Urban Culture
The Robust Beginnings of Streetwear Culture in Pakistan
There’s a cultural shift happening in terms of streetwear adoption in Pakistan, and HEF Clothing is leading the way.
Karachi, a melting pot of diverse cultures, has always been at the forefront of introducing new ideas. To the average onlooker, the megacity may be little more than a combination of dilapidated buildings, congested roads, and overpopulation.
But look beyond its’ dusty exteriors, and you’ll find that the sprawling metropolis is a hotbed for innovation. Young creatives are constantly raising the bar and pushing the boundaries of art, music, fashion and more.
Several entrepreneurial ventures are emerging from the city, including HEF Clothing. The company aims to bring a cultural shift in how Pakistanis choose to dress. Its co-founders, Hassaan Khan and Faraz Siddiqui, want to create a bridge between various subcultures.
THE REVERSE TRICKLE EFFECT
While you’ll find that popular cultures usually trickle down to the public, sometimes subcultures are also adopted by the upper class before they become mainstream. Urban wear, or what’s more commonly known as streetwear, has the same story.
Streetwear is hugely inspired by hip-hop culture. What started off on the streets in the west has now been adopted by the world of luxury fashion. Louis Vuitton – a high-fashion Parisian brand that started in 1864 and is valued roughly over $22billion – collaborated with Supreme – one of the top-selling streetwear brands in the world.
A major cultural shift is taking place in the west. And a couple of small players are bringing the change home. Among them, HEF Clothing, an online streetwear brand, is leading the way.
“Until a few years ago, clubs and bars abroad wouldn’t allow anybody not wearing dress shoes in. Now everyone wears sneakers and sweatpants to clubs and bars. Even here, the culture is changing. People prefer wearing comfortable t-shirts instead of button-ups at parties,” says Faraz Siddiqui, co-founder of HEF.
Run-DMC’s collaboration with Adidas via a music video called ‘My Adidas,’ released as part of their 1986 music album Raising Hell shows the hip-hop band members wearing sneakers and tracksuits. “That is the culmination of streetwear starting to get into the mainstream from the underground,” he adds.
Imagine this: wearing ripped jeans and a hoodie to a fashion show was unheard of, but now people are doing it and making it a fashion statement.
EVOLUTION OF STREETWEAR IN PAKISTAN
Streetwear includes the sporty athletic style championed by the likes of Supreme and Palace. But for people in Pakistan, streetwear has usually been outfits chosen according to personal preferences, instead of what’s trending.
While Pakistani fashion has always been more eastern-centric, the explosion of ready-to-wear apparel has led the way for alternatives.
“Streetwear is anything that is comfortable. It’s not limited to a specific type of personality. It is all inclusive, especially for those who want style with comfort,” says Khan.
HEF Clothing
© Iqra Shoukat
He says there’s a long road ahead for streetwear to grow in the country. “Ideally, we would want more brands to be a part of this change. Sure, HEF is one of the first ones here, but the responsibility to create awareness lies on our shoulders, and it’s a huge responsibility,” he added.
While streetwear has always been there, its Pakistani version has always been kurta and shalwar.
In the ‘80s, DJs were donning kurta shalwars and made them cool again. Once again, the hip-hop scene is revolutionizing how people want to dress up. “Streetwear has become bigger. These clothes are now filling the lives of the average person,” says Khan.
He narrates the story of his delivery guy who wears really hip stuff. “He’ll wear these really cool hoodies and T’s and we would ask him where he got them from.” Khan says people are getting increasingly aware and want to experiment with various styles.
However, despite a dearth of urban wear brands in Pakistan, Siddiqui says there’s a lot of scope for it. “While it’s still in its nascent stages, you’ll see a lot of brands come up in the near future.”
Khan and Siddiqui want to build and promote subcultures in the city. Their pop-up parties are organized with the Third World Radio – a platform for local electronic musicians – have become great events that their community looks forward to attending. The two frequently collaborate with local musicians and artists.
“We try to mix in both the cultural and fashion aspects. We get cool artists from the city or those with roots to the city. It doesn’t get more ‘street’ than that,” he says.
The co-founders have worked with Brooklyn-based mural artist Naveen Shakil who is originally from Karachi. They’ve also worked with Shehzar Abro – a Sydney-based street artist from the city, and Faizan Riedinger along with several others.
HEF isn’t just a clothing brand. It exudes a certain lifestyle. Khan and Siddiqui are trying to use it as a bridge to bring various communities together. “There are so many artists creating mind-blowing works in music and the arts. Sadly, not many people know about them. Locally, different subcultures aren’t promoting each other. We want to help do that. Our community includes people of all age groups. And with every pop-up, our community is growing. What we’re doing is extremely fulfilling.”
The young nation has been a tad bit slow with adopting the widely popular and minimalist streetwear of the west. But despite its slow adoption, the country is showing real willingness to inculcate urban wear.
“Local pride is a staple of all our pieces. Jeans that bunch up towards the end like a churidar pajama and long kurta style t-shirts are hot sellers.”
Celebs around the world have adopted streetwear as the new cool and like everything else, it’s spilling over to Pakistan. “A lot of celebs are going for these looks. New generation artists like Danyal Zafar, Riz Ahmed, Mahira Khan, Sanam Saeed, and Ayesha Omer are paving the way for the rest.”
Mawra Hocane wearing HEF
© Shayanae Kazim