Fashion DNA Pakistan2016-17
Fashion DNA Pakistan is a designer mentorship programme for Pakistani fashion design businesses organised by the British Council and led by UK industry experts. The programme was launched in 2015 and the participating fashion labels in the first cycle included The House of Kamiar Rokni, Wardha Saleem, Zaheer Abbas and Akif Mehmood. The UK mentors included fashion business consultant and the international best-selling author of 'How to Set up & Run a Fashion Label' Toby Meadows,fashion creative and stylist Rebekah Roy, curator/researcher and Lecturer in Design at Goldsmiths University of London Ruby Hoette, and management consultant and retail specialist Malcolm Newbery.
Based on the success of the first cycle, this year the programme will take the format of an 8-month-long intensive training, including face to face sessions, online sessions, UK catwalk show/showcasing, and Pakistani catwalk show/showcasing. Specific skill focusses will include understanding fashion as a business,understanding international fashion systems,understanding your brand DNA and brand identity, business strategy, internationalising your label, seasonal merchandise and range planning, research and development, design skills, technical delivery, supply chain management, customising production, sustainability and ethics, profitability and competitiveness, retail logistics,digital presence, image-making and presentation (trade stands, fashion show plans, look books, photography), communication, marketing and market positioning etc.
The mentorship will result in the development of a line of ready-to-wear apparel with a clear brand positioning utilising the skills acquired in the workshops of research and design, marketing through fashion imagery/film and a digital presence, and production of samples for a catwalk that meet the blueprint of sustainability and fair practice. The collections will be showcased in London at Fashion Scout, which is one of the UK's largest fashion showcases throughout London Fashion Week, Paris Fashion Week and Kiev Fashion Days.
The mentorship will run from August 2016-March 2017. A group of 5-8 design businesseswill be selected to participate in the programme.The first round of mentorship with selected designerswill take place in August 2016 with face to face sessions happening in Karachi. Online, remote mentoring will follow between August and November 2016,with a second round of face to face sessions happeningat the end of November in Lahore (the designers will be expected to bear the full expenses of travelling between Karachi and Lahore if and when required). More eMentoring will follow till February 2017 when the developed collections will be shown at the official off-schedule London Fashion Week platform Fashion Scout,and the designers will attend a customised market entry bootcamp in London.(The design houses will fund their own collections while the British Council will bear the full expenses of travelling to London).The mentorship will conclude in March 2017 with a formal evaluation process.
Fashion DNA Pakistan aims to:
- Create a platform which provides long-term support to exceptionally creative young/mid-career designer labels which are interested in producing for foreign markets and taking socially conscious business approaches
- Create a platform which brings together British and Pakistani fashion professionals and institutions through workshops and showcases
- Create a collective identity for spunky, edgy fashion from Pakistan to make its overseas offer more coherent
Eligibility for participation
- Design houses must have been working in the industry for a minimum of 3 years and a maximum of 15 years;
- Design houses should be interested in the international market and have a desire to work with UK practitioners. They should be committed to the programme and have a willingness to learn and take on board critical feedback;
- Design houses could already be supplying to international markets or may want to begin to develop a new line of products specifically for the UK/EU market.
- Design houses should bring to the table exceptionally creative design talent, and a readiness to explore a collaborative working process where their chief design and business personnel will work with UK mentors on developing the brand positioning for the international market.
- The design houses should also be able to demonstrate production capacity, in-house or externally sourced, to fulfil supply contracts for international retailers.
Selection Process
- An official, nationwide open call for applications to participate in Fashion DNA Pakistan 2016-17will be issued by the British Council and design houses that fit the eligibility criteria are welcome to apply;
- Applications should be submitted byThursday, 30 June 2016. Please email on
- As the official application, along with the brand questionnaire/form, design houses are required to send an electronic portfolio which presents their brand’s identity and ethos and provides details about past collections, including catwalk and look book images as well as sketches. The size of the electronic portfolio must be under 8 MB, and submitted as one, single file;
- Shortlisted designers will be contacted in the firstweek of July 2016 by the British Council and interviewed in the second week of July 2016 by a panel of judges including Pakistani and British industry experts who will select the 8 finalists based on these interviews;
- Finalists will be informed of their selection by the British Council by the end of the second week of July 2016 and agreements of participation will be signed by the third week of July 2016.
