Srinagar, May 07: To raise awareness on traditional design of burqa and present it to women folk in Kashmir in a more contemporary style, a valley based Hijab designer is all set to obtain copyright for it.
Farhat Shah, a Srinagar based Abaya and Hijab designer is currently working on ways and means to redesign the old traditional burqa wore by ladies in 19th and 20th centuries in Kashmir to present it to the new generation in more contemporary style.
“I wanted to raise awareness on traditional design of burqa and present it before folks in a more modern-day style. I love designing Hijabs and abayas but these days I am concentrating on doing a makeover of traditional Afgani Burqa in a more contemporary style. It’s all about the trendy-oriental theme,” Shah, a resident of Bemina Srinagar said.
Farhat Shah who also runs a showroom namely ‘Peach Designers’ says that she is a self taught designer, “I had an interest in it, and received guidance from my sister”.
She says she had actually started a hijab collection for wedding purposes only but with the passage of time an interest in designing abayas and traditional burqa grew in her.
“My primary focus was to design hijabs for wedding purposes only because our females cover their bodies’ whole life and on the occasion of marriage they are made to adjust, but as time passed a keen interest into making of trendy abayas and redesigning of Burqa grew in me and I hope I’ll do justice with it,” she adds.
She says she started work on doing makeover of burqa from past two months and hopes that the work on it may complete soon so that it is presented before the folks to try it.
Shah says she has already come up with four to five designs in hijab collection like Chadar, Jilbab, Irani Chadar and others while a few abaya projects are in pipeline.
“We have designs that are unique in nature and available at affordable prices, our price range depends on cloth or material, and the normal range is in-between 1000 to 1200,”
The Hijab designer says that her work got recognition in Kashmir and outside the state that she is now introducing her work in Surat and Dadri.
Shah said that she established shop in Anantnag only after proper survey, “the feedback was that there will be good response from people in twin districts of Pulwama and Anantnag and truly we have received good response from customers in Islamabad.
She added that opening showroom in Srinagar is her next year’s target and her family too supports her in pursuing her dreams.
Originally published on www.dailykashmirimages.com