Pakistani fashion has seen its fair share of trends that make the cut each year and become the code on which each designer or brand works through every season. But there is one that seems to have grabbed the attention of the youth and the seasoned alike, more than ever before – and that is streetwear.

Gone are the days when a hop to the mall just meant grabbing traditional high-street, which the likes of Khaadi, Sana Safinaz, and Sapphire had complete control over. Now, with the digital revolution being lived as we speak, there are a multitude of ‘streetwear’ options outside of the mall if not just within that are being considered the en-trend spaces to visit and choose your new look from.

With this change around us, it’s no surprise that this rise has meant that more and more brands are now tapping into the virgin market where street fashion quite literally translates into fame and fortune that once only belonged to the international players of fashion.

Which brands are helming this fashion revolution the best? Let’s explore…

HEF Clothing

If you have not been living under a rock for the past few years, there’s a chance you’ve seen the ‘Karachi VS Everybody’ T-shirts being festooned by hundreds, if not thousands of Karachi’ites. For that, you have to thank HEF Clothing which created its own niche in the streetwear trend. The quirky, tongue-in-cheek references intertwined with an easy aesthetic gave birth to a brand that made celebrities like Mahira Khan and Mawra Hocane to every influencer on the street endorse HEF.

Rastah

If an endorsement in Vogue means anything to you, it won’t be difficult to understand how big Rastah has become. A brand that has continuously created waves with its Lahore-grunge meets Pakistani/Sufi/Craft aesthetic, Rastah has come up as a home-grown brand with an international appeal. Be it Sonam Kapoor and her siblings across the border who cannot stop talking about the brand or their enticing ode to Pakistani craft, Rastah is the best representation of what Pakistani streetwear has to offer today.

LAMA

The best-kept secret of Lahore which has slowly become the latest rumour to spread, LAMA is Lahori fashionista’s new go-to place. The buzz around their store is quite visible if visited on a busy evening, and that just goes to show how it has become the ZARA of the Mughal city. Their crisp aesthetics and a focus on providing minimal yet eclectic pieces are quickly making it into a hotspot of streetwear that is not all neons and shiny materials, rendering it the place to be.

Naqees

A market that relatively has newer names competing with those established a few years ago that already carved their niches, streetwear is the latest battleground for fashion, and a brand like Naqees is a godsent. Playing to the aesthetics that the millennials easily define as their fashion choice, Naqees offers a mix of the international and traditional in one. The creatively done pieces which feature Urdu typography onto cuts that are truly contemporary, a new form of confluence between the east and the west is created – and it’s so en-vogue!

Outfitters

Amidst the more ‘indie’ names, there is one that is truly the pioneer of the fashion scene in Pakistan. Outfitters. Starting off as yet another brick in the wall when it came to western fashion in Pakistan, Outfitters today, defines the markets. They have grown to become the giant of fast fashion within the country, and today, whether their designs are knock-offs of international brands or their own well-thought-of pieces, they have become the easiest cost-effective option for millions of Pakistanis across metropolitans.

9Lines

Pakistani brands are often known to play within the safe boundaries they are used to, but, not 9Lines! Tapping into the ‘market’ with their constant focus on going the funky, eclectic, and OTT (over the top) way, 9Lines has become a success story one cannot depict the narrative of streetwear without. They have been on the runway with pieces that went from poking fun at influencers by saying ‘Blogger Hoon’ to being a one-stop shop for everything pop, and they have only seen the brand go bigger each year.