TDAP hosts ‘The Fashion Show’ as an extension of Texpo 2023 concludes on Day 02.

An extension of its 4^th International Textile and Leather Exhibition, TEXPO, the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) hosted the day-two of fashion show on 27^th May 2023 at the Expo Centre in Karachi.

Chief guests for the evening were Federal Secretary of Commerce Muhammad Sualeh Ahmad Faruqui, Chief Executive TDAP Zubair Motiwala, and Secretary TDAP Fareed Iqbal Qureshi.

An exclusive showcase for the media and foreign buyers, the event featured a treasure trove of designs, putting the spotlight on ready-to-wear, resort wear, and luxury pret items. All collections showcased at the event were exclusively curated with a focus on sustainable fashion, keeping in line with the theme of this year’s TEXPO, ‘Weaving the Way to Sustainability’.

The second day of the event offered collections by designers and design-houses Shamaeel Ansari, MEME, IVS, Almirah, The Pink Tree Company, Sanam Chaudhri, Parishae Adnan, Diners, Textile Institute of Pakistan (TIP), Spartan Athletics and Ali Xeeshan.

Shamaeel Ansari opened the show with her collection ‘Western Elegance: The Fusion of Cultures’, allowing the audience to step into a world of elegance and sophistication. Her showcase was followed by MEME’s ‘Streets of Barcelona’ – a fashion retail concept created in Barcelona that connects the brand with young, independent, cosmopolitan men and women of today. Students of the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture (IVS) presented a collection tapping different areas of sustainability, ranging from zero waste patterns to denim deconstruction, all the way to reviving cultural surface treatments.

Models strutted down the runway for Almirah in its ‘BOHO CHIC’ collection, a harmonious fusion of boho and modern aesthetics. Sanam Chaudhri presented her collection – a love letter to Sanam’s student self; when she was introduced to the techniques of clamp and resist dyeing, a process that has held its charm for its rustic purity ever since. House of Parishae led the charge with ‘Anatomy of Power’, inspired by a 1983 study on the dynamics of social power by John Kenneth Galbraith.

Textile Institute of Pakistan (TIP) sent models draped in ‘Ethnic Subcontinent’ – a western collection based on the history of clothing in the subcontinent that can be traced to the Indus Valley civilization or earlier. Ali Xeeshan closed the show with his collection, ‘Redefining Fashion in Pakistan’ – a sustainable high street collection featuring recycled materials and cotton, an essential part of Pakistan’s heritage.

The day-two of this fashion-gala was directed by Nubain Ali, boasted Dino Ali and Anoushey Ashraf as its red-carpet hosts.

TEXPO 2023 paid tribute to the textile and leather industries for their resilience in the fight against the impact of climate change on Pakistan. It hosted 300 plus exhibitors, international textile sourcing agents, Pakistan’s leading designers and industry specialists from around the world, all while reflecting offerings ranging from leather garments, footwear, cotton, readymade garments, home textiles, denim, knitwear, sportswear, among others.

Buyers from Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, China, Japan, Columbia, Egypt, France, Germany, Iran, among others, attended the TEXPO this year. While buyers from 48 non-traditional markets and 286 new consumers registered.

Top international brands registered for the event include Smiffys, Royce Too LLC, Pem-America’s INC, Komex and Faro (Poland) – apparel and home textiles, Action (Netherlands), C&A (Germany) – apparel chain, French Connection (UK) – apparel chain, El Corte Ingles (Spain) – departmental stores, Essenza Home (Netherlands) – Tchaikovsky Textile (Russia), among others.

Official media partner for TEXPO 2023 was Hum TV, while the official radio partner was FM91. event management and Public Relations (PR) of TEXPO 2023 was handled by Take II.

TDAP hosts ‘The Fashion Show’ as an extension of Texpo 2023 – Day 01.

An extension of its 4^th International Textile and Leather Exhibition, TEXPO, the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) hosted ‘The Fashion Show (Day-01)’ on 26^th May 2023 at the Expo Centre in Karachi. Welcoming the who’s who of the fashion world, the event is set to be a two-day fashion extravaganza, closing on 27^th May 2023.

Chief guests for the evening were Federal Secretary of Commerce Muhammad Sualeh Ahmad Faruqui, Chief Executive TDAP Zubair Motiwala, and Secretary TDAP Fareed Iqbal Qureshi.

An exclusive showcase for the media and foreign buyers, the event featured a treasure trove of designs, putting the spotlight on ready-to-wear, resort wear, and luxury pret items. All collections showcased at the event were exclusively curated with a focus on sustainable fashion, keeping in line with the theme of this year’s TEXPO, ‘Weaving the Way to Sustainability’.

