Iftikhar Kanawati’s collection is a study in grief’s physical and emotional manifestations, developed in response to the loss of her mother, Mazina. The work unfolds as a negotiation between control and collapse, where tailored silhouettes are disrupted by torn, crumpled, and hand-dyed fabrics, each element speaking to states of numbness, suppressed emotion, and internal disintegration. Texture manipulation, repeated stitching, and overworked seams trace the repetitive nature of coping, as if trying to sew over pain to contain or erase it. Pierced garments and smoked surfaces evoke gestures of rebellion and the desire to feel past the numbness that often occurs in the aftermath of loss. 

An organic, hand-dyed palette resists easy beauty, moving from deep, cold blues to lighter tones as the collection progresses, marking a slow shift toward release. Quilted lines speak to the persistence of grief, while mending and gathering techniques reflect the attempt to hold scattered parts together. The final look, with a structured chest piece in charcoal grey, signals not resolution but the integration of grief into the fabric of life.