Friday 19 / April / 2024
London: An Omani fashion designer has said that representing her country at the London Fashion Week is a dream come true, and she believes that such international recognition will do wonders for talented young Arab designers. Rayan Al Sulaimani, who has her own design shop, Atelier Zuhra, participated in the Stories from Arabia event, officially a part of the London Fashion Week, which took place from September 14-18, which offered her and several other young Arab fashion designers the chance to showcase their amazing work through mainstream fashion events “The vision of this unique platform provides an individual with the chance to introduce London to the Middle Eastern culture and showcase his/her work to the rest of the world,” she said.
“I wanted my passion for fashion and creativity to be acknowledged globally. The vision of such an extraordinary podium is to indulge London with the Middle Eastern culture and expose the incredible work of designers from Arabia.” For Stories from Arabia, which is considered one of the biggest Arab fashion platforms in the UK, Sulaimani featured her Swan Collection, which featured works inspired by the Swan Princess, a fairytale that embodies the quest for real love. “We have used some sheer fabrics, which include lace and tulle to give a soft and sensitive vibe to the collection. The use of the colour palette involves ash greys, silvers, whites and greys. At the heart of this collection is elegance,” she added.
“Today’s fashion industry also requires a fashion designer to remain uniquely different from rivals. Style is not a reflection of one’s preferences but your personality and attitude.” Omani designer Sulaimani aside, many other Arab designers also presented their works, with representatives from Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt and Morocco all showcasing their efforts at London Fashion Week. Nadia Lakkoui, the founder of Moroccan fashion label Lakkoui, which is inspired by legendary designers such as Ralph Lauren, Oscar de la Renta and Olivier Rousteing, said, “My collection is for a woman that wants to be the centre of attention.
We cannot all have the same style or the same thinking which makes it important to have constructive feedback,” she said.
Designers who were present at the Stories of Arabia series were happy that they were given a chance to present their works to the international audience.
That they had such a platform on which to work and thrive went a long way in helping to make this event a success. Given the cutthroat and highly competitive nature of haute couture fashion, Arab designers at the London Fashion Week’s Story of Arabia said it was sometimes difficult to get an official voice, and agreed that platforms such as this one were extremely important and vital for people from across the world to appreciate the traditions and culture of Arab values, in order for them to act as a foundation to keep the Arab identity not just alive, but thriving as well.