The first day of the event offered collections by designers and design-houses Rizwan Beyg, Adnan Pardesy, J., Huma Adnan, Sana Safinaz, Wardha Saleem, Salt by Ideas, AIFD, M Jaferjees, House of Aamna Aqeel and Deepak Perwani.

Rizwan Beyg opened the show, followed by Adnan Pardesy, who lit up the runway with his ‘Roshnai’. A modern take on a classic fabric, the collection pushed the boundaries of what denim can be. A standout piece from the collection was a metal corset painstakingly created by the designer himself. Huma Adnan presented ‘Tolerance’ – a collection of beauty born of cross-cultural expression. Standing firm on her belief in cause-based fashion, Huma Adnan’s designs were representative of cultures adopted in a sustainable way.

Sana Safinaz presented ‘Raya’, a curation of 11 unique designs redefining monochrome couture with silhouettes that fuse timeless forms, draped in layers of mystical embroidered textures and glimmer. Salt by Ideas unveiled ‘Sleek-Spectra’, inspired by the allure of structural and boxy silhouettes and the expressive power of neon colors. M Jafferjees’ ‘Resort 2023’, showcased an array of timeless classics that blend traditional values with modern sensibilities. House of Deepak Perwani closed the show with its collection ‘Starry starry night’, a minimal diffusion collection with silhouettes blending eastern and western fashion with subtle embellishment on lux fabrics.

The day-one of this fashion-gala was directed by Nubain Ali, boasted Dino Ali and Anoushey Ashraf as its red-carpet hosts.

TEXPO 2023 paid tribute to the textile and leather industries for their resilience in the fight against the impact of climate change on Pakistan. It hosted 300 plus exhibitors, international textile sourcing agents, Pakistan’s leading designers and industry specialists from around the world, all while reflecting offerings ranging from leather garments, footwear, cotton, readymade garments, home textiles, denim, knitwear, sportswear, among others.

Buyers from Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, China, Japan, Columbia, Egypt, France, Germany, Iran, among others, attended the TEXPO this year. While buyers from 48 non-traditional markets and 286 new consumers registered.

Top international brands registered for the event include Smiffys, Royce Too LLC, Pem-America’s INC, Komex and Faro (Poland) – apparel and home textiles, Action (Netherlands), C&A (Germany) – apparel chain, French Connection (UK) – apparel chain, El Corte Ingles (Spain) – departmental stores, Essenza Home (Netherlands) – Tchaikovsky Textile (Russia), among others.

Official media partner for TEXPO 2023 was Hum TV, while the official radio partner was FM91. event management and Public Relations (PR) of TEXPO 2023 was handled by Take II.

Paymob and PAFLA Sign MOU to Fuel Growth in Pakistan’s Freelance Market.

Paymob, the leading omni-channel payments gateway, and financial technology enabler in MENAP  and Pakistan Freelancers Association (PAFLA) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to facilitate payments acceptance for freelancers in Pakistan.   

The MOU will allow freelancers to seamlessly accept payments in a secure ecosystem via the Paymob payments gateway. Gaining access to a variety of digital payments methods enables freelancers in Pakistan to offer their services to a global marketplace. 

Pakistan is one of the world’s fastest growing freelance markets. In 2021 it reported a 47% increase in growth over the previous year and was ranked the largest freelance market in Asia. Spurred by the global gig economy, the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and a young, digital native population, limitations in payments acceptance have been a hindrance to growth. The partnership between Paymob and PAFLA will bridge that gap. 

Fawad Abdul Kader, Paymob’s Country Manager in Pakistan shared his views by saying; “Pakistan has constantly been the fourth fastest growing freelancing market in the world with the revenue summed up to $500,000, it is opening its employment avenues for the young professionals”.

He further said; “our partnership creates opportunities for the freelance community to thrive and gain access to the latest payment technologies in Pakistan via this gateway”.  

PAFLA, led by Tufail Ahmed Khan, was founded as a non-profit organization to empower and encourage Pakistani freelancers through mentoring, providing opportunities, collaborating with government, industry, and academia. It draws out a platform along with support groups to help them grow their career and overcome challenges.  

Ibrahim Amin, Co-Founder of PAFLA said; “we are honored to partner with Paymob which has pioneered an innovative fin-tech solution for the freelancers in Pakistan. This easy digital payment method will enable the freelancer to thrive more in their field. It is a great opportunity for freelancers to encounter innovation and enhance their skills”.  