Judging Criteria
Basic Eligibility /- Design houses must have been working in the industry for a minimum of 3 years and a maximum of 15 years;
- Commitment to the programme and willingness to learn and take on board critical feedback.
- Demonstrate production capacity, in-house or externally sourced, to fulfil supply contracts for international retailers.
Quality of the Work /
- Originality
- Quality of design
- Innovative approach to silhouette, technique and materials
- Quality of production
- Demonstrates an understanding of international trends
Relevance to the programme /
- Interest in the international market and a desire to work with UK practitioners/experts
- Already supplying to international markets or may want to begin to develop a new line of products specifically for the UK/EU market.
- Creative design talent and a readiness to explore a collaborative working process to develop the brand and its positioning for the international market
- Demonstrating versatility in work and capability of designing for the international market and seasonal fashion weeks
- Producing a ready-to-wear collection as part of the project
Desired /
- Commitment to working sustainably and ethically
- Already producing work relevant to the UK market
- Collection concepts intelligently hinged on a cultural or social reference or narrative
FASHION DNA PAKISTAN 2016-17
Designer Application Form
Please complete the below form in as much detail as possible. This will be useful and is essential for your participation in the programme.
Please submit your completed form to by Thursday 30 June 2016.
As the official application, along with this form, please send an electronic portfolio which presents your brand’s identity and ethos and provides details about past collections, including catwalk and look book images as well as sketches. Please keep the size of your electronic portfolio under 8 MB, and submit it as one single file;
1 / About You1.1 / Full name:
1.2 / Trading name or label (if different):
1.3 / Website Address:
1.4 / Business/postal address (including Post Code):
1.5 / Telephone and mobile numbers:
1.6 / Email address:
2 / Education & Background
(please highlight below) / Course Name / College / University / Country
Degree Level
Masters Level
Short Course
Self-Taught
List designers you have worked or interned with.
If none, what is your background?
Have you been on any incubator or designer support programme?
If so please provide details.
3 / About your product
3.1 / What is/are your product/s: Please specify: / i.e. Menswear, Womenswear, RTW, Luxury etc.
3.2 / Date label launched (Month/year)
3.3 / How many garments were in your latest collection?
3.4 / Describe your brand essence in 8 words?
3.5 / Describe your customer in a few bullet points: Lifestyle, aspirations, gender, age, etc.
3.6 / Which brands would you liken your brand to?
3.7 / List industry supporters or champions you have.
4 / Your team
Please tell us about your employees, freelancers or any interns if you have any
4.1 / No. of employees: / Please list staff below and indicate their roles
5 / Production
5.1 / Who does your sampling? (In-house or external)
5.2 / Please list your manufacturers
6 / Marketing, Sales, PR and Social Media Strategy
6.1 / How do you currently promote your label? (PR agency or in house)
6.2 / Do you have a PR Strategy? What are your objectives? (bullet points):
6.3 / What digital social media platforms are you utilising to promote your label? Please indicate platforms you use and provide handles / Twitter / Pinterest / Snapchat
LinkedIn / Instagram / Facebook
Others:
6.4 / Do you currently sell via your website? Yes / No
6.5 / Do you sell via any other websites other than your own? List them:
6.6 / List catwalk shows or presentations you have shown at in last 2 years with website where possible.
Please state if regional, graduate, domestic etc.
6.7 / List exhibitions or trade fairs you have participated in the last 2 years with websites where possible.
7 / Stockists
7.1 / List your stores/stockists by sales / 1. / 2. / 3.
7.2 / Do you have a strategy for developing consultancy, collaborations and licensing?
If so, please explain briefly
8 / Your aspirations and objectives for the business
What do you want to achieve in the next 2 years?
Describe your businesses strengths in a few words.
Describe your business’ weaknesses in a few words.
What areas of your business have you identified as needing improvement?