"I hate the word 'trend'." - Mohsin Sayeed

The PinkTree Company Creative Head Mohsin Sayeed does not like the word 'trend'.

Ask him why, and he will respond eloquently, with examples, and with personal experiences to illustrate his point. Let's backtrack a bit and tell you why he hates the word with the fire of a thousand suns.

"Our tradition is to wear different forms of ghararas," he says, "farshi, dhaka pyjama - and if you're being very extra, maybe a peshwaz."

The most requests though that Sayeed and his team at The PinkTree Company are receiving these days are for lehnga cholis. As an ardent traditionalist, specially when it comes to bridal wear, Sayeed believes Pakistani brides must not be swayed by what is trending, and stay true to the sartorial history of their region.

"Have you ever seen a Hindu bride wearing a gharara on her wedding day, or a bride from Kerala wearing anything but Kerala cotton with the gold border? A Tamil bride wearing anything but kanjivaram, a Bengali bride in anything but red jamdani, or a Christian bride in anything but the white dress?" he asks. "So why are we so impressed by Instagram weddings or movies?"

Sayeed recalls a couple of potential clients who insisted he make them lehnga choli ensembles for their wedding day, because they loved The PinkTree Company aesthetic.

"Then you have come for me," he told them, "and I will not make that."

"I'm not saying you shouldn't wear a lehnga choli at all - wear it! Wear it on your mehndi, mayun or dholki, but not your wedding day. Are you really giving up centuries-old traditions because that is the 'trend'? I hate the word trend."

Though he speaks passionately about what he thinks are some style do's and dont's Pakistani brides should follow, neither Sayeed, nor The PinkTree Company are opposed to playing with more modern or western silhouettes.

"We are living in dangerous, horrific times where the value of beauty, of elegance, of intricacy, is lost," he says. "Instagram is not a bad thing. Social media is a tool, but when people who have no context use it, tu jaise bandar ke haath narial lag gaya.

"In the west, media, television had matured before the advent of social media, in Pakistan, the television boom had exploded in all directions, and now we have kids with mobile phones in their hands, with no sense of history, no perspective, no knowledge: kuch nahi pata magar sub pata hai."

Used with discernment, Sayeed believes that social media can be boon. That said, in the wrong hands, knowledge is definitely the wrong kind of power. The impact of social media on fashion and style - and vice versa - has been immense.

While trends do change faster than you can say 'hashtag!' and the democratization of fashion has made it accessible to everyone, we could do without the rapid promotion of fast fashion or ridiculous beauty and lifestyle standards. The debate is endless, and the solutions to the problems instant access to all kinds of information brings will have to be developed steadily and mindfully.