8 I October 07 - October 13, 2012
10 I October 07 - October 13, 2012
12 I October 07 - October 13, 2012
14 I October 07 - October 13, 2012
16 I October 07 - October 13, 2012
18 I October 07 - October 13, 2012
20 I October 07 - October 13, 2012
22 I October 07 - October 13, 2012
24 I October 07 - October 13, 2012
28 I October 07 - October 13, 2012
Interview
Life as she knows it… By Sumeha Khalid
P
akistanis have always been a fashion conscious nation in their own way. Rewind to the 1930s-40s and we had Mohammad Ali Jinnah who with his signature Jinnah cap and sherwani or decked up in a three-piece Savile Row suits. And then of course our very own petite Fatima Jinnah draped in the confines of a smartly structured gharara or something equally regal. Fast forward to the present and fashion is as much a part of our lives today as is any other commodity. In recent years though, there has been a real boom in the fashion industry and as a result people in general have started to make an effort with clothes and grooming. And that is where expert designers like Nida Azwer come in. Nida hails from that breed of new designers who have reinvented fashion with their fresh, innovative ideas. Azwer has been designing and working in fashion under the aegis of her eponymous label since 2005. Her atelier includes a Prêt a Porter line, Haute Couture and Bridal lines. In 1998 Azwer was nominated for Lux Style Awards for Best Emerging Talent; and won the best designer award at the Nesvita Women of Strength Awards in 2009. In September, she launched at PFDC Delhi and in Ensemble Dubai. In a recent interview with Lounge, Nida Azwer shared about her latest endeavours and life as she knows it.
36 I October 07 - October 13, 2012
Nida Azwer Excerpts:
Q: What’s happening on the work front currently? A: I just launched my label at PFDC Delhi India and Dubai Ensemble. I’m working on my bridal and Pret a Porter collections for the coming season. I might be taking part in the fashion weeks coming up in October. I have been expanding and might be doing some store launches in future. Q: What kind of a fall/ winter collection should we be expecting from Nida Azwer this season? A: My upcoming collection has a mix of jackets, izars and our classic signature angharakas. My formal and bridals have a lot of gold, emerald green and navy blue in them. Q: What will be different/ new in your upcoming line? A: In my new collection I have opted for a metallic
colour palette while the cuts will be a bit tapered. Q: What is the focal point of your new collection? A: Each outfit from my formal/bridal collection will give you a feel of a classic, elegant surface of gold and silver. It will be like revisiting a bygone era with some modern inf luences of course. Q: What is that extra that your brand offers? A: We believe in using the finest of materials available - be it fabric, embellishment or printing. A Nida Azwer client is well aware of the fact that she is getting a classy, elegant outfit in the finest of fabrics. Q: What’s your take on the myriad fashion weeks? A: I think it is a good beginning especially for the new designers who get a chance to be in the spotlight which is an apt way of getting into the market. It’s a great platform to get your
brand out there. Q: How much have the fashion weeks contributed in the current fashion scene? A: All the fashion events have made a positive contribution towards increasing the fashion exposure and sensibilities of women. Most women are now ver y conscious about what they wear and how they wear it. I think the society is evolving as women are becoming more aware about dressing appropriately for particular occasions. Q: You have been actively participating in the various Fashion Weeks. Please tell us about your experience. Have they helped you in any way? A: Of course, they have. You open up to a much wider clientele both locally and internationally. As a result of these, I have expanded my clientele to the Middle East and across the border. Though I am based in Karachi, my brand is ver y much in demand in Lahore and Islamabad now because of these fashion weeks. Q: What are the strengths and weaknesses of our industr y? A: The beautiful and intricate craftsmanship in Pakistan is one of the biggest strengths we have and is our claim to fame. The industr y creates job opportunities for many people. Like any growing industr y, we too face difficulties and have weaknesses - the tricky situation in the countr y doesn’t help much either.
Q: Is fashion in Pakistan going in the right direction? A: Yes fashion is heading in the right direction, especially in terms of experimenting with new ideas, cuts and colours. I think we give our clients the best which are in line with both the local and international fashion trends. Q: Where do you seek inspiration from, for your designs? A: I take inspiration from my surroundings. It can be anything at all - nature, artifacts or even architecture. A few of my collections were inspired by the Mughal architecture. Q: What is a normal day for you like? A: I wake up and rush to work; have a full fun day there. My evenings are generally spent with my family and friends. Q: With so much happening on the professional front how do you manage to strike a balance between professional and personal life? A: I tr y my best to switch off my mind from work the minute I leave my office. My family loves to take short holidays, so I often end up holidaying with them. Q: Whose your favourite model and why? A: On the local front, Ayyan is quite good. She’s a real professional and it’s a pleasure working with her. Internationally it would have to be Cindy Crawford - she’s still so elegant. Q: Your favourite designers and why?
