Sarah Aslam –Feature

­­Sarah Aslam – M.A Previous – Roll no: 48 - Feature

Autobahn road –

Fashion brands: Over-commercialization or cost-effectiveness

Imagine going to a highly expensive brand store and you immediately set your eyes on an attractive piece of clothing; that touch of silky, soft and exquisite material, vibrant hues perfect for the season, beautiful embellishments to compliment the trendy design of the dress and then, you look at the tag. One piece of shirt for Rs. 7000 is a big no in the dictionary of a person from a middle class, working society, where the main focus of life is to make ends meet.

In the heart of Hyderabad lies the ‘string of lights’ street, AKA the Autobahn road, taken from the German Autobahn, which is a slightly different meaning I-e a motorway. This road was probably named as 'autobahn' because initially the whole road was full of auto workshops and showrooms. Now, the road is abundant of branded stores; apparel, shoes, jewelry, handbags and more. Interestingly, all the brands available here, be it clothing or food, belong to the elite category, which continue the legacy of store chains of Karachi.

But the question arises, has the alleged fashion street of Hyderabad successfully garnered consumers from all walks of life? And the answer is 'NO'. On a normal day of the week, the number of shoppers is predictably low, filled with only a few regular shoppers who are loyal to the brand. "We only buy branded clothes regardless of the sale", said the daughter of an income tax officer who was standing near the new arrivals stand of clothes despite of the 30% sale at Al-Karam Studio. The people who show up at branded stores are usually doctors who earn per day, education officers and people who have a limit-less budget.

Truth be told, Autobahn road does attract a number of consumers from all classes but that too on the special occasions. Many customers wait until the announcement of the big clearance sale at ideas by Gul Ahmed. On the day of the sale the clothing store is jam-packed with customers, all wanting to buy as much as they can for less than half the price of the products. With the push and the pull and a very suffocating atmosphere, the customers even bid for the items making it look like the hunger games of fashion brands.

Servis shoe stores have continued the independence sale, but customers are not fooled by the tactics of the stores. Most of the sale items include faded and visibly worn out shoes seemingly from 5 years ago. "They only sell the rejected items from all over Pakistan and bring them to Hyderabad" claimed an ex-salesman at a store, explaining that it was according to the demands of the people of Hyderabad.  Do the people really want to buy items that are expensive but they don’t look the part. It is a common known fact that the stores use special lighting to enhance the attraction of the products, which is why it is usually written on the clothing packets that the product photographed may differ from the real product, at least the fabric bought from cloth market is tried and tested!

Many brands such as Khaadi, Sana Safinaz and exclusive attract the customers by launching limited time collections to promote faster sales. The prices are very high, at least for a common man with financial restraints.

Nishat Linen and Gul Ahmed recently introduced their 'Saawan Collection' in the rainy season. What is the purpose of introducing a collection specially dedicated to rain, when all you're going to get the clothes wet. Is the seasonal over commercialization of a product really worth it with the needless desire to buy clothes that are only going to be worn once in a lifetime or for a specific time period or event.

This sort of situation speaks for itself, would a school teacher who comes from a middle-class family, with a salary of 25k, be able to afford a 4000 rupees casual attire or will she prefer to buy an inexpensive replica and save money for other important things, which is also cost-effective. Will the college and university students be able to buy quality products at a sustainable price or will they favor bargain pricing from a local market that fulfills their timely need, or a child from a conventional family, whose wish is to buy the best-looking school bag for his first day of school will get his favorite product at a price his parents can bear?

"I always buy clothes from Nishat Linen, I don't have a problem with the price" said a university student belonging from upper-class, saying she gets a sense of identity by wearing branded items. "I reluctantly buy clothes from here because I am a school teacher, I need to have branded clothes for my school events", said another buyer who visits the outlet once in a month. Many customers can just afford window-shopping through the costly stores, leaving their desires unfulfilled.

Apart from the prices of the clothes, the haughty attitudes of the store staff have also sky-rocketed. Looking down on customers because of their outward appearance and giving judgmental glances is always considered rude but due to the arrogant behavior, Firdous Concept Store is always devoid of customers.

It is easy to say that a person with an ordinary salary will only visit Autobahn roads’ branded stores in the case of seasonal, national and festive sales. The roles are reversed in the Pakistani society, where people buy winter clothes in summer and summer clothes in winter due to the fallen rates. Although the brands are considered as a privilege for some, for others they are far from approachable.

Practicle work carried under supervision of Sir Sohail Sangi