Pakistani designer Faraz Zaidi came this close to seeing his label, FOUND, on one of the biggest stages in the world. The Lahore-based creative director revealed on Instagram that his brand had custom-designed looks for Puerto Rican megastar Bad Bunny that almost made it to his Super Bowl halftime show — before Zara ultimately secured the final fit.
Sharing what he called an “almost win” on Instagram, Zaidi wrote that usually, “‘almost’ stories rarely matter. It only counts when you land it”. The caption added, “We custom-designed sets for Bad Bunny that almost made it to the Super Bowl stage.”
The pictures they shared included those of a customised white trapper hat, baseball cap and gloves, all embellished with metal floral embroidery, as well as some leather trapper hats with similar embroidery.
According to Vogue, Bad Bunny, styled by longtime collaborators Storm Pablo and Marvin Douglas Linares, took to the Super Bowl half-time show stage in a cream-toned ensemble comprising a collared shirt and tie, a sport-inspired jersey emblazoned with his family name Ocasio and the number 64, chinos and sneakers. As the first halftime headliner to perform his entire set in Spanish, his collaboration with Spain-based retailer Zara carried symbolic weight.
But in Lahore, another vision had been racing against the clock.
FOUND revealed that they had a press release drafted and ready to go, set to be distributed “the second the halftime show hit”. In the final days, however, the direction shifted, and Bad Bunny and stylist Pablo opted for Zara instead.
Behind the scenes, FOUND had been racing against time. The brand described artisans working through dozens of hours of painstaking hand embroidery in mere days. “A box was DHL rushed from Lahore, Pakistan to Santa Clara, California. Somewhere in the final days, the direction shifted. Ultimately, Zara won the bid for the full look. Apparently, they’re fast. Faster than most.”
Still, the tone of the post wasn’t bitter. Zaidi acknowledged that not long ago, even contending for a Super Bowl stage moment would have seemed impossible. Near-misses, he suggested, are part of the climb — reminders to keep taking the shot, because, as he implied, you never know when your moment will come.
Explaining why they chose to share a story that didn’t end in a spotlight reveal, the brand wrote, “We chose to share this because social media shouldn’t only be about the wins. There’s near misses that should be equally held. All of the attempts and countless moments that don’t land, but matter all the same. You’ll always miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”
FOUND also thanked Bad Bunny’s team for including them in the journey. “The world is watching what comes next from the artist of our generation who is shaping a global world and all that is possible when you dream it into existence.”
The brand has previously created custom pieces for the global star across his tour, including a look they described in another post as a historic “exchange of cultures — handmade in Lahore, Pakistan by our artisans, where craft carries memory and every stitch holds intention,” sending their love to Pablo for the opportunity to dress an artist celebrated for his authenticity. Pablo also commented on the post, thanking them for the clothes.
Bad Bunny’s understated Super Bowl look, defying theatrical expectations, aligned with his long-standing personal approach to fashion. As Vogue noted, whether on stage or on the red carpet, the artist has always embraced an original and deeply personal style language.
FOUND’s near moment is part of a larger pattern — Pakistani fashion has been steadily carving a space for itself on the global stage. From Zain Ahmed’s Raastah being worn by Anil Kapoor, Barry Keoghan and Justin Bieber, to Palve’s hand-embroidered trousers appearing in Indian rapper Honey Singh’s ‘6 AM’ music video, local craft continues to travel far beyond borders.
This time, the spotlight didn’t land in Lahore. But the invitation did — and sometimes, that matters too.