The award winning model was aboard the ill-fated flight that crashed in Karachi on Friday, leaving the fashion industry devastated with the loss of one of its biggest stars.
Fiery and feisty, Zara Abid reached the pinnacle of success in the modelling world after years of struggle and sheer hard work, setting an example for many young girls who dare to dream big.
On May 22 2020, catastrophe struck Pakistan when a Karachi-bound PIA aircraft crashed into a residential area in the metropolitan just minutes before reaching the runway. Coming from Lahore, flight PK8303 had nearly a hundred people on board including passengers and crew. One of the passengers was our very own supermodel Zara Abid who was returning from Lahore after attending some family commitments.
Grief and shock spread across the fashion industry as soon as the passenger list was first released, while social media was flooded with speculations over the model’s whereabouts until the next morning when the tragic news of her passing away was confirmed by her family.
Zara’s untimely death has left the industry shell shocked in a way that has never happened before. Tragedy had never struck this close to home as we lost one of our very own. With her glimmering eyes, million dollar smile and poise, Zara demanded your attention each time she stepped into a room.
Whether she was shooting a campaign or sashaying her way down the ramp, her professionalism and work ethic remained. Friends and colleagues not only remember her for her brilliant work but also as a young woman who took her fate in her own hands and made life better not just for herself but also her family.
At just 28 years old, Zara has left behind a legacy that will be cherished forever and undoubtedly the fashion industry won’t be the same without her for many years to come.
The supermodel
A natural in front of the camera, Zara started her career in mid 2010s and gradually worked her way to being a leading supermodel of the country even at a time when the term supermodel is used rather generously, she was one of the few girls who earned their stripes and worked ever harder to keep them.
Over the past few years, she witnessed an unprecedented growth in her career with every brand trying their best to woo the model for the campaign. She was also one of the highest paid models in the country at the time of her death starring in several major campaigns.
Given her ardent passion for modelling, Zara remained steadfast in her career despite the ups and downs. The tan, tall and vivacious beauty navigated her way through cutthroat competition and earned the respect of even her competitors while also winning applause from the audience.
Being a dark-skinned girl, Zara didn’t exactly have the easiest or the smoothest ride when she entered the fashion industry but she remain unnerved by the negativity and focused on not only making room for herself but also for many other girls who face such discrimination.
And it goes without saying that she was more than successful in her mission as the supermodel bagged every major lawn brand and wedding campaign — both of which being systematically obsessed with the fairer skin and keeping things ‘pretty and appealing’ for their clientele.
Not only did she have every big brand under belt but her love for modelling had her keep pushing herself as a model and she was featured in some of the most memorable editorials shot in recent times. Her bold and challenging photoshoots raised the bar of modelling in the country but also pushed the message of women owning and loving their body while being unapologetic about it.
Unfazed by the harsh and distasteful comments that were left on her pictures by people who were triggered to see a woman exploring her true potential, Zara kept pushing the envelope working with renowned photographers like Rizwan-ul-Haq, Umair bin Nisar, Shahbaz Shazi, Abdullah Haris, Alee Hassan among others. The fact she was the favourite of many of the country’s leading photographers proves her dedication to her art and being ready to experiment with challenges.
In a bewildering twist of fate, the year 2020 had actually started on a career high for Zara as the model finally picked up her very first award at the Hum Style Awards for Best Female Model.
The scintillating beauty had bagged her very first nomination in 2016 as the best Emerging Talent in Fashion at the Lux Style Awards and since had been continuously nominated as the best model at the same but unfortunately couldn’t pick up the trophy. Her constant nominations as the best in the country were courtesy her dynamic portfolio and her being snubbed off the win had raised many suspicions recently.
Similarly, she was also nominated at the Hum Style Awards in 2016 in the Rising Talent category and later in 2018 as the best model before winning her first award two years later in 2020 — unbeknownst that this would be the first and final award she would ever win just months before her shocking demise.