About Paymob: Paymob is the leading financial services enabler in the Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan (MENAP), delivering the latest financial technologies to customers in the region. Its omni-channel gateway offers more than 30 payment methods and empowers over 120,000 SME merchants to manage and scale their businesses by giving them access to financial services not readily available in emerging markets. 

Headquartered in Cairo, Egypt, Paymob is the largest payments facilitator in North Africa and employs 1,100 team members across MENAP. The company launched operations in Pakistan in 2021.  Paymob was founded in 2015 by Islam Shawky, Alain El Hajj and Mostafa Menessy.  Visit www.paymob.com for more information.

Paymob and NIFT sign agreement to securely enable digital payments in Pakistan.

Paymob, the leading omni-channel financial services platform in the MENAP region, signed an agreement with National Institutional Facilitation Technologies (NIFT) to facilitate digital payments in Pakistan and to secure payment transfers. Under the agreement, Paymob will enable digital payments for their merchants using the NIFT ePay payment platform which supports account, wallet, and card-based payments.

Paymob’s payment infrastructure enables SMEs to accept digital payments online and in-store whilst providing them better access to financial services. As an API integrator, Paymob’s gateway sits on merchants’ websites to facilitate payment capture. In addition to conventional bank cards, Paymob merchants will have access to mobile wallets, QR payments, bank card installment plans, and Buy-Now Pay-Later (BNPL) options all of which serve to drive an increased volume of transactions and revenue.

Paymob plans to extend its Tap-on-Phone payment acceptance service to the Pakistan market. The company will also launch cards to enable B2B transactions for its merchants and build tools for merchants to better manage and grow their business.

NIFT was established in 1995 as a joint venture between six major Pakistani banks and entrepreneurs from the private sector. It is the leading Payment System Operator (PSO) in Pakistan for cheque clearing and is the country’s foremost Digital Payment Gateway, providing an electronic platform for clearing, processing, and switching electronic transactions in Pakistan under the brand name NIFT ePay.

Haidar Wahab, CEO of NIFT commented; “NIFT continues to play an important and proactive role in streamlining Pakistan’s payment system. As promoters of financial technology, NIFT is committed to delivering an efficient, secured, and convenient digital payment system in which our economic growth can further thrive. This new partnership with Paymob opens a range of exciting new possibilities for Pakistan’s payment infrastructure and puts it at the cutting edge of innovation in this space”.

Fawad Abdul Kader, Country Manager of Paymob in Pakistan mentioned; “we are proud to partner with NIFT ePay, which will serve to drive ecommerce by making a variety of payment options available to merchants all across Pakistan. SMEs are the engines of growth in any economy and this partnership with NIFT ePay will serve to fuel that growth and drive revenue in today’s digital economy”.

About Paymob: Paymob is a MENA focused technology company that builds infrastructure for the digital economy. As a financial services technology enabler empowering the masses with better access to finance, Paymob provides various technology products for enabling businesses to accept payments, make payments, manage their finances, and grow their business.

Paymob is the largest payment aggregator in Egypt, processing payments in several countries around the globe. Paymob drives economic growth while empowering merchants with its various products offerings to benefit from the powers of the digital economy and the financial inclusion movement.

It was founded in 2015 by Islam Shawky, Alain El Hajj, and Mostafa Menessy and is headquartered in Cairo, Egypt. Visit  www.paymob.com for more information

About NIFT ePay: NIFT – National Institutional Facilitation Technologies (Pvt.) Limited was incorporated in September 1995, as a joint venture between consortium of six major Pakistani banks and entrepreneurs from the private sector.

NIFT has been licensed and nominated by SBP as a PSO and PSP under the Rules for Payment System Operator (PSO) and Payment Service Provider (PSP) issued by State Bank of Pakistan under the PS&EFT Act 2007, to provide an electronic platform for clearing, processing, routing and switching of electronic transactions.

NIFT is certified ISO 9001-2000 for Clearing Services and ISO 27001 for Information Security Services. Visit www.nift.pk for more information.

Tim Hortons celebrates the country’s extraordinary achievements over the 50 years

Since the opening of its first branch in Dubai in 2011, Tim Hortons shared the UAE’s past as well as its future and was part of the Emirati society which it considered as home in all the sense of the word, with its 77 outlets spanning over Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah and Al Ain.

More than 50 years ago, the F&B concept opened its doors in Hamilton, Canada on May 17 and the only thing available on the menu back then was coffee and donuts.

Fast forward to 2011, the iconic retail group “Apparel” has introduced the iconic Canadian Tim Hortons brand to the Middle East, opening its first location in Dubai. The brand was received with unprecedented excitement from both locals and expats due to its renowned history, quality of food, and its popularity as the largest coffee chain with more than 4000 locations in Canada.