A: Bunto aunty - she knows her work so well. And internationally it has to be Thomas Maier – I love the detail in his work. Q: Name the person/s without whom you could not have come this far? A: My parents. Q: What does it take to stay on top of your game? A: To be on top of your work at all times. Q: If not a designer then what would you have been today? A: I really don’t know. I had always wanted to be a designer, and that’s what I ended up becoming. So haven’t thought about that really! Q: Who would you love to dress up? A: Queen Rania. Q: What do you wear the most? A: I go to work in a kurta paired with pants and I spend most of my day in the same attire. Q: What is your personal signature style? A: Classic, chic. Q: One mistake our women make when dressing up? A: Unfortunately, in most cases, women feel that unless they put on layers of foundation and make-up they don’t look good. It’s their overdone makeup which makes them look bad. Q: Some advice you would like to dish out to the young, up and coming designers. A: Be sure of your work and give it your 100 percent.
October 07 - October 13, 2012 I 37
38 I October 07 - October 13, 2012
October 07 - October 13, 2012 I 39
TAG HEUER
hits the road again with Shah Rukh Khan
O
n the occasion of the brand completing a decade of operations in India, TAG Heuer at a press conference in Mumbai at Taj Lands End, on 6th August 2012, announced the renewal of its association with brand ambassador Shah Rukh Khan. Having completed nine years of his affiliation with TAG Heuer, this renewal marks a remarkable journey of growth and evolution for both the brand as well as the brand ambassador. Having only a handful of point of sale in just two cities in 2003, TAG Heuer is now present in more than 92 point of sale across 27 cities and 7 exclusive boutiques based in New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai. Besides being an integral part of the ad
campaigns, Shah Rukh Khan made TAG Heuer a special part of his films as well while growing from strength to strength as the King of Bollywood, the highlight being the SRK Monaco 69 Limited Edition launched by TAG Heuer in the film Don. On this special occasion, Franck Dardenne, General Manager TAG Heuer India and brand ambassador Shah Rukh Khan launched the latest T A G Heuer ‘Carrera
40 I October 07 - October 13, 2012
1887 Elegance’ collection, which is the most significant product launch for the brand in 2012. Motor racing has always been the inspiration of the Carrera series, but watchmaking savoir-faire has driven it forward. The Carrera Calibre 1887 Chronograph is the most recent example of its avant-garde position. This movement is TAG Heuer’s first highvolume fully integrated column-wheel chronograph movement produced inhouse featuring 50-hour power reserve, vibrating 28’800 times per hour and made of 320 components. This new Carrera 1887 collection will be seen in the latest print campaign of TAG Heuer, which was revealed on the same occasion. Photographed by Ace Photographer Atul Kasbekar, this is Shah Rukh Khan’s fourth print campaign with TAG Heuer – the first three being in 2003,
2006 and 2009. In 2010 he also shot for the brand’s first India television advertising campaign. In line with its innovative theme for the year “Time for Rebels”, TAG Heuer shot the new ad campaign worldwide to capture the Beautiful Rebel in Brand Ambassadors Leonardo Di Caprio, Maria Sharapova and Shah Rukh Khan. Brand Ambassador Shah Rukh Khan commented, “TAG Heuer and I have grown together and it is personally a very special association for me. It’s been a fantastic journey with TAG Heuer and hope to continue achieving more milestones going forward. It’s really a great feeling to be part of four print campaigns of TAG Heuer and a special India TVC. The concept of this new campaign which is ‘beautiful rebels’ has a gentleness to it yet it has the toughness of TAG Heuer, which is what appeals to me the most.” Franck Dardenne – General Manager, TAG Heuer India said “Shah Rukh Khan has been THE face of TAG Heuer in India since 2003. The fit is perfect; we speak about “beautiful rebels”, we stand for “strength and beauty”; Shah Rukh Khan corresponds perfectly. Look at those past mottos on the advertising visuals; “what are you made of?”, “history begins every morning”; I am amazed seeing the perfect fit of our watches, TAG Heuer and Shah Rukh Khan. It is the case on visuals, it is the case in life; beyond an ambassador, he is a genuine friend of the Brand!” About TAG Heuer Founded in Saint-Imier in 1860 by Edouard Heuer, TAG Heuer has set many major milestones of high-end watchmaking, especially in the field of chronographs and ultimate precision. Today, one of the largest and most desired brands in the luxury watch industry, the Swiss legend draws upon
