A meeting was chaired by His Excellency President Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Dr. Arif Alvi at the Governor House, Lahore regarding the promotion and projection of Pakistan’s stature and image in the international fashion industry.
This was a second in a series of meetings being conducted on this subject. The participants of the meeting included Director General (TDAP) Punjab, Ministry of Commerce, Patron in Chief APTMA, Vice Chancellors of the premier fashion institutes such as NCA and PIFD, and the top fashion designers from Punjab.
The President gave the opening remarks and stressed the need for projecting Pakistan’s soft image by reviving our heritage through utilizing the top talent of the fashion designing industry and developing their linkages with the industry.
He narrated his experience of his recent visit to Turkey which led him to focus on the need for placing importance to Pakistan’s “intangible culture wealth”. He was of the opinion that as long as marketing strategies are not employed to project Pakistan’s cultural wealth and soft image, the dream to put Pakistan on the global map would remain elusive. The role of the fashion industry, according to him, is of paramount importance in this regard.
The First lady Ms. Samina Alvi elaborated on the concept presented by the President, following which the participants presented their views and ideas for collaboration and image development of Pakistan by the fashion and garments sector. This was followed by a brief discussion and Q & A session with the President.
The meeting ended on a positive note with a firm resolve to materialize the ideas and suggestions put forward by the participants. In the end, the President graciously thanked all the participants for ensuring their presence.