Statement t-shirts make fashion socio-political

The patriotic statement that Kamiar Rokni and Maliha Naipaul made at the Ensemble Show with their 'No One's Leaving Home. I love Pakistan' t-shirts, has turned into a cause. The t-shirts that caused quite a stir on the red carpet have now started retailing from The Boulevard in Lahore with the proceeds going to help the Internally Displaced People or the refugees from Swat. They were designed by Kamiar Rokni under the banner of Pakistan Rising, a small group of activists also including Attiq ud din Ahmed, Nooria Waleed and Bina Waheed other than Kami himself. This is the first cause the group has taken up.

"We need all the help we can get," Kamiar spoke to Instep, adding that the shirts would be retailing at a price of 500 rupees each and while they had already started selling from The Boulevard in Lahore, he was in touch with Zeba Husain (Ensemble) and Zahir Rahimtoola (Labels) and they would be retailing in Karachi within the next few days too.
"We have started with the basics and are planning on building it up. We also plan to travel to the camps ourselves. But other than what Pakistan Rising is trying to do, Pakistan Fashion Design Council has also donated 2 million rupees to the cause, which is going into flour, sugar and the basics. These people need all the help they can get."

This is not the first time a t-shirt has made a statement in Pakistan. Two years ago, Shehryar Sumar started a V9 campaign with I (heart) KHI, I (heart) LHR and I (heart) Isloo t-shirts. They were sold at the bestselling V9 lawn exhibitions. Other than that, Daku has also come up with their own versions of statement t-shirts, that have varied from sending out messages to suicide bombers and hailing Hitler. Daku's mission statement: 'We can be silent no more. T-shirts against injustice' say it all on behalf of the people of Pakistan. Other one-liners from Daku have been: 'THINK! It makes the government nervous', 'Desi and proud', and very significantly in December, 'Restore the judiciary'. Regarding the Pakistan Rising t-shirts, they are being produced with a variety of mission statements in Urdu and English.
Statement t-shirts are heading out to be one of the most significant trends world wide this summer, and with crises upon crises looming upon Pakistan, it makes sense to design fashion that reflects every day life and in some ways, even helps. One is confident that while gala events are held every year to benefit various philanthropic societies, the fashion industry will also start working on accumulating funds for the Swat refugees.

Story Covered by "TheNews Pakistan"