Plates, Spoons and Zero Apologies

At Dandy School of Fashion Designing in Lahore, we had an assignment that stopped everyone in their tracks — create a non-wearable garment. No rules about what it had to be made of. Just that it couldn't be worn.

My mind went straight to a skirt. And for some reason — silver paper plates.

My instructor looked at the silver and told me to use another color. So, I wrapped every plate in blue paper and kept going. The design used triangles, circles, spirals and weaving, all made entirely from paper plates

. When it felt too simple, I added spoons — scattered through the skirt like they belonged there all along. The result looked like something that had landed from another planet.

It won first place.

And not everyone was happy about it.

Here's the thing — the position was awarded for the idea, not the labor. Other projects in that room involved hours of painstaking handwork, intricate construction, real technical skill. Mine involved paper plates, blue wrapping and spoons.

My friend took second place. His inspiration was African tribal outfits — he used جھاڑو, tied at the bottom into a cage silhouette. It was brilliant in its own way.

But the lesson that day wasn't about fashion. It was about thinking.

There's an old saying — عقل بڑی کہ بھینس — is intelligence greater or the buffalo? The buffalo works harder. But the clever one wins.

Work smart. Not just hard. Till this day at work, my coworkers come to me when they're stuck. Not because I have all the answers. But because they know - she will come up with something crazy. And somehow it always works.