The Pakistani fashion industry experienced a moment of great pride as designer Mahpara Khan had the honor of styling Queen Maxima of the Netherlands for the recent Jordanian Royal Wedding.
It was a remarkable achievement and showcased the talent and creativity of Pakistani designers on an international platform.
The designer was interviewed by a local media outlet, shedding light on the exquisite gown and the fascinating behind-the-scenes journey. The conversation delved into the intricacies of the designer’s creation and offered insights into the remarkable process that went into bringing the stunning gown to life.
“The design was completely handcrafted,” Khan said, adding
that “It took a team of 20 people, rotating in shifts, around 100 days to complete the surface design (embellishments, handwork), while the toile (rough silhouette) took around a week.”
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The designer said she did not meet the Queen for measurement and fitting but the dress turned out well.
“In this particular design, there was added complexity of tailoring this to precise measurements without being in physical proximity to the Queen (who resides in the Netherlands),” the designer said to Dawn.
Khan said it took her 90 days to prepare the dress. We had to go back and forth with her stylists for over 90 days to get the fit and fall right.”
The designer said the visit of Queen to Pakistan back in 2019 paved the way for an unexpected collaboration. “The Queen had seen a few samples at our studio and understood the level of detail and intricacy that would go into each design. This led to several months of coordination and design,” Mahpara said.
Queen had visited her studio in 2019. She recalled the Queen as “incredibly genuine she was”. She added that “her security staff and the people coordinating the visit were down to earth and humble.”
Diving into details, Khan said that “The outfit created for Queen Maxima was white with silver Mughal patterns fused with traditional dapka, naqshi, resham and gota work.”
The challenging task was to make the dress light with all the intricate work. Taking to Instagram, Mahpara wrote, “I had the privilege of designing a custom crafted formal for Her Majesty Queen Maxima of the Netherlands. The design features Mughal patterns fused with traditional dapka, naqshi, resham and gota work.”
“Queen Maxima wore this dress on the wedding reception of Jordan’s Crown Prince Hussain and Princess Rajwa of Saudi Arabia,” the caption further read.