Breaking the rules has never looked so glamourous! Leave it to Shahrukh Amin, the Bangladeshi fashion designer with his home-grown luxury brand, Almira,and an enviable following of local and international admirers. Embracing florals for spring (ground-breaking, but for real though), Amin puts his best foot forward for the highly-esteemed Aspara Fashion Week, being streamed live from Taraz in Kazakhstan this year.

Amin raises the bar and re-defines “Flower Power”in his latest clothing line for the 2021’s virtual Aspara runway. Working with heritage fabrics, Amin experiments with handloom materials and re-discovers silk and muslin in a new light. His designs are anything but ordinary. And safe? Definitely not!

Asymmetrical cuts, cowl sleeves and modern renditions of the medieval kaftan, Amin’s designs do right by verdant romances. His fusion attires and ankle-length dresses connect East with West whilst tiptoeing around tulips, illustrating gardens of Eden and capturing botanic blooms.

What’s interesting is Amin’s techniques as he does so. His fabrics flow free and loose in base colours of laurel or tea greens. And clustered on the collar, or vining down the neck, and if neither of those, then dotted across the entire ensemble, you will find lovely roses, elegant lilies or pink orchids blooming as though they have captured the sun. Gold or black brocades complete his creations but there is more still.

For styling, Amin is very ’80s. He took a note from the paparazzi era of the Lohans and the Hiltons and made sunglasses the indispensable accessory of his line. His bodega-bouquet look is refreshed with tiny, saffron sunglasses nesting comfortably on beautifully-carved faces to ooze good vibes only. Very retro, timelessly-vintage and the perfectly-nonchalant invitation to be photographed when stepping out of a hotel, finishing off a brunch or caught in the moment, French macaroon-in-hand, at a high-tea afternoon party or a friend’s baby shower.

By Ramisa Haque

Photo: Uturn Production

Model: Maria, Hira, Mili, Tania, Efa, Nazia

Wardrobe: Shahrukh Amin

Make-up: Orko

Co-ordination: Sonia Yeasmin Isha