Culture clubSunday 17 Apr, 2011 |
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The models will be strutting their stuff and the fashion police will be taking notes, with Dubai Fashion Week upon us again. A host of talented designers will be showing off their ideas for the 2011 Fall/Winter collections to a select, invite-only audience at Dubai World Trade Centre from Tuesday to Saturday.There may be no Vera Wang or Prada on the runway, to match the legendary international dates on the calendar, like New York, London or Milan, but there will still be a cosmopolitan feel to the glamorous event. The UAE has one of the most diverse populations in the world. And the catwalks will reflect just that, where a whole range of nationalities parading their collections this year. Take Surbhi Jaggi’s abayas, for example. Born in Kuwait but brought up in Dubai, the former winner of Dubai Fashion Week’s Emerging Talent title works with the traditional dress of the region. But she loves to use her Indian heritage in her designs. She explains: “My work is heavily influenced by craft and design in India. The way my mum drapes her saree or dupatta could inspire me just as much as walking down the streets of Delhi. Influences of what you see around you invariably are reflected in your work and ideas. My work is heavily influenced by craft and design in India, a country with such rich textile and craft heritage. “The best part about Delhi is that it is not just about brands, but a look. People in Delhi are very fashion forward and it is a melting pot of cultures with people moving from small towns, making the streets a very inspiring place to be.” South African-born youngster Faheema Kader, meanwhile, has a whole host of influences behind her creations. She works as a fashion buyer for a large retail group in Saudi Arabia. But her latest collection ‘Gold Rush’ has been inspired by the raw materials abundant in South Africa rather than the fashions of the country. She explains: “As a designer anything and everything can inspire you. From a flower, to someone’s jewellery to architecture of a building that you pass. I look up to my grandmother as inspiration as she was the best designer I knew. She introduced me to going into fabric stores and exploring then creating garments for us.” Nasrine Dechache was born in Paris, a city known for fashion and style. Although currently working as a marketing manager here in Dubai, she’s also studying fashion. And she is confident that her background will come through in her work. “I think Parisians are effortlessly chic because they want to be comfy yet stylish when they walk around the city,” she says. “This aspect is represented in my designs, which are a balance between casual and chic.”At the other end of the spectrum is Anum Moosa, from Pakistan. Bought up in Dubai, Anum admits the fashion-focused UAE has had more of an impact on her life than Pakistan. But this young designer also believes there is plenty of potential in her home country. “The fashion industry in Pakistan is probably the only business that’s succeeding over there. There’s so much creativity and talent, they just need a voice and someone to guide them. A lot of my designs were made in Pakistan. The intricate hand work that they did in such a short time was phenomenal. They have the ability to create and design but they are just being introduced to the concept of fashion and its hard for them to accept it due to their traditional boundaries.” www.dfw.ae for more details **Global styles on the Dubai stage >> Faheema Kader, South Africa “Raw materials like gold and diamonds are abundant, my work reflects that”>> Anum Moosa, Pakistan “The traditional abayas of dubai with the modern twist really inspire me”>> Surbhi Jaggi, India “The best part about Delhi is that it is not just about brands, but about a look.” |