its active engagement in the world of sports to create the most accurate timing instruments and watches in the world. TAG Heuer is the first watchmaker to master luxury chronographs with an unsurpassed precision of 1/10th, 1/100th, 1/1000th and 1/10,000th of a second. From the Olympic Games in the 1920s to its role as official timekeeper for Formula One in the 1990s and the legendary Indy 500 race today, TAG Heuer, in a constant quest for innovation, excellence, performance and prestige, continues to aim ever higher. This is reflected in its partnerships with F1 team Vodafone McLaren Mercedes and its World Champions Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button, Audi Sport in the Le Mans 24 Hours endurance race, and the Automobile Club de Monaco with the prestigious Monaco Grand Prix. Now actively engaged in the Monaco Grand Prix, the Le Mans 24 and the Indy 500, TAG Heuer is ‘’Mastering Speed’’ on motorsport’s 3 most iconic racetracks. In 2011, the brand signed on as Official Watch and Timing Partner of the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), and as Official Watch and Eyewear onboard Oracle Racing’s bid to defend its title in the world’s oldest sporting event — the America’s Cup yachting competition. More than ever, the brand epitomizes prestige and performance through active partnerships with Hollywood icon Leonardo DiCaprio, Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan, LPGA star Suzann Pettersen and WTA tennis champion Maria Sharapova. TAG Heuer is a privileged member of the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie (FHH), the most exclusive club in the Swiss watchmaking industry. TAG Heuer has been recognized for its responsible watchmaking practices by the Responsible Jewellery Council,
which awarded the brand with full RJC Member Certification in 2011. The newest additions to the TAG Heuer legacy are: the Calibre 1887, an in-house, Swiss manufactured, integrated column-wheel chronograph movement that pays tribute to the original Heuer oscillating pinion of 1887, one of the brand’s first patents and a major benchmark in modern watchmaking; The TAG HEUER CARRERA 1887 CHRONOGRAPH, named the 2010 Swiss Watch of the Year in the Grand Prix de l’Horlogerie de Genève’s prestigious “La Petite Aiguille” (“Small Hand”) category; and the Heuer Carrera Mikrograph 1/100th Second Chronograph, the first ever column wheel integrated mechanical chronograph with 1/100th of a second display by a central hand, which pays tribute to the legendary Heuer Mikrograph stopwatch of 1916. At BaselWorld 2011, TAG Heuer unveiled the TAG Heuer Mikrotimer Flying 1000, the only mechanical chronograph to measure and display the 1/1000th of a second. The technological marvel was named the “2011 Swiss Watch of the Year” in the Grand Prix de l’Horlogerie de Genève’s prestigious “Sport” category, and the SIAR (Latin America’s most prestigious watchmaking award) “Best Concept of the Year”. TAG Heuer was also awarded in 2011 by REVOLUTION leading watch magazine both the « Best Sportswatch » and « Best Achievement » prizes. In January 2012, TAG Heuer pushed innovation further than science dreamed possible with the TAG HEUER MIKROGIRDER Concept: a 5/10,000th of a second chronograph beating at 1000 Hz or 7,200,000 beats per hour. TAG Heuer also announced in March a new ambassador, Hollywood star Cameron Diaz, who will support the new LINK LADY collection.
October 07 - October 13, 2012 I 41
Recipe
Weight Watchers
Parmesan Chicken
Cutlets
Ingredients: 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated 2 tablespoons dried Italian seasoned breadcrumbs 1/8 teaspoon paprika 1 teaspoon dried parsley 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 pound)
Directions: 1 Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 2 In resealable plastic bag, combine cheese, crumbs and all seasonings; shake well. 3 Transfer mixture to plate; dip each chicken breast in cheese mixture, turning to coat all sides. 4 Arrange on nonstick baking sheet. 5 Bake until chicken is cooked through, 20-25 minutes. 6 4 points per serving.
