The largest worldwide textile product expo in Germany, known as Heimtextil, not only contributed to increasing exports of Pakistani items but has also been an excellent forum for highlighting the potential of young Pakistani designers.
At the trade exhibition, rugs and mats manufactured from textile waste by a Pakistani textile designer drew the attention of major brands and European design companies.
Um-e-Kulsoom Ali Akbar, an alumnus of the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture, has turned surplus fabric from the production of T-shirts into stunning handcrafted rugs and mats.
Her innovative approach would prevent environmental pollution caused by textile industry waste while also earning revenue for the country.
Akbar’s mats and rugs were the focal points of worldwide brands, interior designers, and design firms at a unique pavilion emphasizing eco-friendly methods in the textile sector.
She was chosen in a global competition for material recycling and making the textile business more environmentally sustainable. In this competition, conducted by New and Next University, 150 students from over 33 institutions across the world presented their ideas and theses on textile recycling and environmental protection.
The Express Tribune reported the young designer, at her stall at Heimtextil, as saying that, in addition to Europe, China, and Japan, top businesses in Pakistan have expressed interest in her methods. She remarked that textile waste pollution has gotten little attention in Pakistan thus far since most people have seen only plastic pollution as a danger to the environment.