The chain quickly became known in UAE for its freshly brewed coffee and freshly baked food, as its tagline “Always Fresh, Always Delicious” continually delivered this promise. In the years to follow, Tim Hortons expanded across the UAE where it became the cafe of choice for all. The UAE has an environment that welcomes innovation.

Tim Hortons strongly believes in delivering superior quality products and services for its customers and communities through leadership, innovation and partnerships.

The UAE constituted an attractive environment for Tim Hortons that provides a developed infrastructure and business incentives that helped the chain to thrive and expand across the country and worldwide.

The inspirational vision behind the country’s leadership has created a prospering atmosphere for entrepreneurs and like-minded businesspeople to continue to establish their investments in the UAE.

Recently with UAE’s National Day celebrations and achievement commemorations, plans were also being set into action for the next 50 years. As the UAE continues to grow and thrive, Tim Hortons will continue to grow with it, while always promising unparalleled moments of delight for its visitors.

Hesham Almekkawi, CEO of Tim Hortons Middle East, stated that, “the business environment in the UAE has strongly contributed to attracting many regional and global companies. The Emirates is considered as the ideal location for them due to its achievements in developing a suitable business model for entrepreneurship and talents through the continuous efforts and support of its government.”

Almekkawi added that, “with the exceptional achievements of the UAE, we are honored and thrilled to be a part of this remarkable journey. And with the immense success the brand has experienced here, we are ready to push it to the next level and prosper with the visionary plans the UAE has set for the coming 50 years.”

Mr. Hesham Almekkawi, CEO of Tim Hortons Middle East.

What gives Tim Hortons such a relevant place in the hearts of all its UAE customers is the fact that its concept stores cater to all segments of the community. From the drive-thrus and main street outlets to its branches in malls, community compounds, petrol stations, universities, and hospitals, the brand is present wherever you may need it, with plans to further expand throughout the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain; and soon in Kuwait, Egypt and India.

Tim Hortons Stores

Tennis & Country Club Fujairah to present an Art Exhibition “Different Vision” from 20th May 2021.

Tennis & Country Club Fujairah will be presenting an Art Exhibition titled as ‘Different Vision’, which will be inaugurating on from 20^th May 2021 and will go on till 26^th May 2021. The motto behind hosting the exhibition is to promote the idea that ‘Art is beyond the form of entertainment and can be a source of creativity and thought-provoking ideas as well’.

The event’s main exhibitors are Dr. Awatef Salah from Egypt and Bojana Marinkovic Bachelet from Croatia. The event is expected to be attended by media representatives, management members and all creativity enthusiasts within social distancing regulations.

When asked to say a few words about the exhibition Bojana Marinkovic Bachelet from Croatia said; “a few years ago, I was encouraged by a friend to start painting as a form of therapy since I was having a lot of stress at work. I enjoyed painting so much, that I started painting up to 8 hours straight. I loaded my friends’ homes with paintings. People started asking me to paint for them. It is rewarding and motivating to be recognized by your work; I am so very grateful”. 

She further added by saying that; “I started taking art courses and having consultations with professional artists. During one course, I met my dear friend Dr. Awatef. We are so different in many ways; from completely diverse cultures and worlds, yet we share the same passion for art and that made us close. I am very honored to have had the chance to make an exhibition with such a talented artist. I hope that you will enjoy our paintings as much as we enjoyed making them”.

About Dr. Awatef Salah: Dr. Awatef Salah is an Egyptian Cairo-based multi-award-winning visual artist. She holds a PH.D in Environmental Decoration Projects from the Faculty of Applied Arts, Helwan University. She works as Assistant professor at the Faculty. She is also a painter who at times moves to photography. Her work has been exhibited at galleries, festivals, and museums locally and internationally. She has many group exhibitions and scholarships from different institutions in Egypt and abroad.

About Bojana Marinkovic Bachelet: When asked to say something about herself she said; “am I an artist? I am still very shy to say that as the first thing about myself, but art is a huge part of my being. I was born in Croatia in 1981, but most of my life and education were spent in Serbia. When I started university, it was during a war. My whole youth I spent in poverty. However, as poor as we were in one sense, we were also rich in culture, spirituality, and relationships. I did not have a chance to argue with my parents to study art. They are pragmatic people. Instead of art, I received my Master’s in Economics. For 13 years I was chasing a career in multinational co-operations as a data analyst. Climbing higher and higher, I loved my job and never thought that I would be more satisfied and fulfilled with painting (@paintings4i) and photography (@babyphotobyb)”.