Photos and words by Kim Tran
Omar Mansoor is a London-based designer, celebrated for his fusion of Eastern and Western aesthetics in couture occasionwear. He is also known for being the first Pakistani designer to be shown at London Fashion Week, which he accomplished in 2008.
Born into a textile family in Faisalabad, Pakistan, Mansoor’s taste for fashion took root early, as he was surrounded by weaving and embroidery that would later define his work. Mansoor’s work has gained recognition from publications such as British Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar, and worn by European aristocracy, Middle Eastern royalty, and celebrities at events from Royal Ascot to Paris Fashion Week.
His career
The biggest learning curve for Mansoor was 2011, when his collection at the time was garnering zero sales. What he learnt was: “Not everything I like should be on the market or the rack, I have to go with the market demands and I need to do my research from WGSN to see the trend forecasting.”
Mansoor recently marked his New York runway debut earlier this month with his collection Lapis Lazuli. He explained how he felt from his first debut compared to his most recent one.
“The first show was like, yes I made it but now it’s about sustaining the brand. It’s about maintaining the balance of sales versus the image, sustainability and staying on the bandwagon. I feel good that we managed to maintain it.”
Representation in fashion
Mansoor is named by media as one of the first Pakistani designers on an international stage and when asked his thoughts on it, he said: “It something to show that I have made it, and opened doors for other Pakistani and South Asian designers to follow.”
Mansoor on the change of representation over the years. Credit: Molly Madden
On the topic of sample sizes and inclusivity, he said: “Sadly, the whole of industry and fashion weeks have been using inclusivity as a branding practice, not as a practice for sales. Overall, inclusivity have been slow and steady.”
Mansoor mentors students at the University of the Arts London and discusses why he does this: “Fashion is sadly very classist. The idea of doing mentoring was to get somebody who deserves to be there without knowing the class style of fashion industry. It’s a sad reality that fashion is super classist.”
Body Positivity as a marketing gimmick
Mansoor attended as a panelist at London Metropolitan University’s conference on ‘Beyond Body Positivity – Who Fits Fashion Now?’, and contributed to the discussions of the how it is used a marketing tool, how designers integrate body representation in their work and the slow pace of genuine industry change beyond performative gestures.
Mansoor about the impacts of injections in fashion. Credit: Kim Tran
During the panel Mansoor highlighted the issue with AI is: “AI does not remove diversity at any angle but the bias comes from the person giving the prompt.”
He also explained the difference between Eastern and Western fashion: ““Eastern fashion has a big silhouette and more people can fit into it, western silhouettes are more defined and shaped.”
On those in charge of fashion shows: “Inclusivity is there but the people who decide it aren’t there.” However, designers like Mansoor who encourage representation and mentoring students who don’t come from connections, allow more inclusivity in the fashion industry.
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