While truck art has been around for quite a while, it is only recently that this quintessentially Pakistani art form has found its way into Pakistan’s high-end couture, the collections of web-based websites that sell everything under the sun, as well as street fashion.
Truck art, characterised by vibrant colours, borrows various elements from different regions of Pakistan, including cut mirror work indigenous to Sindh and Balochistan, portraits of popular film actors, not to mention the picturesque mountainous terrains of the northern areas.
Here is how truck art is being used to up the glam quotient in ensembles:
Clothing. Embroidered motifs of Lollywood and Bollywood actors, exotic animals such as peacocks and serpents, and vibrant natural elements such as waterfalls and flowers are increasingly being used in kurtis and T-shirts. Cheekier versions include the kohl-lined eyes of a woman coupled with lines of ‘truck poetry’ including ‘dekh magar pyaar say’. Bright coloured tassels and small metal bells (similar to ghungroos) are often used on hemlines to add drama. Continue reading