LAAM Fashion Week’s second edition concluded in Lahore on October 26, bringing together established designers, independent creatives, high-street labels and emerging talent to showcase the diversity of Pakistan’s fashion industry. Held from October 23 to 26, the four-day event featured 43 shows involving more than 50 fashion labels. The event combined traditional South Asian craftsmanship with contemporary silhouettes, retail-focused collections and experimental design. Its programme included the Retail Runway, LFW Edit and individual designer showcases, offering a platform for established fashion houses as well as businesses seeking to expand their consumer reach.
Several prominent designers and labels participated in the event, including HSY, Sania Maskatiya, Deepak Perwani, Hussain Rehar, Fahad Hussayn, Ali Xeeshan and Meeras by Nilofer Shahid. The opening night featured Starry Night, a collective presentation bringing together designers through looks inspired by the night sky. Emerging designers associated with the Pakistan Institute of Fashion and Design also presented their work, highlighting opportunities for new talent to enter the fashion industry. Collections incorporated embroidery, intricate handwork, rich colours and familiar South Asian silhouettes, while other presentations explored contemporary tailoring, experimental prints and modern interpretations of formal wear.
The third day's programme included Malhaar's Resurgence, which explored the relationship between South Asian couture traditions and contemporary femininity through techniques such as zardozi and zari embroidery. Other presentations featured handwoven textiles, structured tailoring and reworked prints, reflecting the range of approaches within Pakistan's fashion market. Beyond the runway, LAAM Fashion Week sought to strengthen the commercial links between designers, manufacturers and consumers. According to the organisers, LAAM's wider e-commerce network includes thousands of brands and serves customers across numerous cities worldwide.
The second edition also continued the event's emphasis on integrating fashion, technology and retail. By linking runway presentations with online shopping, the platform offered an alternative to traditional fashion-week formats, in which collections are primarily presented to industry professionals and buyers before becoming commercially available. Its longer-term significance will depend on how effectively the platform translates runway exposure into sustained commercial opportunities for designers, emerging labels and the wider fashion industry.