Consulate General of South Korea in Karachi hosts National Foundation Day of Korea.

In a remarkable display of cultural diplomacy and international camaraderie, the Consul General of Korea, His Excellency Mr. Yi Sung Ho, hosted a reception to commemorate the National Foundation Day of Korea. The event, held at Marriott Hotel Karachi on Friday 27^th October 2023, brought together distinguished guests from the realms of diplomacy, governance, and commerce.

Chief Guest of this grand event was His Excellency Governor of Sindh Mr. Kamran Khan Tessori. The event was well attended by several foreign dignitaries, including Consul Generals; Dr. Rudiger Lotz of Germany; Dr. June Kuncoro of Indonesia; Mr. Jagath Abeywarna Consul General of Sri Lanka; Mr. Sami Al-Khanjari of Oman; Mr. Nayef Shahein Alsulaiti of Qatar; Mr. Hassan Nourian of Iran; Mr. Herman Hardynata of Malaysia; Mr. Abdulla Ahmed Bu Qahoos of Bahrain; Vice Consul General of Kuwait; Vice Consul General of Japan; Vice Consul General of France; Honorary Consul General of Yemen; Honorary Consul General of Kingdom of Morocco and Honorary Consul General of Poland alongside other distinguished diplomats.

The evening commenced with an engaging speech by His Excellency Mr. Yi Sung Ho, wherein he shared insights into the rich cultural heritage and remarkable economic progress of Korea. A documentary further shed light on Korea’s outstanding economic achievements, captivating the audience.

The Consulate’s staff set up informative stalls, showcasing historical housing schemes, allowing guests to gain a deeper understanding of Korea’s architectural evolution. The traditional Korean snack stall was met with unanimous approval, offering a delectable culinary journey into Korean flavors.

The grand finale of the event unfolded at a sumptuous buffet dinner, serving a delightful fusion of Pakistani, continental, and traditional Korean cuisines, including the renowned Kimchi. The gastronomic indulgence left guests with an unforgettable culinary experience.

To express gratitude and extend a piece of Korea to the attendees, each guest received a farewell gift bag containing delicious Korean pie cakes, thoughtfully sourced from a local Korean manufacturer in Pakistan.

The National Day of Korea celebration in Karachi, hosted by the Consul General of Korea, exemplified the essence of cultural exchange and international relations. It was a night to remember, where diverse cultures converged resulting in fostering goodwill and friendship. This event reaffirmed the strong bonds of cooperation and diplomacy that exist between Korea and Pakistan.

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.

Consul General of Italy in Karachi, Danilo Giurdanella inaugurates 7th edition of the Italian Design Week at Habitt City.

The Consul General of Italy Danilo Giurdanella welcomed the guests at the 7^th edition of the Italian Design Week in Karachi on Thursday, 16 March, 2023 jointly organized by the Consulate of Italy with Habitt City – a community safe space for cultural initiatives and activities for Karachiites.

The event was organized to launch Don Corleone Objects in Pakistan by the renowned Sicilian ceramic artist, Antonino Forlin. Antonino Forlin and IBL/Habitt CEO, Munis Abdullah ventured together for a retail launch of the signature home textile and ceramic collections namely ‘Taormina’ and “Munis × Don Corleone” in Pakistan.

The event was attended by diplomats, foreigners, government-officials, prominent-architects, artists, selected members of press and notable members of business community. Some of attendees were Commissioner Karachi Mr. Iqbal Memon, Consul General of United States of America Ms. Nicole Theriot, Consul General of France Mr. Alexis Chahtahtinsky, Consul General of Japan Mr. Odagiri Toshio, Chairman Gul Ahmed Textile Mills, Mr. Bashir Ali Mohammad and many more.

During his welcome speech, The Consul General of Italy Danilo Giurdanella welcomed the guests at the 7^th edition of the Italian. He termed this event as an important event. He added; “such is the importance of Designing in Italy that more than 64,000 Experts work in Design sector in Italy”. Italian consul further added that; “Italian consul in Karachi is collaborating with Pakistan in Textile and in Ceramic sector”.  

Munis Abdullah CEO Habitt City thanked Italian CG, staff at Italian Consul, IDC and his staff at Habitt City for bring Italian Design Day/Week which also includes Italian Markitt to life. He praised Italy for its exclusive and exquisite designs. Mr. Munis Abdullah also reminded that the concept of super-star (super-stardom) was first coined by Italians. Mr. Munis also shared that Habitt often referred as IKEA of Pakistan.

