Western culture mixed with Eastern Lawn – The future of Designer Lawn is now.
Flashing lights, top models and vibrant colors, you think you might have stepped on the red carpet of a movie premier, this is simply not. Although you do wonder the same, as you drive along the main areas of the city of lights “Karachi” and seem to find the oh-so captivating faces eyeing you with suggestive smiles on their faces. No, you are simply not the lucky groom to be, though good chances are that you’ll most probably end up buying a Sana Safinaz or Asim Jofa for your mother, sister or soul mate. Yes, indeed the roads of Karachi showcase the gallery of “New Summer Lawn Collection” where each designer goes to great lengths to display their lawn, yet so little, as almost 75 % of the OOH is conquered by the faces and postures of females. Many big business owners or managers question about the success of billboard marketing and the return on their investment in any way possible. Across the world companies do rely on sex appeal to market their products, as it entices one of the deepest human desires.
Parallel to how other Pakistani’s have diverse opinion on religious aspects and schools of thought, designers also have different ways of advertising their designer collections. In a recent interview Haider Khan, Group Brand Manager of J. talked about being Soully East and a Shari’ah complaint brand by not displaying images of women on their advertisements. Other designers however come from a much more liberal school of thought and epitomize every aspect of femininity to create brand affinity. Slim bodies, attractive caricatured faces representing the personification of fair maidenhood with a Barbie doll emergence to win hearts in their view, best serves the objective of ratings.
The eastern lawn brands have taken the lead from the western labels, in defining the very image of beauty and boldness. Such display of attractiveness and intimacy is coherent with the ideas of freedom of expression for women. The once down to earth fully cultured girl no longer seems as a successful woman, yet the society seems to associate power and success with women who display such candor in their dressing. The sights with flashy LED lights increases glamour, exoticism and attraction making it a must watch. The same ads may be termed as “vulgar” for a number of people displaying bare-shouldered or backless top women. Couple of years ago, a billboard placed in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, one of the towns in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan, had a banner with slogan, “Kaprey Baicho, Gerat Nahe” or “Sell clothes, not your dignity”. No one knows who was responsible for placing the hoarding; some claims made previously stated unknown women’s groups. On another occasion in the upscale Jinnah Super market of Islamabad, faces of women on advertisements were defaced.
The future of such campaigns and its decency is still unknown. In the coming years we shall witness which school of thought overcomes another, will our children see more revealing advertisements or Shari’ah complaint brands would take over or will it continue to be dispersed as it currently is. Big fishes in the industry believe that their name sells more than anything, so let’s ask them a question, why should we choose western culture, where glamour is sold instead of clothes?