Over her illustrious career, Zara worked with many top designers and also was the face of several brands including the likes of Sana Safinaz, Shehla Chatoor, Deepak Perwani, HSY, Nomi Ansari, Zaheer Abbas, Deepak and Fahad, Elan, Rang Ja, AlKaram, Gul Ahmed, Zainab Chottani and international names likes Splash among others.
Ravishing the runway
At 5’8, Zara not only bagged the biggest brands in the country but she was also a runway constant and her appearance was widely looked forward to. Unlike many of her colleagues programmed to walk a certain way, Zara dazzled the ramp each time she stepped on it with her fierce signature walk and had designers hustling to have the dusky beauty walk for them.
One of her most iconic ramp moments include her Lollywood inspired walk for Mohsin Naveed Ranjha (MNR) in 2019 when she danced to the beats of a Noor Jehan classic and then proving her versatility as a model when she closed Sana Safinaz’s show at the Hum Showcase, the segment saw the model strut down the runway in a ruffled black mini-dress.
Zara was also seen as one of the three muses of designer Shehla Chatoor for her collaboration with L’Oreal and opened her solo show alongside Sadaf Kanwal and Alicia Khan. Dressed in a shimmering gold dress and luscious black hair, the supermodel had the most eye-catching walks in recent times with her confidence and poise.
‘Flexin my complexion’
Given her strong and spirited personality, Zara was able to raise the bar of modelling through her bold and thought-provoking editorials. She was also able to start a much needed conversation over the industry or rather society’s obsession with the fairer skin with an infamous editorial where the model was accused of blackface.
Ironically, the fact that Zara being a dark-skinned girl herself had to go to lengths to prove her own skin tone only justified the need for such an editorial and also highlighted the unfair and discriminatory treatment of models who are so heavily photoshopped to meet brand demands that they lose their own individuality in the process.
Remarkably, from the time she spoke up against this prevailing norm, a wide appreciation for the darker skin colour could be seen developing within the industry and people started exploring the true potential of models who previously didn’t meet their regressive expectations.
Grazia Girl
As a leading fashion magazine of Pakistan, we have had the opportunity of working with every top and rising model in the country who we affectionately call our ‘Grazia girls’ — one of them being Zara herself who graced our April 2018 cover and also shot two of our favourite editorials.
Our very first work experience with Zara was in 2017 for our 10th issue. The model was featured in a quirky beauty shoot and not only impressed with her work but also with her personality. From being on time to cooperating with the team, she was a complete delight to work with during the long shoot.
Wedding season is the busiest for the fashion world, from photographers, models to makeup artists everyone is working round the clock and it is also the toughest to get a date from anyone during these days. However, we had to shoot a fun wedding season inspired editorial and Zara was our first choice, who much to our surprise was able to work out a date for us from her tight schedule.
From changing between multiple heavy dresses to bearing with us as the power went out, there was never a frown on her face as she smiled and posed her way through the shoot.
The news of her being one of the passengers had our entire team along with each and every person in the entertainment industry praying for her to have survived the tragic incident and for her to have passed away at such a young age has left everyone shocked and shattered.
We are sending out our prayers for her to find peace and happiness in heaven.
Industry mourns an irreplaceable loss
Besides being a supermodel, Zara was also loved for her outspoken, quirky personality and her larger-than-life smile that could light up a room. It’s only true that the industry would never be the same without her.
While many hoped for her survival the night of the disastrous plane crash, messages remembering the late model took over social media the next morning as industry colleague and friends remembered Zara and shared their memories with one of Pakistani fashion’s biggest names.
As a tribute to the late model, the showbiz world went black on social media, changing their display pictures to a black background, showing that no matter our differences, the entertainment world is one big family that shares each other’s loss and stands together in solidarity.
Friends describe Zara as a determined and self-assured girl who knew she wanted more from life and worked hard to reach the place she did in her career. She not only desired the best for herself but her goal was to provide the best for her family and secure a better future for them. Even though being one of the most sought after faces in the country, Zara was humble, sweet, welcoming and grounded — she owned her humble background but held her head high.
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