In Pakistan, the arrival of spring doesn’t only bring with it the promise of new life and a chance to start afresh, or to even lose those kilos we have been packing over the winter wedding season—it also brings with it a peculiar phenomenon now known as “lawn season.” Season is quite an appropriate word to describe this, as this once simple fabric has now taken a life of its own.

Just as the flowers start to bloom again and the temperature slowly rises, we are bombarded form all sides with the latest in lawn. Billboards, television commercials, flyers, print advertisements, social media updates, press releases—all somehow work in perfect harmony to bring to us “the most coveted lawn.” Images of models, local and international, dressed to the nines and accessorised to the max in exotic locations are imploring us to think of nothing else but this fabric. Somehow, all your sorrows and the miserable summer can be easily fixed if you just have the right lawn outfit it seems.

Lawn season begins as early as mid-February now and brings with it its own counterpart to spring fever i.e. (you guessed it) “lawn fever.” Anyone who has been following lifestyle social media accounts from Pakistan over the last few years is aware of the mania these few months induce in consumers. Long queues outside favourite labels and fights over the last article of a certain design have, sadly, become common. However, this was not always the case.

The “lawn wars,” as some publicists are prone to call it, have only begun recently, but have firmly taken over annual spring festivities. Not too long ago, I remember lawn being spoken of in very normal terms and not given the priority status it enjoys today. But why is that so? And where did it come from?

I was quite surprised to learn that there’s a French connection when it comes to lawn. This seemingly simple fabric got its name from the town of Laon in Northern France, where linen lawn was heavily manufactured

The conversation around lawn has always been there; even as a child I remember that the change of season meant my mother and many women around me had to go and get new lawn clothes made. Yet, the ubiquity of lawn nowadays and the almost reverence with which it is discussed did not exist before. I blame the rise of social media making it easier for fashion houses to reach out to consumers, allowing them to take a simple fabric and elevate it to the level of almost “everyday couture;”  they market it in such a way that there is no other recourse.

With all this talk of lawn, I decided to look into this. What is this fabric? Where did it come from?

I was quite surprised to learn that there’s a French connection when it comes to lawn. This seemingly simple fabric got its name from the town of Laon in Northern France, where linen lawn was heavily manufactured. According to the Fairchild Books Dictionary of Textiles, lawn is a “fine, plain weave relatively sheer cotton fabric made in close constructions.” It was used initially to make blouses, dresses (for both women and children) and even handkerchiefs. Other names of the fabric are Batiste and Nainsook.

The original term “lawn” was used for fine linen fabric with an open texture and that is still called linen lawn. Over the years, especially in the Subcontinent with its abundance of good cotton, lawn moved from linen to cotton. The fact that it’s a breathable fabric made it gain popularity due to the extreme summer conditions in the region. Moreover, it lends itself to be dyed easily and printed on; this opened an entirely new avenue for womenswear.

Lawn continued its hold over womenswear for the warmer months for decades. However, with the rise of fashion houses in Pakistan and the constant innovation taking place in the fashion industry, lawn took on new meaning. Catapulted to luxury status, designer lawn is the most sought after fabric every spring. Whether it is stitched or unstitched, a full three-piece suit or just separates, lawn dominates. Designers continue to come up with newer prints every year and embellish them further with intricate embroideries and accessories. Due to the often high price points of designer lawn, imitation lawn vendors have cropped up that allow everyone to be able to wear the designs of the season.

There’s a lot to be said about this, in my opinion. Gone are the times when women would buy unlabelled lawn fabric and simply get their clothes made on their own. Now it’s about whose lawn you wear and whether you were able to get it in time or not. I mean, why would you still be wearing Volume 1 when Volume 2 is clearly in vogue, am I right?

The lawn phenomenon plays directly into our consumerist tendencies and brands comply. Every year budgets are bigger and campaigns are flashier. Social media has definitely played its part in making designer lawn more of a necessity than before.

Whether the demand was created or not, whether there’s a real need for lawn to be so fancy or not, those are lengthier discussions. For now, we just have to accept that we have another season going on and that’s called lawn. Happy shopping ladies!

Good Times

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