‘‘We’ve got two types of people in our social circle, and you’ll find everyone in this city wearing a variation of what we wear,’’ said Ammar, an 18-year-old student at one of the most prestigious schools in Lahore.

“Black shorts, black Armani Exchange shirt and white Nike Air-Force 1’s are as basic as you can get. Sometimes I’ll switch the shoes and wear my Jordans. That’s one side of the group. The other side wears Ralph Lauren polo with the collar popped, altered dress pants with a Ferragamo belt and the iconic Gucci loafers.’’

Name-dropping seems to be a big thing in Lahore. When you wear a branded piece, everyone needs to know about it. The retail price for the branded items Ammar has mentioned is a mind whopping $2500 which with the rising dollar rate comes to about Rs 575,000.

“We were all influenced by each other and people around us, I never thought of it as fitting in. It’s something we feel comfortable in; you know you look good you’re not taking a risk,” Ammar said when asked why they all dressed the same.

We are quick to point out the dull monotone outfits these boys wear but even we can’t deny that we would pick comfort over style any day. We follow trends and add our own spin to them but the essence of the outfit always remains the same.

Hamza, 22, a university student, threw in his two cents about what the fashion scene in Lahore really means. “It sets a standard,” he said.

’‘I personally got inspired by my Pinterest board influenced by the Italian style, can’t say much about anyone else.“

“You are expected to look and dress in a certain way and appearance is a key factor. Even before you open your mouth, everyone looks at what you are wearing,” said Hamza

“We notice everything. If someone is wearing Air Force 1s are they clean and polished? These things say a lot about a person,” Hamza added.

‘If you see a guy in Lahore wearing a Ralph Lauren or Lacoste polo you can assume that kid isn’t doing anything with his life and lives off of his summer shopping in London. The dressing is attached to a social class, it means something when you wear brands or look a certain way.’’

“I do not deny that we live in a privileged bubble. We also do focus a lot on brands and how a person looks and what their Instagram feed looks like,’’ Sara, a 16-year-old who has lived in Lahore all her life, said adding a female perspective.

“The latest trend was a Dyson hair dryer and all of us got one of those despite its hefty price tag. The tiny bags we carry are mostly for the aesthetics of the outfit and to make sure everything compliments each other,” she said.

“For us girls, a lot of thought goes into exactly how we’re supposed to look. From the way we smell to the way we dress and who we socialise with, everything means something.’’

While we agree that some of these are very basic fashion trends but we also give credit where credit is due and we can’t deny the up-and-coming fashion scene in Lahore. Brands like Rastah and Lama Retail are really changing things around and introducing funky and trendsetting streetwear.

These brands are providing affordable alternatives and moving away from high society fashion. If anything makes a statement it is individuality and we hope millions spent on branded items will soon become a thing of the past.