- Title: QATAR: Qatari women launch fashion brand blending Arab and western style
- Date: 5th March 2008
- Summary: (MER-1) DOHA, QATAR (RECENT) (REUTERS) WIDE OF YD09 COLLECTION ON DISPLAY VARIOUS OF WOMEN LOOKING THROUGH YD09 COLLECTION MONA FADEL AL-SUALITI, GENERAL MANGER OF "FOLIO" DESIGN HOUSE, ENTERING HER OFFICE AL-SUALITI WORKING AT HER DESK CLOSE OF PAINTING OF A WOMAN (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) MONA FADEL AL-SUALITI, GENERAL MANGER OF "FOLIO" DESIGN HOUSE, SAYING: "In general, Arab countries import everything from abroad. But in the Gulf area especially we have very distinctive taste and we have a very rich culture. That made me think that we can combine foreign education from abroad and Qatari culture". CLOSE OF AL-SUALITI'S HAND (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) MONA FADEL AL-SUALITI, GENERAL MANGER OF "FOLIO" DESIGN HOUSE, SAYING: "YD09 for me is a beginning that I hope is built on good foundations. We are trying to establish a position for the collection and relate a message which says that, as Qatari women, we have culture and we have an education, and we don't want to keep what we have learned in the realm of the academic, we want to put into practice." CLOSE OF AL-SUALITI'S FACE AS SHE WORKS
- Embargoed: 20th March 2008 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Qatar
- Country: Qatar
- Topics: Fashion,Lifestyle
- Reuters ID: LVA9AGVQSAOR1A0S72WZZF81FPRY
- Story Text: Nine Qatari women launch YD09, a new women's clothing line which brings together eastern and western fashion influences.
The Doha-based fashion design house ''Folio'' launched the new creation at the end of 2007 in an attempt to blend local cultural sensibilities with western fashion designs.
Folio general manager Mona al-Sualiti said most clothing in the Arab world is imported from abroad. But Arab women, especially in the Gulf states, have requirements and tastes which different from Europe where many of the imported clothes are designed.
"In general, Arab countries import everything from abroad. But in the Gulf area especially we have very distinctive taste and we have a very rich culture. That made me think that we can combine foreign education from abroad and Qatari culture," said al-Sualiti.
The nine designers who created the collection are all female graduates of the Virginia Commonwealth University in the U.S.
A traditional Qatari lamp is a main theme in the collection that explores pattern and material combinations using silk, cotton velvet, chiffon, jersey and fur.
The YD09 inaugural collection is built around four colour themes, each offering several casual and formal outfits. The pieces take into account the Gulf's conservative clothing tradition, where women are expected to cover their hair and most of their body in public.
For al-Sualiti, the new fashion line is an opportunity to show local and international design and fashion communities the talent and potential that lies in Qatari design as well as a chance to put the women's education into practice and Qatari culture on show.
"YD09 for me is a beginning that I hope is built on good foundations. We are trying to establish a position for the collection and relate a message which says that, as Qatari women, we have culture and we have an education, and we don't want to keep what we have learned in the realm of the academic, we want to put into practice," she said.
The collection has managed to attract Qatari and other Arab interest, and many women who have seen the collection have praised the new line.
"I congratulate the nine designers on their unique touch. The designs are fabulous and suit all tastes, even the colours are very beautiful and unusual. The designs in general are bold," said Rita Hadad, a woman shopping at Salam Plaza showroom in Doha.
The Y in the brand name stands for the word "young" and the D for "designers," while nine is the number of the designers who are the creative force behind the collection. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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