42 I October 07 - October 13, 2012
Books
The Asiatic
Capitalism A commendable exercise on the theme the book dilates upon By Syed Afsar Sajid
T
aimur Rahman is an academic, teaching political science at LUMS. As a political ideologue, he has socialist leanings and diverts to music also as a spokesperson of the popular band from Pakistan called Laal – singing socialist and political songs especially on the poetry of Faiz, Jalib and Faraz. His thesis on the mode of production and class structure of Pakistan is stated to be based on ‘the framework of historical materialism’. He thinks that this
b o o k , completed over a period of four years, could inf luence and change s o m e common perceptions regarding c l a s s dif ference and social status in the context of the Asiatic
‘The class structure of Pakistan is characterized by Asiatic capitalism, with the non-agricultural sector of the economy dominated by petty commodity production and small-scale capitalism’ 44 I October 07 - October 13, 2012
The Class Structure of Pakistan By Taimur Rahman Publisher: Oxford University Press, Karachi Pages: 302; Price: Rs.995/-
mode of production (AMP) that he considers ‘more consistent with the historical evidence of the Mughal Jagirdari system’. Besides an exhaustive Introduction, the instant book comprises five chapters titled: 1. Feudalism or the Asiatic Mode of Production; 2. AMP, Colonial Path, and Asiatic Capitalism in South Asia; 3. Agrarian Class Relations in Pakistan; 4. Industrial Relations, and 5. Conclusion. The premises as conceived by the author for this study are: mode of production and class, class, and format of the argument. Chapter 1 seeks to review oriental writing as well as the literature on AMP which is purported to demonstrate these features – ‘natural economy, absence of private property in land, public works as the basis of the state, and surplus extraction by the state’. The second chapter deals with ‘objections and critiques’ relating to these features. It also discusses ‘the specific path of the transition to capitalism in South Asia’ involving foreign domination, diversion of the surplus and planting of capitalism upon the AMP. Chapter 3 is meant to analyze the evidence on the concept of Asiatic capitalism within the agro-political economy in today’s Pakistan. The final chapter is aimed to sift ‘the empirical evidence for the existence of Asiatic capitalism in the industrial sector’. The study arguably bears a definitive Marxist slant which stipulates ‘a materialist understanding of societal development, taking at its starting point the necessary economic activities required by human society to provide for its material needs’. The formal liquidation of the ‘Politburo’ governance in the former Soviet Union and its consequential disintegration into numerous sovereignties on December 25, 1991 was a great blow to the hopes of revolutionaries espousing Marxism, premier (198891) Mikhail Gorbachev’s glasnostperestroika notwithstanding. Earlier on, Joe Slovo (192695), the famed South African Communist Party leader and an anti-Apartheid front-liner, in an
article published in 1989, had prognosticated that socialism itself had not failed but that it must develop a real democracy reassuring “basic rights and freedoms of organization, speech, thought, press, movement, residence, conscience and religion; full trade union rights for all workers including the right to strike, and one person one vote in free and democratic elections”, to which may also be added free flow of honest information epitomizing the culture of peace as opposed to the culture of war culminating into the fateful break-up. The author is of the view that ‘the class structure of Pakistan is characterized by Asiatic capitalism, with the non-agricultural sector of the economy dominated by petty commodity production and small-scale capitalism’. How shall we reconcile all this to the ‘culture of peace’ pre-empting such eventualities, in future? It would be pertinent here to quote Lenin, the Russian Marxist theoretician and revolutionary, in this context: “The discovery of the materialist conception of history, or rather, the consistent continuation and extension of materialism into the domain of social phenomenon, removed two chief defects of earlier historical theories. In the first place, they at best examined only the ideological motives of the historical activity of human beings, without grasping the objective laws governing the development of the system of social relations… in the second place, the earlier theories did not cover the activities of the masses of the population, whereas historical materialism made it possible for the first time to study with the accuracy of the natural sciences the social conditions of the life of the masses and the changes in these conditions.” The book is thus a commendable exercise on the theme it dilates upon. Its natural corollary ‘the class struggle in Pakistan’ is understood to be in the pipeline. The duo will only complete the avowed goal of the present study.
The study arguably bears a definitive Marxist slant which stipulates ‘a materialist understanding of societal development, taking at its starting point the necessary economic activities required by human society to provide for its material needs’
October 07 - October 13, 2012 I 45
Art
Art
in the
Mughal
Era
By Nadeem Alam
T
he Mughal School of Painting is taken as a style par excellence in the history of illustrated manuscripts within the subcontinent. Two remarkable patrons of art were the two gorgeous emperors, happened to be the father and son in relationship; Akbar the Great and Jahangir. Akbar considered artists as godlike figures who, through their creations, could embark on a stage where they could make others happy or sad. This shows the inclination of the great King to have managed to have Navratana (the nine jewels), a group of nine outstanding people comprised of geniuses of diverse art-forms, skills and branches of knowledge. Among these nine jewels, Tansen, Abu al-Fazal, Birbal and Faizy are well known, other than those, who are not much famous but are equal in status. The Mughals are considered to be “the torch bearer� of colossal architecture with ornate and floral motifs, attributed to the basic
concept of paradise with only sacred fauna and flora to be found there. Historically, in South Asia, the rockcut narrow style of architecture has been a mark of distinction under the Hindu influences. There has been an obsession to erect temples of monstrous height with abundance of figurative sculptures, in and around these sanctuaries. This figurative sculpture has expressed a great level of devotion and fervor towards iconographic nature of religious doctrine of the inhabitants of this land. The Mughals, contrary to this traditional style, introduced wide, fortified, naturally illumine structures with the special cooling and ventilating system accomplished by virtue of water and air. The homegrown attitude of figurative representation, accredited to Hindus, was also voguish in painting in this part of the world. The Jains in compassionate relation with Tirthankaras, of which Mahavira was the last one, painted their figures in order to elaborate the religious texts like Kalpasutra. This sort of painting was famous in
46 I October 07 - October 13, 2012
Gujarat and Karnataka. However, the main issue was to publish the scripture as the intention was to elaborate the writings; pictures of religious figures were crafted at the border of the page that, with the passage of time, strengthened its place at the center, after receiving popularity and acceptance from the elites and the commons. This tradition was later adopted by the Hindus in rendering of their pictorial scriptures like, Mahabharata, Ramayana, Gita Govinda and Bhagvatgita Purana. Other than religious librettos, some secular stories also acquired a proper place in this illustrative convention. The Ragmalas, royal love-stories and adventurous lives of travelers, and knights were also in fashion by the time when the Mughals occupied this terra firma. The Mughals were already in the practice of recording sacred characters and events owing to the great Persian tradition of miniature painting which, in Safvid period, had seen its zenith. The people of South Asia, never stopped anyone from coming to this
land, taking it up, and rule! The Aryans, the Greeks, the Persians, the Muslims and the Britons, all enjoyed the fertility of this soil and the wealth of its mines. Zaheeruddin Babur, the first of the Mughals, entered from the western side and after defeating Ibrahim Lodhi, captured Delhi to make this area a crucible of diverse influences. In painting, already existing miniature tradition assimilated itself with the influences, the Mughals brought with them from the rich lands of Persia. The Mughals had a liberal and secular approach, especially during and after the regime of Akbar until Shahjahan. This fact played a pivotal role in the development of various art forms under their patronage. Akbar was a great admirer of the indigenous music, dance, cuisine and costumes. He even honored a Rajput woman Jodha Bai as his queen, although this act had its unique place in history as a diplomatic ploy by the great emperor. During the epoch of the Mughals, the Ragmalas with the mythology and anecdotes of Rama and Sita and Krishna, were painted. This style of painting
emerged as an amalgmation of the Persian and South Asian painting styles. This is how the Persian painting tradition reached here in this part of the world. Khwaja Abd al-Samad and Mir Musavir, two mammoth icons of the art of illustration, established a school of Persian style painting. These two artists actually reached here in the company of Humayun when he recaptured South Asia on his return from his exile in Persia. Other than indigenous stories, the royal patrons also commissioned the illustrations depicting their own court-life, battle scenes and huntexpeditions; Babur Nama, Akbar Nama, T u z k - e Jahangiri and Pa d s h a n a m a are few examples of this series that were painted repeatedly. On the other hand, famous fables like Kalila-o Dimna and Anwar-e Sahili were also illustrated time and again in different p e r i o d s . Whereas, Hamza Nama, Tuti Nama,
Razm Nama and Bustan-i Sa’di, became the popular collection, that was commissioned by the Mughals. Critically speaking, what the Mughals brought to South Asia was not just the Persian influence, but there could be found traces of Chinese and Japanese technique and sway as well that the Mughals were acquainted with. These influences are obvious in Hamzanama, furnished under the Mughals, where one could find very colorful renderings of Dragons, an imaginary character of the Chinese Mythology. The making of rocks in the back or foregrounds also reminds the Japanese style adopted years ago in their woodcuts. In addition to rocks, the depiction of whirling waves of river or sea also takes one back to those woodcuts which, even inspired Vincent Van Gogh at Netherlands, especially in his