Commissioner Karachi Mr. Iqbal Memon said; “we have been seeing heavy rains for last couple of years, and this trend is expected to stay or maybe increase. To counter this, architects should design infrastructure like building, road, bridges etc in such a way that they can withstand heavy rains”

The Italian Design Day is an event conceived to promote Italian design abroad, to support exports and the internationalization of companies in this sector, to foster international know-how and exchange of technical and creative skills. This 7th edition focuses on quality, the ability to conceive and create products that combine aesthetic and functional needs using production processes that respect the environment and people’s health.

Besides the product launches of Taormina and Munis × Don Corleone collections in Karachi, the Consulate also organized the book launch and panel discussion of The FOLD – a book by Salman Jawaid, the first Pakistani architect invited in 2018 by the European Culture Centre to organize the Pakistan Pavilion at the International Venice Architecture Biennale, which created history for the people of Pakistan and opened the doors for others to follow. The book looks into the journey of a team of young passionate architects from Pakistan, who make a mark at one of the most prestigious international design event with their sheer determination and hard-work.

The Consulate together with Habitt City have lined up cultural events such as an Italian Markitt – a three day street food festival from 17-19 March, 2023 for people of Karachi to enjoy the Italian delicacies in their city. Furthermore, a ceramic workshop by Antonino Forlin has been organized for arts enthusiasts and students to get a chance to learn specialized technique and methods used in pottery and ceramics. An Italian Culinary Class has also been organized for ardent lovers of Italian cuisine to learn authentic Italian recipes, which will be demonstrated by Chef Gennaro Carrozza during the Italian Design Week.

The Italian Friends of the Citizen Foundation, a non-profit organization advocating the cause of TCF Pakistan in Italy has partnered with Indus Valley School for Art and Architecture and Salone del Mobile, the largest Annual Furniture and Design Exhibition in the world hosted in Milan. Dr. Faiza Mushtaq, Executive Director & Dean of Academics at IVS School of Art and Architecture took the opportunity to announce on the occasion of Italian Design Day, the ART4EDUCATION project, that aims to showcase award winning design pieces by Pakistani artists, architects and designers to be auctioned at Salone del Mobile in 2024 to support the TCF network in Pakistan.

Japan includes Pakistan in top 10 countries to acquire skilled human resource; Ambassador Mr. Kuninori Matsuda tell Pakistan Japan Business Forum in Karachi.

Japanese Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Mr. Kuninori (Matz) Matsuda has said that; “Japan and Pakistan are enjoying a strong brotherly and business relations owing to which Japan has included Pakistan among top 10 most favorite countries to acquire skilled work force from. Other countries in this list include Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri-lanka also. Japan is trying to make its contribution for the prosperity of Pakistan”.

Mr. Kuninori Matsuda was addressing to members of the Pakistan Japan Business Forum (PJBF) at it’s annual general meeting and dinner ceremony held here at a local hotel on Tuesday night. Consul General of Japan in Karachi Mr. Toshikazu Isomura, Chairman PJBF Sohail P. Ahmed, Vice Chairman Kalim Farooqui, businessmen, businesswomen, officials of Japanese consulate, government dignitaries and selected members of press were also present.

Japanese ambassador informed; “whenever i visit Karachi, i see a lot of business opportunities which needs to be tapped. Karachi is a very crucial economic and trade hub. Along-with automobile, we can trade with Pakistan in food, hospitality, fishing, logistics & transport, agriculture, education, energy, pharmaceuticals and human resource sectors. Tourism is also a good idea”.

Earlier, in his address President PJBF Sohail P. Ahmed lamented that; “we have lot of opportunities with Japan but it’s sad to mention that we have not utilized it. This forum leads a 18-20 members delegation from business community to Japan to provide them business opportunities. These efforts are yielding results and now number of Japanese companies working with Pakistani business community has risen to 68”.

“But all this growth is dependent on constant improvement in law and order situation and stability in the country. Japanese decision to acquire skilled human resource from Pakistan is appreciable. Japan is also willing to transfer technology to us along-with many other offers. There can be a tremendous trade in fisheries sector which is still untapped but for it, we will have to improve our fish harbor. We can sell them minerals, agriculture, fruits etc,” Sohail P. Ahmed added.

This ceremony was followed by a music session, in which Deputy Consulate General of Japan in Karachi Mr. Katsunori Ashida accompanied by three other colleagues sang Pakistani songs beautifully. He also sang famous song of singer Sajjad Ali in his beautiful Urdu accent which earned a standing ovation by the participants.