by Isabel Ovalle
Six young designers have joint forces to showcase their collections in a fashion show: Dress to Impress.
The event will feature fashion designers who graduated from VCUQ or have a fashion background from known fashion institutes. The participants are Selina Farooqie, Saleh Abdulrahman, Muneera Al Dolemee, Fahad Al Obaidoly, Aisha A Al Naemi and Latifa Al Mudahki.
This event has been organised by three young Qatari entrepreneurs: Shaikha Al Mudahka, Al Anood Al Thani and Haneen Abdulrahman, who will soon open an event organising company. Al Mudahka told The Peninsula that five of the designers are Qatari, and one of them is from Pakistan. Two will present designs for men and the rest for women.
Youngsters in Qatar are interested in fashion and see it as a great opportunity to express their creativity. Participants will showcase traditional clothing and abayas, as well as urban design and garments with a Western influence.
Al Mudahka, a young entrepreneur, stated that “the fashion market in Qatar is booming, to the point that some professionals have orders from other countries.” The pieces from ‘Dress to Impress’ are mainly targeted at young customers at “affordable” prices.
The objective of the exhibition/fashion show is to promote local designers and help them achieve success. Organisers are also hoping to amplify the word of mouth publicity about these designers, in order for them to be well known among locals and foreigners.
To this end, Shaikha Al Mudahka and her partners aim to turn this event into an experience of luxury and aristocracy. They hope that, the moment guests walk in, they’ll feel surrounded by quality and high end products. The goal is to create a place where a potential buyer “can shop, be comfortable, and still feel like an empress. The event is not only about the product, we are also selling the experience,” she said.
Saleh Abdulrahman is one of the young designers participating in the show and exhibition. He will bring six pieces to the event, all of them for men. This young designer sees fashion as a tool to express his creativity. His first line was presented in January and it comprised a collection of unisex blazers.
In keeping with the events title, with his second line, Salzahkih Coutur, he aims to impress, with a collection that will be as dramatic, edgy and fun as the first one, but with more colours.
Abdulrahman owes his good taste to his mother, “she was always involved in fashion and some of it rubbed on. Plus in my family, all of us are artists. I don’t care so much about people buying my clothes, I want them to admire it,” he added. The young designer feels fashion is within; “my ideas come when I’m ready to sleep and I do sketches in my head,” he explained. While he hopes to put his designs in stores of young entrepreneurs, his collection can be found on line as well. His brand targets the young audience, aged between 18 to 30 years.
Aisha A Al Naemi will take part in the event with her line Aishaz Abaya. This designer began working on her first abayas at home, with the help of her tailor. Her family liked her designs and so she began doing them for cousins, sisters and other family members. With the demand growing, she designed almost 20 abayas for a private exhibition.
With very good feedback and many orders, she began “taking it seriously” and combining traditional customs with western and European emphasis on fashion. While keeping the traditional black colour and loose fit of the abaya, she adds unique shoulder shapes and patterns with high quality jewels. This young designer “changed the perspective of abayas” and is already supplying to Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and UAE.
Another designer participating in Dress to impress is Selina Farooqie, who has had fashion shows in Istanbul, Dubai and Doha. Farooqie adds luxury to all of her pieces and “girls around Doha are dying to own one of her pieces. “We absolutely love her and we are glad that she will be a part of DTI fashion exhibit,” said the organisers.
Latifa Al Mudahka, a Qatari fashion designer who is passionate about her work, is the owner of Moda Key. She’ll also be part of the exhibit with designs from her new line, LFM.
Fahad Al Obaidoly, another Qatari designer, is the owner and creator of Fumée Fashion. Organisers say that “this designer will stop at nothing till he reaches the stars, he is ambitious, determined, and will do anything to reach his goal. When we saw that drive in him, we immediately asked him to join as partner. Having him on the team added an experienced fashion designer who would give anything to make it perfect,” added the organisers.
Last, but not least, is Munera Al Dolemee, the owner and creator of Las Tres brand. “Las Tres” are the Spanish words for the three. The designer chose this name in honour of her three daughters, who inspired her and encouraged her to get involved in fashion. This line is a mixture of folklore and modern touches to suit the modern Arabian woman who wants to be elegant and chic.
Qatar Charity, a non-governmental organisation, founded in 1992 for the development of the Qatari society and other needy communities will receive a portion of the profits of this event. It works in the fields of sustainable development, reducing poverty, and disaster relief and emergency response.
The Peninsula
