Runway Meets Theater

A peek into Zurhem’s SS22 collection and fashion show


Over the years, Zurhem has gained a reputation for curating sophisticated runways, hosting glamorous events and of course, its fabulously avant-garde designs. The dynamic duo, Mehruz Munir, Creative Director, and Sadaat Chowdhury, Chairperson, have indeed made a solid mark in the fashion scene of Dhaka with their brand Zurhem. 


The show has been praised as the most inclusive fashion show ever produced in the country. Mehruz wanted to tell a story about equality, social justice and diversity.


SAADAT CHOWDHURY
Chairperson
Zurhem

Zurhem’s Spring Summer 2023 collection’s exclusive viewing event was a mesmerising confluence of runway and theatre. The performance told a story of individuality and differences; it spoke of societal challenges and breaking personal barriers. According to Mehruz, who is an avid fan of theatre, the idea of incorporating the element of theatre in a runway show came to him when he was watching Phantom of the Opera. He realised that fashion has always played an important role in the theatre, so why can’t theatre play an equally important role in fashion? He thought of a story, format, characters, music, and how to incorporate the catwalk within the story. He then reached out to some local artists and discussed how this could be done. “This was truly an incredible experience for me  because I really learnt so much about their craft,” says Mehruz. “Working with them  has also made me realise how we have some amazing artists in Bangladesh but that perhaps they are not getting the recognition they deserve.” 

MEHRUZ MUNIR
Creative Director
Zurhem

“Every collection is honestly a reflection of my current state of mind. I have been working with a lot of prints, embroidery and embellishments for years. As much as I love prints and embellishments, I felt like I needed a little break. I wanted to step away from all that and do something absolutely the opposite. I wanted to work on a collection that was very clean and minimal. I wanted to play with shapes, but I wanted some textures, layers and movement. And when I decided to keep the entire collection all white, even my business partner, Saadat Chowdhury panicked for a little bit. Having the entire collection in white (which is essentially the absence of colour) was a risky decision, but I really wanted to stay true to my vision.

I wanted to incorporate a lot of my own personal style in this collection. There were a lot of sportswear elements, a bit of tailoring, a lot of layering and a lot of ease in the way things are meant to be worn. At some point, when I started looking at the collection while they were being made, I felt like it was an extension of my own personal closet. I would wear everything from the show in a heartbeat and I could see all my friends in them too.  Although the colour palette of the collection was truly monotonous, I went all out with the choices of materials. I used everything you could think of! I used cotton, silk, nylon, wool, jersey, neoprene, leather and anything I could get my hands on. “


THE IDEA WAS THAT THE AUDIENCE
SHOULD SEE PEOPLE WHO LOOK LIKE
THEMSELVES ON THE RUNWAY AND
THAT THE SHOW WOULD BE A
REFLECTION OF THE SOCIETY THAT
WE ARE LIVING IN RIGHT NOW.


The show has been praised as the most inclusive fashion show ever produced in the country. Mehruz wanted to tell a story about equality, social justice and diversity. This was reflected through the performance, as well as the choice of models for the runway, as the show had plus-sized models, queer models, and models of other races. The idea was that the audience should see people who look like themselves on the runway and that the show would be a reflection of the society that we are living in right now. “Why is it not seen in our campaigns and runway shows in Bangladesh? It is becoming more and more common elsewhere,” Mehruz wonders. Zurhem has always aimed to be inclusive and cater to all types of people, and they felt that it was about time that it was time for their shows and campaigns to mirror that sentiment. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The result? Zurhem has successfully produced an extraordinary runway show, the first of its kind in Bangladesh, and one that was indeed the talk of the town. 

Zurhem has established its place in Bangladesh’s fashion scene. Whatever Zurhem does next, one can rest assured that it will be glamorous, avant-garde, as well as inclusive.