It’s been 25 years since the fashion industry was first introduced to the phenomenon known as Imran Qureshi. To mark this turning point, we decided to give a bit of a twist to the obligatory interview: we had Imran interviewed by his own choice of journalist. That might not be how most people know famous fashion designer Rizwan Beyg as, but he was in actuality the perfect choice. Not only has he been a much-admired columnist of an English weekly, but he also happens to be great friends with our anniversary boy, and that is how an otherwise straightforward interview turned into a friendly chitchat session.

He sits at the table with his soft brown eyes and floppy hair and I look carefully for gray but there is none. He claims to be 47 but the face and slight build belie his claim. 25 years later Imran Qureshi is still very much a force to contend with and as the founding father of choreography in Pakistan is very much a part of the who’s who in fashion.

When Imran Qureshi says that he is a graduate of the Pakistan School of Fashion Design, you don’t believe him. For one thing, there is a startling lack of self-importance in the young designer (who should not be confused with the veteran choreographer of the same name). Friendly, and without any pretense, Imran is the favourite of many at the Asian Institute of Fashion Design and the Textile Institute of Pakistan, the two schools where he teaches. His unassuming nature is doubly perplexing when you consider that prior to his return to Pakistan a few months ago, he had spent four years abroad working with the prominent Dubai-based fashion forces Khalid Khalil and Scalini, and interning with the Lebanese Eli Saab, the designer whose flowers-in-tulle creation had precariously enveloped Halle Barry at the Oscars when she won best actress. It makes you wonder then: where is the attitude?