At the PFDC Sunsilk fashion week, Republic’s ‘Mediterranean Affair’ collection stood out for its immaculate presentation of the slick sophisticated modern man. There was classic cool with a delicious pallete of salmon pinks, dusty oranges and cobalt blues along with the archetypal white for the dandy hiding in all men. Safe is to say the retail brand Republic made its mark with a flawless showing that was fashion savvy as well as wearable. Here’s what compelled Omar Farooq the Creative Director to create a republic for men:
Where did the idea of Republic germinate from?
The idea came when I moved back to Pakistan from Dubai in 2007. I felt that in Pakistan you either find very expensive clothes for men or clothes of poor quality; there was no grey area in between these two extremes. I wanted to therefore start a luxury band but without charging the luxury brand prices. I wanted to create a brand for those men who love fashion and love to wear something extraordinary. For putting this vision into reality I needed the best possible set up in terms of a factory, quality suiting fabrics from Italy and cutting and pattern masters who would understand my sense of style and passion.
Omar Farooq, the brains behind Republic
What are the challenges of doing fashion savvy mens’ wear in Pakistan?
Mens wear is challenging and difficult since men don’t care about high fashion or luxury brands as such. Menswear is more about style than fashion. Women are more susceptible to fashion and trends and will carry a look if other women are doing so as well. Men carry their personality through their clothing. The price has to be just right. Although 99.9% marketing efforts do work, you can’t force a man to follow a trend just because someone else is doing so. Men like to be given options and then they make up their own mind.
What are your brand’s strengths?
Our main strength is trying to cater to the customers needs in the best possible way, Our brand follows fashion trends with a collective emphasis on quality fabric, stitching and affordability. If you combine these three essentials of a garment, you get the perfect package for the consumer. Luxury brands abroad manage to get the first two correct but have suffered with the crucial aspect of pricing which makes their products difficult to sell.
At the PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week in November 2010, Republic played with unconventional colours
You showcased your garments for the very first time at the PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week in November 2010. How was the doing a debut show at fashion week?
It was amazing! I had the best time ever! I was thinking of doing a solo show prior to fashion week but then decided to capitalize on fashion week instead since it gives me direct access to foreign buyers.
What did you learn from the fashion week experience?
The most important lesson I learnt was of how to put a collection together for the ramp. Its also crucial that a collection should always be wearable. Runway gimmicks can last only till the fashion week and cannot be sustained economically in the longer run in terms of sales.
How receptive are Pakistani men towards campaigning?
I have been very fond of doing regular campaigns and have discovered that men do respond well but you need to be very careful about what you want to portray. The Republic man has always been a strong well dressed, well groomed man since I believe that a well dressed man is a leader in his own way.
The super stylish HSY walked for Republic at fashion week
What is your direction/aims for this year for the brand?
We have several goals to achieve this year such as establishing an outlet in Islamabad. I truly believe that Islamabadis are the true connoisseurs of style. With the diplomatic community based there, the brand will do well there. We will be showcasing our winter 2011 collection at the PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week in March. Winter wear is a lot of fun since it allows for more experimentation with lots of layering. Then we will be showing at the Pitte Uomo fair in Florence which will help us garner international exposure and buyers.
What’s in store at the moment?
We are doing a special Cricket tee shirts line for the World Cup fever. The tees will be inspired by the cricketing legends and be done in an artistic way. Priced at Rs 999 these will be a definite hit with our clients. Last summer our sandals and shirts did exceptionally well since men who wear corporate suits prefer to wear shirts instead, although our cotton and linen suits do very well. Also recently there seems to be a trend that men have started to favour shirts over tee shirts.
