Thursday 25 / April / 2024
Muscat: Oman’s next generation of fashion designers are not afraid to dream big and share their designs with the rest of the world.
Two young fashion designers — Amal Al Raisi and Buthaina Al Zadjali — flew the Sultanate’s flag at the Modest Fashion Festival, which was held in London on October 21.
With more shows of the Modest Fashion Festival to be held in Dubai and Doha over the next 18 months, the event provided them the perfect window to showcase their Oman-inspired designs in the international market.
“I chose to participate in the Modest Fashion Festival, as it was the right time to test the international market and present my designs,” revealed Al Zadjali, who is founder of Muscat-based fashion house Buthaina Designs.
“I have been fortunate enough to experience success in this market and believed it would be interesting to do something outside of the Middle East.”
Al Raisi is set to launch her spring/summer collection at the 2018 Paris Fashion Week.
“I chose to participate in the Modest Fashion Festival for a couple of key reasons,” she asserted. “I believe it gives a completely new perspective with regards to modesty dressing, providing elegant demureness to women, and I particularly wanted to give a new poised sentiment to this. This was also an opportunity for me to show an international audience Omani fashion, which to me is the key.”
The heritage and culture of Oman are important parts of both women’s designs, which aim to add a modern twist to the classic Arabian couture.
“My definition of fashion is about designing elegant yet comfortable pieces that can be confidently worn,” explained Al Zadjali “I think that being able to prevail and express your personality while determining your identity through what you wear is most important. This was the first time I had been involved in an event outside the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council).”
“It was very interesting for me to see how my designs, inspired by my region, were perceived by an international audience.”
Al Raisi added: “Fashion to me is about expressing your identity aesthetically. This festival is close to my heart, as I can showcase my cultural background, which I am very proud of, whilst expressing my Omani heritage and showcasing its aesthetics, at the same time keeping the key theme of modesty within my philosophy.”
Being a designer, though, does mean staying up-to-date with the latest regional and global trends, something both women do, even if they have different approaches.
“Social media plays an influential role in inspiring me, keeping me abreast with the latest trends, locally and internationally,” revealed Al Zadjali. “When designing, I trust my moods and instincts, which allow me to design my collections.”
“I prefer to follow trends,” stressed Al Raisi. “From this, I can predict the colours, fabrics, textures, materials, prints and the graphics that I plan to present on the runway and in stores for my upcoming collections.”
Although both designers do have aspirations, they realise these can only be met by keeping their clients happy, through high-quality work and dedication to their craft.
“My main strength stems from the euphoria my clients express; this motivates me to produce more bespoke styles,” stated Al Zadjali “I am very particular about my designs, from sketches to production, and I like to be involved in every aspect, ensuring my pieces turn out exactly how I imagined them. Every element of each design is hand placed with the utmost attention to detail.”
Amal Al Raisi, though, said it best: “My greatest strength is believing in myself, combined with my artistic vision,” she remarked.
Freelance writer Rabi’ah Mian contributed to this article