October 07 - October 13, 2012 I 47
whirling-brush technique. The Mughals were successors of the Mongols; the Chinese influence could be ascribed to them as an indispensable disposition of their genetics. But the interesting thing was that the local schools of painting, that were on hype in Rajasthan and Gujarat got enriched by the Mughal style when the detail of the green flora and grass was put against the blazing reds of Gujarat and soothing blues of Rajasthan. Akbar, who was in close relations with the Rajputs of Vijaynagar, condescended this blend in order to promote his doctrine of secular ideology. The Mughal court was rich and stable in terms of economic condition during Akbar’s era after acquiring most of the land that was available to rule over. Therefore, the royal activity regarding music, dance, literature and painting was on full swing. An atelier, including renowned painters and artisans, was always in existence in the royal courts to perform artistic duties as well as to record important royal activities. That atelier worked as a team even on one painting, causing the reason that we could not find the name or signature of one artist on most of the paintings of that era,
and you may find many fabulous miniatures in anonymity. During the Mughal period, the aim of art, besides traditional and religious epics, was basically to record events of political, social and royal nature, therefore, the Mughal art has often been labeled as of photographic nature. The lavish royal life was to be portrayed, and the already existing art of illustrative manuscripts suited this longing of the Persian blueblood of the Mughal Royals. It resulted as a profusion, at a large scale, of that style of art. When Britons discovered the golden land of India, western style of painting was one of the effects, they ceased upon the Mughal court. The crucible land of South Asia became enriched with court-scenes composed in triangular compositions and with a raised eye level. Although, the cutout and perspective techniques were already there in the local style, however, it was not as precise in its application as it was in the western world of art. So, we could have a profound look into the tradition of Mughal Painting getting evolved from the early illustrated manuscripts, carrying the influence of the Persian Safvid tradition, to the modern techniques of composition, especially with reference to perspective and outlook. As a result, the Mughal painting accomplished a native style by giving a picture of the Indian flora and fauna like the Mango, Banyan, and Pipal trees and the portrayal of the black bear, found only in Kashmir. Pictures of birds, cows and monkeys rather than portraying blossoming plums, peaches and amber foliage of Persia, speaks of
48 I October 07 - October 13, 2012
the western inspirations that the Mughal painting absorbed slowly but steadily. Mansur, a distinguished painter of Jahangir’s court, put the art of illustrating animal, birds and flowers at cloud nine owing to his detailed and meticulous exposé of a natural world. It was a rare, perhaps the first wildlife venture in the South Asia in terms of record and depiction of the plant and the animal kingdoms. Undoubtedly, the Mughal painting has absorbed local and far-off influences, but this phenomenon applies on every single style around the globe and is considered as the essential part of any great evolution of art. The Mughal painting is one example of alteration and evolution, especially in the field of illustrated manuscripts. After the fall of the Mughal Empire, the painting tradition sought patronage on the hills. The painters of the Mughal court provided the foundation to a new style of painting at the hill courts; the Pahari Style of Painting. (Nadeem Alam teaches Art-History at the University College of Art and Design, Lahore. He is a Researcher, Art-Historian and Art-Critic, with a special interest in Western Art, South Asian Art and Art in Pakistan. Email: nadeem.cad@pu.edu.pk)
World renowned brand The Body Shop has been around for quite some time now. Having established branches in a quite a few cities of Pakistan and multiple outlets in Karachi, the latest to be launched was “Pulse” - a new store concept at Forum Shopping Mall. A cake-cutting ceremony, with Faakhir and other celebrities like Nadia Hussain, Ayesha Omar, etc. had been organized to lend festivity to the event. The tag line of Body Shop “Pulse” is “Look good, feel good and do good! Do good stemming from the fact that they are
considered an ethical brand that does not believe in animal testing. Sahring thoughts with the guests and media, Anita Ali, The Body Shop media representative said: “We know that our brand delivers more than just beauty. It delivers a beautiful lifestyle.” “Pulse” is an interesting store concept. This new concept reflects the core values of the brand more prominently; and some interesting facts we would like to share with our readers are: • Pulse store aims at reducing store impact on environment even further by replacing fluorescent
lights in the fixture with LED strips. As per their researches, Pulse outlet energy consumption is reduced by 25%. • All the fixtures and wooden material used inside the stores are approved by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and that guarantees that the trees harvested are the ones that regenerate naturally. • From ingredients to the final products, none of them are being tested on animals and are 100% halal. PR and event management was by Asif Nicky of the Xecuter.
October 07 - October 13, 2012 I 49
50 I October 07 - October 13, 2012