Written by Nida Umer
Lawn Suits are traditional salwar kameez made in the fabric known as “lawn”. The lawn was initially produced in “Loan, France” using linen yarns. It is designed using fine, high-thread-count yarn, which results in a silky, untextured feel. It’s a lightweight cloth and is known for its semi-transparency. Moreover, it lends itself to be dyed easily and printed on. Lawn from France was imported to the subcontinent at the time of partition. The production of the lawn was contained majorly in Pakistan and due to its abundance of good cotton, lawn moved from linen to cotton. The fact that it’s a breathable fabric made it gain popularity as Pakistan has extremely hot summers. This opened an entirely new avenue for women’s wear in Pakistan.
Lawn suits are part of Pakistan’s heritage and culture. The suits are all about flaunting vibrant colors and prints on bright summer days. The motifs, patterns, and designs are more contemporary and focused on digital printing (including splashes of color, geometric prints, swirls, and traditional floral patterns) as well as embroidery work. Lawn season begins in mid-February throughout the end of summer which sometimes lasts till early October.
Cotton of Pakistan
The cotton production of Pakistan is integral to the economy of the country. It holds the fourth position among cotton growers in the world. The cotton and textile industry plays an important role in world exports due to its high quality of fibers and variety in apparel and types, including chambray, chintz, crepe, faille, and gauze. Lawn is also produced from cotton. The designs of lawn suits are as such that they come back every year, with new trends and designs during spring and summer. The constant innovation in the fashion industry has brought a new meaning for Pakistan’s fashion industry. From simple printed designs and patterns to patterns combined with greater range of laced necklines and edges as well as, to the use of neon and bright colors, the lawn of Pakistan now holds an importance place in the world in regards to Pakistani fashion. There is a high demand for Pakistani lawn suits all over Southasia and has moved on to Europe, North America and Middle East.
Evolution of designer lawn
The designers play an integral part in the evolution and production of the lawn design and quality. Every year, and for almost two seasons a year, new designs and trends are part of the lawn fashion industry. Al-Karam, known for its great quality lawn includes bold patterns on vibrant colors as well as intricate embroidery added sometimes to enhance the design sense.
Khaadi is a well-known name for clothing in Pakistan as well as is a lifestyle brand providing textiles and other apparels to their customers. The lawn Khaadi holds the fusion of traditional and contemporary silhouettes and has even divided their lawn into two categories that are “tropical escape” and “classics”. Another brand name Firdous Lawn provides high-quality textiles since the last four decades and does not compromise on the quality of lawn.
Firdous maintains the integrity of the brand by improvising the core designs rather than changing the whole concept. Sapphire design brand is known for its lawn, which includes the silhouettes of birds and flowers as a-must in its design. This brand provides their customers with a great range of pastel and bold colors. Gul Ahmed a well-known and one of the oldest lawn suit designer of Pakistan holds an important place in the textile industry. It focuses on providing new color palettes infused with abstract patterns to treat its loyal customers and also attract new ones.
Lawn Craze outside Pakistan
The craze of Pakistani suits worldwide is due to the fact that the suits are considered traditional and ethnic. Moreover, the suits are quite comfortable and easy to carry on occasions as well as are worn casually. Salwar Kameez is such a versatile attire that every design and print looks graceful no matter how you carry it. One can get a typical suit stitched, or a Kurti with a lot of flares, or a straight kurta as the choices are flexible. Every style owns its specific grace and elegance! As discussed before Pakistani designers use traditional along with contemporary design ideology to cope up with the market trends making it flexible for the audiences across the world to feel the ease in wearing the outfit while keeping the ethnicity of Pakistani culture.
Talking about the market competition, let’s not forget the growing number of designers in the field of lawn suits as Pakistan’s cotton lawn industry is considered to be the most money-making field in the textile industry. Keeping in mind the growing culture of “lawn fever,” brands like Waniya, Bin Saeed, Zara Ali and Javed Arts are also part of creating lawn suits in Pakistan. These smaller brands count more on their low prices and some on their stolen designs just to maintain their position in the highly competitive market. The advertising campaigns begin with the start of spring and all the billboards are decorated with the variety of lawn designs.
Even though there is a strong competitive market for lawn suits, the high-end brands facilitate their audiences with unique color palettes and designs. Designers like Sana Safinaz , Baroque, Charizma and many other names play a pivotal role in keeping the lawn fashion of Pakistan alive. That’s how Pakistan’s lawn has modified throughout the times and kept its value by giving exclusive designs to fulfill the demands of its audiences worldwide.