At LAAM Fashion Week, DUNO by Hassan & Yahsir Waheed approached Pakistani handcraft as an active design language, asking what happens when the accumulated knowledge of karigars enters a wardrobe built around contemporary routines.

The designers’ starting point was the vocabulary of traditional stitches, weaves and details. Rather than lifting these elements intact as markers of authenticity, DUNO examined and deconstructed them before considering their place within modern silhouettes. The distinction matters: craft here was not positioned as an exhibit to be admired from a distance, but as a practice that could continue to evolve.

That thinking extended to the clothes themselves. City-ready kurtas, travel-friendly co-ords and pieces intended for statement dressing reflected different approaches to contemporary wear. Together, they suggested a wardrobe capable of moving between settings without discarding its Pakistani references. The emphasis was less on dressing for a particular occasion than on the different demands a garment might meet.

DUNO’s Yin-Yang identity supplied the philosophical framework, allowing desi and global influences to occupy the same space without either losing its character. At LAAM Fashion Week, the more interesting proposition was practical: the future of traditional craftsmanship depends not only on its preservation, but also on the freedom to use it differently.