UK: Arabian Fashion debuts in London showcasing clothes from across the Arab world

Record ID: 197562

  • Title: UK: Arabian Fashion debuts in London showcasing clothes from across the Arab world
  • Date: 8th April 2009
  • Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (APRIL 6, 2009) (REUTERS-ACCESS ALL) MODEL REHEARSING HER STEPS ON THE CATWALK WITH HELP OF MODEL INSTRUCTOR VARIOUS OF MODELS WAITING BACKSTAGE IN THE WINGS BEFORE GOING ONTO CATWALK MODELS PRACTISING ON CATWALK SEEN THROUGH A MONITOR BACKSTAGE
  • Embargoed: 23rd April 2009 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: Fashion
  • Reuters ID: LVA744JTJLPAG91O7EIT8PBALTH3
  • Story Text: Bedouin clothing, 1970s glamour and traditional Muslim dress feature on the London catwalk as part of Arabian Fashion World, a showcase of Arabic fashion.
    The Arab-British Chamber of Commerce launched "Arabian Fashion World" at a glamorous ceremony on Monday (April 6). Designers from across the Arab world presented contrasting collections that drew inspiration from Bedouin culture, traditional Muslim dress and the high-octane glamour of the 1970s.
    The show was to highlight the diversity of Arab fashion and the creativity of Arabic designers.
    Designers Rabia Z from the UAE, Amina Al Jassim from Saudi Arabia, Abed Mahfouz from Lebanon, Samira Haddouchi from Morocco and Omar Kashoura who is British-Jordanian, showed their collections to an international audience of diplomats, British Muslims and fashionistas.
    The diverse backgrounds of the participating designers influenced the eclectic showcase of clothes.
    Amina Al Jassim, who is one of Saudi Arabia's pre-eminent designers, added glamour and modern, clean, asymmetric lines to traditional bedouin clothing and accessories.
    Her collection was inspired by Bedouin life, as well as colours and textures associated with the dessert.
    Speaking at a reception held for guests and designers after the show, Al Passim explained that her clothes are essentially a method for sharing her Saudi Arabian culture with a wider audience.

    "Of course it's natural that I would be happy with my own collection because this is a great opportunity for Arab designers to release a collection of ours in Britain. To give an idea of the wide ranging variety of nationalities in London. So it's very important for Arab and non-Arab nationalities to learn about Arab heritage in general and Saudi traditions in particular," said Al Jassim.
    Rabia Z, a young designer that originally comes from the UAE, set herself a similar challenge. As an observant veiled Muslim she sought to update traditional jalabayas and abayas with a range of lively fabrics and accessories like spiked-heels, over-sized sunglasses and sequinned berets.
    The designer explained that she overcomes restrictions of modesty by intricately layering fabric - pinching and draping sheaths of jersey and chiffon over her models.

    "Usually I'm very grateful to get compliments that I get like oh, you know, you make us want to cover and you know...I ... I ... I ... that makes me happy but the challenges are certainly there. Any designer that sees my work can say, yes the hard part is to cover the woman entirely and yet, you know, shine her confidence and still make her look beautiful," said Rabia Z.
    Rabia herself has spent much of her life in the USA. The 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Centre prompted the designer to wear a veil. The designer explains that her traditional, yet modern clothes, are meant to appeal to a wide-demographic of Muslim women, as well as western consumers who enjoy experimenting with unconventional clothing.
    The Lebanese designer Abed Mahfouz represented another shade of Arabic design with a highly glamourous collection inspired by the bright glamour of 1970s disco.
    In marked contrast to the earlier collections featured in the show, Mahfouz's models took to the catwalk in floor-length strapless gowns and thigh-high cocktail-dresses, complete with extravagantly arranged diamantes and bouffant hair.
    Mahfouz explained that he had created a collection to appeal to both western and eastern women.

    "A lot of designers presented things that were not really style, they weren't dresses. They presented abayas and gowns, they didn't present evening dresses or haute couture, Everyone took traditional style from their countries, some from Morocco, some from Saudi Arabia, in Jedda, and some from the Emirates. But I presented an evening gown that's worn in the west and the east, but they only presented for the Arabs, they didn't present anything for the West," said Mahfouz.
    Mahfouz has developed a reputation for haute couture evening wear and wedding dresses. He has previously showed his collection in the Altaroma Altamoda international fashion week in Rome.
    The organisers of Arabian Fashion World hope to showcase Arabic designers at shows in both London and Paris next year.
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