Outfits from upcycled vintage materials, transgender models, and solidarity with Palestinians were the main takeaways from the fashion show in Karachi on Thursday where designer Parishae Adnan showcased her collection.

“There is a story behind every outfit,” Parishae’s father and designer Amir Adnan told Aaj News after the show. “She designed clothes the way she wanted to design.”

The collection titled ‘Zer: Beneath the Surface’, which means under the surface, was about dealing with the damage of “unremitting victimhood” and about the things the people talk about and the things the people don’t talk about.

The collection features one-of-a-kind pieces made from upcycled vintage materials, according to the designer. “The outfits are a mixture of many different types of garments now, repurposed, redesigned, re-stitched and embellished. These garments carry the regal grandeur and timelessness of the garment before, with the charismatic personality of the silhouettes now.”

As many as 35 designs were showcased at the show where two transgender persons also walked the ramp.

At the outset of the show, a one-minute silence was observed to express solidarity with Palestinians.

Former model Frieha Altaf, who was wearing a Keffiyeh scarf, said that she was “heartbroken” to see what was happening in Gaza. She added that everyone should raise their voices for the Muslims.

“What is happening is cruelty. Even after the end of the coronavirus, people have not realised what is humanity. But I think that after what Hamas did, Israel has been caught in the trap and everyone has come to know who the terrorist is.”

The soundscape for the collection was designed by Mustafa Shiekh, Mufay, while keeping in mind multiple variables like tempo and tone.

“He started by looking at old-school horror movie scores from movies like ‘Psycho’ and ‘The Shining’. We went into the depth of sounds that evoke fear and dread, sounds that would make the audience a little uncomfortable. The purpose was to remind us that sometimes we can’t escape the reality of things, as much as we would like to,” according to a press release.

The inspiration for the silhouettes came from Gothic architecture. The fall-winter colors for the House are depicted by the four stages of alchemy: black, white, gold and red.