Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Peshawari chappal becoming fade in high society

The Frontier Post


Wearing peshawari Chappal is not only the tradition of people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa but also one of their identiy. Buying new pair of peshawari Chappal on special occasion like Eid is also an old tradition of the province. The footwear is more a sandal than a slipper and is the only footwear that most people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are comfortable in. The chappal gained a boost as a fashion item in the 80′s era when people like former Pakistan Cricket team captain Imran Khan wore it with jeans as well. Peshawari chappal since than caught the eyes of many fashion conscious people around the country and even of people abroad. In Pakistan, it isseen on the feet of many elite and fashion conscious rich people. It is also worn on many festive occasion as a matter of style by many,.The history of using peshawari chappal has evolved over the years from the rugged hard leather version that was once popular to softer suede numbers that can be bought at boutique shops all over the country. One master craftsman, Attaullah Khan, said that the real chappal should have soles shaped out of cut truck tyres. The durability of these chappals was more as compared to other footwear.”What is interesting is that the original chappals were made in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, now the trend has been extended to other parts of the country and even you can see people living in Karachi wearing peshawari chappal,” he explained. Craftsmen like Attaullah Khan migrated several years ago from his native village in Upper Dir of the Khyber Pakhunkhwa to Peshawar as he says the demand for chappal is very high here.He said that wearing peshawari chappal had become a tradition of the people of Pakhtuns and they like to wear it on special occasion like wedding parties and Eid. “My entire family is in touch with the business and has established outfits in Karachi, Rawalpindi, Kohat and Quetta. Talking about the prices of the product, he said that the cost of both leather and rubber has gone up in the past year so a chappal that was once sold for Rs 500 has reached to Rs 1000. However, the price of the chappal when someone demands a custom made chappal with specific additions and alternation may cost much more.”The word Peshawar as its name implies was the city of skilled people and that is the reason that most of the Pakhtuns living in other parts of the world especially in Middle East countries like to take it with themselves when going abroad.And many Pakhtuns when someone is coming from Pakistan ask their friends to bring peshawari chappals to them, “Attaullah Khan told.

1 comment: