times, the campaigns come under fire for being controversial. This year, Élan was on the receiving end of backlash and criticism for being racist because it featured an African model, which people thought was being used as a prop.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B_XoflYg6zv/
    https://www.instagram.com/p/B9zU1JWg4gA/

    Following social media outrage, Élan’s creative head and CEO Khadijah Shah took to social media to explain the campaign and the concept behind it.

    “It’s heartening to see that we stand against racism and cultural misappropriation, but at the same time we must know what these terms mean,” wrote the designer on social media. Shah then proceeded to define the terms ‘cultural appropriation’ and ‘racism’ and explained how they do not apply to Élan’s campaign.

    https://twitter.com/khadijah_shah/status/1267821795219959815?s=20
    https://twitter.com/khadijah_shah/status/1267824733665427461?s=20
    https://twitter.com/khadijah_shah/status/1267826504194420738?s=20

    Khadijah then requested everyone criticising the campaign not to disrespect their friends from Lamu by passing insensitive comments.

    https://twitter.com/khadijah_shah/status/1267830078727061513?s=20

    She also explained why donkeys were part of some of the pictures.

    “As for those finding the image with the donkeys offensive; donkeys are beloved in Lamu,” wrote Khadijah. “They are taken care of and the only mode of transportation. In our country not only do we treat donkeys badly we also use it as a term to insult others.”

    https://twitter.com/khadijah_shah/status/1267841731468427265?s=20

    Read more – Khadijah Shah receives a signed ‘Thank you note’ from Kate Middleton

    The designer also shared that the brand has featured both male and female models in their previous campaigns and there has never been any such criticism.

    https://twitter.com/khadijah_shah/status/1267845940628652032?s=20

    Meanwhile, model Mushk Kaleem, who featured in the campaign, said that beauty, equality, love and acceptance have no skin tones.

    “This Élan’s campaign is so close to my heart and with its launch, it is extremely sad to see all the negativity that is pouring in,” wrote Mushk.

    “Posing alongside me, in this stunning campaign is my beautiful friend, who I had an excellent time working with, and who I also learnt a lot from – Gabriel Fords.”

    “Unfortunately, many people are speaking about how the male model is being used as a prop or an accessory. Why is that so?” she questioned.

    Kaleem added, “This campaign is a celebration and a declaration of love, of equality, of acceptance, of tolerance – of cultures and heritages without any borders and boundaries.”

    “Gabriel Fords, who is as much a vital part of this campaign as I am, is not a prop or an accessory. This entire shoot screams inclusivity. It is about bridging cultures, about educating people about the normalcy of an interracial love.”

    “I’m very proud to be part of this campaign,” concluded the model.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CA7SBxppzzD/

    Earlier in 2018, Sana Safinaz had come under fire for its racist representation of the Masai Mara people. They later issued a clarification and said that their campaign aimed to celebrate the beautiful Masai culture.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BgFp1tzng2o/?utm_source=ig_embed
  • You can now get Kate Middleton’s Élan look

    You can now get Kate Middleton’s Élan look

    Remember the pristine white and black Élan kurta Kate Middleton wore on her last day in Pakistan? It will soon be available for a whopping Rs 29,500.

    The kurta is part of Élan’s Eid Collection, launching on May 10. According to the brand, the monochrome outfit has been titled ‘Royal Garden’ and is made of traditional handspun 100% pure grip silk. It features “beautifully delicate floral and tribal embroideries in ebony silk thread on a pristine ivory base.”

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B_u76hXgMaa/

    The Duchess of Cambridge had worn the outfit on a private visit she and her husband had undertaken to the SOS Village in Lahore. She had paired the kurta with straight white pants and nude heels. Kate’s team had reportedly discovered Elan’s outfits on Instagram.

    Meanwhile in an interview with The Current, Élan’s founder and creative head Khadija Shah had talked about dressing up the Duchess and how she felt when she received a thank you note from her.

    “I thought somebody was playing a prank,” said Khadija recalling the time when she was approached to make a dress for Kate. “So when we were contacted and the message came through, I told my social media manager to go and check-up the person and see if it was really somebody from the Palace.”

    “And we discovered, it really was someone from the Palace,” continued the designer. “It was really overwhelming and very exciting.”

    Khadija further shared that she never expected a letter of thanks from the Duchess but when was overjoyed when she received the letter and immediately took a picture of it.

    Read more – Khadija Shah receives a signed ‘Thank you note’ from Kate Middleton

    Watch the full interview here:

  • Fact Check: Is Saqib Nisar’s daughter-in-law’s valima outfit from an Indian designer?

    Fact Check: Is Saqib Nisar’s daughter-in-law’s valima outfit from an Indian designer?

    Claim: Former CJP Saqib Nisar’s daughter in law wore an outfit made by an Indian designer for her Valima

    Fact: Former CJP Saqib Nisar’s daughter in law wore by Élan’s Champs-De-Patchouli collection launched in 2017 and another outfit by Dr Haroon.

    Former Chief Justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar’s son Najam Saqib tied the knot in a grand wedding over the weekend. For the unacquainted, Nisar was the mastermind behind the Prime Minister and Chief Justice of Pakistan Diamer Bhasha and Mohmand Dam Fund. His son’s wedding had a string of events including a qawali, mehndi, baraat and valima.

    Pictures from the events soon went viral on social media and reports began to circulate that Nisar’s daughter-in-law was wearing a Rs 1.5 crore outfit by Indian designer Anita Dongre on the valima. The Current did some digging and it turns out that the reports are incorrect because the bride, Rida wore an outfit by Élan on her valima. It was from the brand’s Champs-De-Patchouli collection launched in 2017.

    Élan’s bridals start from Rs 10 lakhs.

    The bride’s makeup was done by Mariam Khawaja while Irfan Ahson did the photography.

    Meanwhile, Rida wore a red outfit by Dr Haroon on her baraat.

    Photos Courtesy – Fine Art Weddings by Irfan Ahson

    VERDICT: FALSE

  • The Current Life with Khadijah Shah

    The Current Life with Khadijah Shah