D es i gn e r i n t e rv i e w s / s hop
The golden girl Born and raised in Abu Dhabi, Dania Khan developed a love for the arts from a young age and is now considered one of the region’s most promising stars. An Iraqi designer who grew up in Abu Dhabi, Dania’s fashion inspiration falls close to home with her mother who she describes as a constant symbol of style and elegance. “From my early childhood it became obvious that my mind was all for the arts and fashion fascinated me,” she says. “My parents had a very good social life, in and out of the country. I would watch my mother, who had a naturally impeccable style and learn from her.” After studying Fashion Design and Marketing at the American University in London, Dania moved to Paris to further her studies at the Paris Fashion Institute, culminating with an internship at a Parisbased fashion house. Returning to the UAE with a wealth of experience under her belt, Dania produced her first collection in 2004 for private viewing, ‘Chic Afrique’. Hard work garnered her recognition and she went on to compete
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in a fashion reality TV show in Lebanon, Mission Fashion, under the watchful eye of fashion legend Elie Saab. Soon after, Dania was seconded to work for the well-respected fashion house, Bugatti and thus began her career as a merited professional designer. “My brand is for elegant, sophisticated women, who embrace their femininity and who love and understand fashion and know how to express their feelings through what they wear,” she says. Over the course of a few years, Dania designed and worked on over 1,500 custommade couture pieces. One of her more recent collections, ‘A Crush on Colour’, is a glamorous eveningwear couture collection inspired by the ’50s. She says: “Each piece is quite simple yet has a distinctive detail. It has a very colourful palette, but with the summer season here I want women to feel fresh. The fashion scene in the Middle East is huge and women in the region are beautiful in their own right,” she continues. “They simply love fashion and being stylish is second nature to them.” Dania Khan is available at O Concept Boutique, Dubai. See daniakhan.com
Women in the Middle East are very fashionable. In terms of glamour and style they are highly evolved, totally interesting and very much haute couture 5 & 6 Dania Khan
Returning to her British roots, Marina continued her training at the prestigious Central Saint Martins in London before becoming an intern under A lexander McQueen and backstage at London Fashion Week. With impressive experience under her belt, she set about launching her debut collection, Marina Qureshi London, in 2011. “Inspiration for my designs is an organic process and it generally starts with visualising the kind of woman I want to see wearing my creations. A Marina Qureshi woman is one who carries herself with confidence and grace. My current collection has a very sophisticated air to it,” she explains. Her elegant and feminine eveningwear is even attracting attention from Hollywood, with E!’s Catt Sadler wearing a red dress from her second collection at this year’s Oscars. With a luxury footwear collection and a diffusion line on the horizon, there’s much more to come from the girl who grew up in the ‘garden city’. Marina Qureshi’s collection is available from online boutique ASNedits (asnedits. com). See marinaqureshi.com
H o m e - g r o w n ta l e n t More notable fashion designers from the UAE. The DAS Collection of stylish abayas is the brainchild of Emirati sisters Reem and Hind Beljafla. Combining travel inspiration with their rich traditional heritage, the designs are stocked in: Saks Fifth Avenue in the BurJuman, Dubai; and Symphony, The Dubai Mall. See dascollection.com Described as ‘walking works of art’, the Darmaki brand of couture footwear, created by Sultan Al Darmaki and a team of Italy’s finest craftsmen is full of character. One of the designer’s debut designs resides in the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. Available at Bullets & Butterflies, Mercato Mall, Dubai. See darmaki.com Central Saint Martin’s graduate Tahir Sultan worked with John Galliano in Paris and launched his eponymous prêt label in 2008. Sophisticated and effortless, his clothes marry style elements from the east and west. Available at s*uce boutique, Abu Dhabi and Dubai, see tahirsultan.com
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