London-based Pakistani designer Omar Mansoor is launching his latest Spring/Summer 23 collection featuring Uzbek ikat fabric at the London Fashion Week (LFW) on Friday.
The collection is titled ‘Margilan’, and features a traditional Uzbekistani way of dye-weaving fabric and threads. The word ikat is of Indonesian origin and means to tie or bind. Ikat textiles are produced all over the world, especially in Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan and Central Asia.
The collection will have black as the base colour with trimmings made of multi-colour utlas fabric sourced from the Fergana Region in eastern Uzbekistan. According to the designer, the dresses will be featured in full and knee length.
The exclusive fabric was sourced by Omar during a visit to Uzbekistan in August, out of a desire to give Uzbek fabrics recognition on a global platform. Best known for his occasion wear, Omar has also dressed international royalty and celebrities.
Since the olden days, the Uzbek city of Margilan has been famous for its wonderful and fine silk. Traders would bring Margilanian silk to Baghdad, Cairo and Athens through the Silk Road. The town is also where Uzbekistan’s largest traditional silk factory, the Yodgorlik Silk Factory, is located. With over 2,000 workers, everything is done in the traditional manner, with an annual output of some 250,000 square meters of exquisite silk cloth. The neighboring Margilan Silk Factory employs 15,000 workers using modern machinery, and produces some 22 million square meters per year.
