Three amateur designers leave competition behind and take home the Swarovski Young Designer Awards. Amelia Naidoo reports.
Blindingly dazzling wedding dresses competed for my attention at the recent Bride Show Dubai exhibition. Glancing at the other visitors, I saw that they, too, seemed in awe of the gowns affixed with Swarovski crystals of every shape and size.
Amateur and student designers had created 19 of the gowns for the Swarovski Young Designer Awards (SYDA) competition. Some made from unusual materials such as plastic, paper and metal seemed quite at home with ones made from more traditional fabrics such as silk, tulle and satin.
The contestants had been chosen from more than 300 aspiring fashion designers who had entered the contest. This year the theme was "the art of being intimate".
Love of colour
Wedding dresses are not known for their splashes of colour but student category winner Ayesha Chaudhary doesn't care. Her daring use of it is probably the reason for her first prize win of a Dh3,000 gift voucher.
Chaudhary initially began a travel and tourism qualification with Middlesex University. However, a walk down Oxford Street, London, changed the course of her life when she arrived at the London College of Fashion campus.
She studied a few courses there and afterwards moved to Dubai where she is enrolled at the Centre for Executive Education (CEE).
The 22-year-old's love for fashion began with her grandmother who always knitted and crocheted things for family members. "Even my mother has done this all her life. She was not a designer but she would see dresses in shops and copy them so well."
"I also tried stitching on my machine — at first the clothes looked funny and things went haywire but it got better."
Chaudhary said she sews clothes for herself, as it is far more satisfying to wear ones that are tailored for your body.
Emirati inspired
Amateur designer and competition runner-up Mona Osman Badawi said she was 12 when she started designing. Although she chose to study architecture, her interest in fashion design along with related fields such as interior design continued.
The 25-year-old Sudanese national currently makes and sells abayas and bridal wear for UAE national women. For the competition, Badawi created a wedding dress inspired by the dress of traditional Emirati women in the Al Bastakiya area.
The silk and tulle creation features a Swarovski crystal-studded mask; the front of the dress is also encrusted with them. Romantic Arabic poetry was laser embroidered on the dress.
Strength and fragility
Manipal University students Neelam Khunti, 19, and Asma Rafiq, 20, interpreted the "art of being intimate" quite differently.
Khunti, who aims to be different with her designs, created a dress with armour and a metallic mask. "The dress says that the woman wearing it is feeling very strong and secure on her wedding day."
Inspired by Lebanese designer Georges Hobeika, who uses funky elements including chains, rings and metal, Khunti incorporated these aspects into her dress.
On the contrary, Rafiq chose to project a fragile look. Her dress is made of clear PVC and plastic tubing to look like glass.
"This shows the feeling of the bride – she's happy but she's scared that her marriage might break. I wanted to use glass but chose plastic to give the same effect for safety reasons."
Khunti, a second-year BA fashion design student, said studying to become a designer was not easy despite the glamour and fun associated with the profession.
"Looking from the outside it looks easy but it requires a lot of planning and thought. It's very technical," she said.
Been there, done that
The Manipal University students' senior lecturer Anand Jagannathan, reiterated that studying to become a designer involved considerable effort.
Jagannathan turned to fashion design after an unhappy spell as a qualified civil engineer. He has more than 10 years experience in the business and has worked with renowned Indian designers JJ Valaya and Ashish Soni.
"The reality is very harsh. While there is an element of glamour attached to the profession, hard work is involved in terms of the technicalities involved," he said.
Jagannathan said Dubai's fashion scene was on the rise but "we're still not there".
"Unfortunately Dubai is very much a retail market," he said.
Jagannathan said that at Manipal University fashion design students are taught pattern making, draping, garment construction, illustration and fashion art.
Learn the basics
French designer Judith Duriez, who owns the Arabesque Sheilas & Abayas label in partnership with her husband, echoed Jagannathan's sentiments.
"You need the basic skills to have a solid background," said Duriez who has established herself designing abayas in the Gulf region for more than 10 years.
She studied in Paris and learnt drape at an haute couture school. Other schools she attended taught her to make industrial and ready-made clothes. Learning the finishing of a product and how to achieve good quality were areas she also covered.
In her career she has worked with the well-known fashion houses of Christian Lacroix and Channel.
"It's very important to learn multiple skills to be good. It's not easy; there's a lot of competition because everybody comes to Paris," Duriez said.
Business skills, sticking to a budget, keeping crazy ideas in check and translating sketches into actual products is essential to keeping clients coming back she said.
Success does not usually come quickly to people entering the business. "First you have to establish yourself and if it works out after a long long way then you get the glamorous side."
What is the Bride Show?
The Bride Show Dubai this year featured more than 400 exhibitors from the fashion, beauty and travel industries in 13 countries.
Held at the Dubai International Exhibition Centre, the four-day event included fashion shows by well-known names such as Manish Malhotra, Amato, Ghanati Couture, Julea Domani, Tijan Trading and Rahmanian Haute Couture. The exhibition was organised by IIR Middle East.
The show annually attracts brides-to-be as well as those who love fashion and beauty. The last day features the finale of the prestigious Swarovski Young Designers Award competition, now in its ninth year.
Study design
Manipal University: Students can pursue one-year certificate programmes in fashion design, jewellery design, interior design, textile design and creative embroidery and accessory design. Three-year bachelor degree programmes are available in Fashion Design and Technology Interior Design Pearl Design Centre: The institution offers an 18-month Diploma Programme in Fashion Design and Clothing Technology. Part-time certificate courses in Fashion Studies, Computer Aided Designing and Clothing Technology are also offered.
Centre for Executive Education: Diplomas and certificates in Interior Design, Fashion Design, Fashion Illustration and Surface Enhancement, Pattern Making and Garment Construction and Fashion Embroidery are offered.
French Fashion University Esmod: Three-year programmes are offered in Fashion Design or Patter Drafting. Short programmes are available as well as customised short programmes that teach Advanced Pattern Making, Draping Haute Couture and Lingerie.
Masters classes involve Draping Haute Couture, Stage Costume Design and Lingerie. Master classes for professionals deal with Trend Forecasting Analysis, Fashion Media Communication, Fashion Branding, Merchandising and Marketing, and Windows Decoration.
Preston University: A bachelor degree or diploma in fashion design is offered.
Bagging wins
Three young designers have started their journey to success after clinching the first prize at the Swarovski Young Designers Awards for their creations, which were professionally modelled on the catwalk.
Student category winner: Aisha Chaudhary's stunning wedding dress featuring loads of colour and translucent gauze covering the midriff won the judges over. The Centre for Executive Education student was ecstatic about her win and her Dh3,000 gift voucher.
"I'm so happy about this. It's a good start to my career," she said. Student category runner up: Selina Farouqi from the French Fashion University Esmod Amateur category winner: Helen O'Connor walked away with first place in the amateur category for her wedding dress featuring broad crystal encrusted shoulders with unique decorative branches. Helen, a South African national, beat nine other contestants. Amateur category runner up: Mona Othman Ahmad Badawi, a qualified architect, created a traditional Emirati inspired wedding dress.
Innovation category winner: Joseph Lalongisip's dress was judged on the basis of the innovative use of Swarovski crystals. His intricately-created wedding dress featured more than 1,000 Swarovski crystals and included a chiffon parasol as a modern day veil.
"This is overwhelming, I still can't believe it," said Lalongisip after receiving the award, which includes a year-long internship at Swarovski Middle East. "I came to Dubai to pursue my dream, and winning here at The Bride Show Dubai is my big chance to become a fashion designer."
