BoF 500: Pakistani designers put Pakistan’s fashion in global spotlight

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Faraz Manan, Zain Ahmad, Noor Khan feature among Business of Fashion’s 2026 additions

Pakistan’s fashion industry has gained fresh international recognition, with streetwear designer Zain Ahmad and Swedish-Pakistani model Noor Khan named among the 2026 additions to The Business of Fashion’s influential BoF 500. Their inclusion places them alongside Pakistani luxury couturier Faraz Manan, who has been part of the index since 2024.

The BoF 500 recognises people shaping the global fashion industry through design, business and culture. The publication’s editors select members following nominations, research and interviews, bringing emerging names into a community that includes established industry leaders.

Ahmad, the founder and creative director of Lahore-based menswear label Rastah, has built the brand around South Asian craftsmanship and contemporary menswear. Founded in 2018, Rastah incorporates traditional textile techniques, including hand weaving and block printing, into modern streetwear-inspired garments.

BoF founder and editor-in-chief Imran Amed wrote in the announcement that Rastah has achieved profitability by leveraging traditional hand looms and block printing. He added that the label’s clothing has resonated with Hollywood stars and international musical artists.

Rastah has held sold-out pop-ups in cities including New York, London and Paris and reached seven-figure revenue in 2025 without outside investment, according to BoF. The publication separately reported gross revenue of $2.2 million for the year and said the brand became profitable in 2025, citing Ahmad.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Zain Ahmad (@zainoo_95)

The label has been worn by international celebrities including Justin Bieber, Timothée Chalamet, Zayn Malik, Barry Keoghan and Riz Ahmed, according to BoF.

Ahmad said the United States is Rastah’s largest overseas market, while around 30 percent of its customers are not South Asian. The figures point to an audience that extends beyond the South Asian diaspora.

Ahmad grew up between Pakistan, London and Toronto and studied political economy at the University of British Columbia. He later returned to Pakistan, where he worked with artisans including hand weavers and block printers to develop Rastah’s distinctive approach.

Noor Khan, a Swedish-Pakistani model, has been recognised in the BoF 500’s models and muses category.

Khan made her international fashion debut in 2023 as an exclusive for the inaugural lookbook of Phoebe Philo’s namesake brand. She made her official catwalk debut in September 2024, opening Prada’s Spring/Summer 2025 show as a Milan exclusive.

She later walked as a Paris Fashion Week exclusive for Saint Laurent’s Spring/Summer 2025 presentation. Her campaign work has included projects for Phoebe Philo, Prada, Alaïa, Cos and Recto.

Khan also appeared in a 78-page portfolio photographed by Juergen Teller for Harper’s Bazaar Italia’s Jubilee Issue in 2025. In April 2026, she was named Model of the Year at the Elle Gala in Sweden, according to BoF.

Her inclusion highlights another route through which Pakistan-linked talent is gaining visibility in the international fashion industry, extending beyond designers and luxury brands to the global modelling circuit.

Luxury couturier Faraz Manan, who joined the BoF 500 in 2024, is the founder and creative director of his eponymous luxury fashion label.

The Lahore-born designer launched his brand in 2003 and has built an international clientele through bridal and formal designs that combine elaborate embellishment with contemporary silhouettes. His work has attracted customers across South Asia and the Middle East.

Manan opened a boutique in Dubai in 2015, serving both diaspora and local customers in the region. His designs have also gained attention among leading Bollywood celebrities, according to his BoF profile.

BoF describes Manan as a leading figure in Pakistan’s fashion industry, recognised for combining traditional craftsmanship with contemporary silhouettes.

Established in 2013, the BoF 500 is no longer limited to 500 people. The community now has 1,713 members, with 100 additions made in 2026 across categories including designers, executives, entrepreneurs, retailers and media.

The selection considers leadership, creativity, innovation and social impact. Its significance lies in recognition by an influential international fashion publication rather than in placing designers or businesses in a numerical ranking.

For Pakistan, the inclusion of Ahmad and Khan, alongside established member Manan, reflects the growing international visibility of talent connected to the country’s fashion and creative industries.

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