Menswear today has designers like Ammar Belal, who has the finesse and design excellence to compete with any European brand. Then there is Munib Nawaz who brings an interesting gothic grunge to mens' clothing or Ismail Farid who has a fantastic artistic egde over others. In traditional menswear, Amir Adnan and even Junaid Jamshed have the market at large wrapped around their little fingers. That said, the market is bigger still and can accommodate Shahbaz, so long as he's savvy enough to tap it.

While the menswear has potential, the womenswear in a nutshell, is quite disastrous. Though the dresses that Rabia Butt and Nooray Bhatti were modeling at the launch were innovative and interesting, nothing like them is visible at the store. And amidst the perfectly respectable layout of his outlet, the rack of women's clothing sticks out like a sore thumb. A black and white kameez with streaks of silver bolting down like lightening or a heavily embellished bridal topped with a contrasting net poncho cannot be called fashion. And one's sincere advice to Shahbaz would be to do away with the ambition of putting his fingers in too many pies at the same time. His goal should be getting a grasp on menswear before branching out.

The small flagship store in Gulberg, Lahore is a modest beginning for Shahbaz and one that has come with a lot of hard work, which he should be appreciated for. He has been looking forward to launching his own label for years, soaking in all the global exposure he has gotten from touring with Atif. And one can easily say that Atif Aslam is Shahbaz's most effective sales pitch. No other designer has a brand ambassador this strong and Shahbaz should make the most of it by not only putting him in campaigns but also on the runway. Other than clientele and confirmed coverage, Atif's involvement will also guarantee sponsorships (Clear sponsored the launch), which does not come this easily to newcomers. Moreso, one can see Atif fans � and they run into thousands of young boys who love his music � flocking to the shop if they feel they are wearing a piece of their pop idol, especially if it comes at an affordable price. Shahbaz has had a winning start; let's just hope his label is strong enough to make the most of it.