Variety and creativity blended harmoniously in the inaugural Arabian Fashion World in London as five Arab designers showcased their collections that included the modern and the traditional.

The one-day fashion show that took place recently (April 6) at the InterContinental London Park Lane was intense as the assembled designers presented their latest collections highlighting the trends from five different Arab countries.

Arabs and Westerners all gathered in good numbers to see the creativity of five Arab designers during the first Arab fashion event in Europe.

Amina Al-Jassim from Saudi Arabia, Abed Mahfouz from Lebanon, Omar Kashoura from Jordan, Rabia Z from the UAE, and Samira Haddouchi from Morocco participated in the event.

Mahfouz presented half of his 2008-2009 40-piece collection that he previously presented in Rome, where he is a member of the Alta Roma Alta Moda, the Italian fashion designers organization.

Mahfouz’s haute couture collection highlighted the international trends and evening dress for big occasions. The designer emphasized that dresses for the occasion still have a mix of the modern and the traditional in the Arab world and his collection reflects the trend.

“This is the first time I’m participating in a fashion event in London and it was a good chance to get to know the city since I always wanted to do a fashion event here,” he said, adding the event was “not bad” as it was dealt with as an “event” more than as an international fashion show.

“Organizers were saying that this was an ‘experience’, and saying that they were ‘experiencing it’ for the first time annoyed me, especially that the show had important fashion designers,” he said. “But I will add it to my CV.”

Mahfouz found a big difference in the British and Italian audiences. “People are more interested in fashion in Italy. Here people come to see the designers. In Rome, people go to fashion shows to see the designs and the designers’ work,” Mahfouz said.

As for Al-Jassim, having five designers presenting in 45 minutes was “chaos” behind the stage. “I have never experienced such pressure in a fashion show before. There were 10 models presenting 100 dresses for the five designers at the same time. It was difficult but as a first experience, I think it was a leading one,” she said.

Al-Jassim only had March to work on her collection, but feels that her presentation was well received. She sees the fashion event as important, as it provided a platform for Arabs to be presented in the West at a time when the fashion industry is growing.

The theme of her collection was the ‘Caravan’. “I was inspired by the desert in all Arab countries including the Arabian Peninsula reaching Morocco. I imagined that the models were walking in a caravan on stage. The designs reflected the desert and the Bedouins’ clothes colors in high fashion. I like to mix modern designs with Arabian dresses and heritage,” she said.

Al-Jassim was the last to wrap up her collection, and at the reception that took place after the show received positive feedback from people of different nationalities. “If I had the chance to present more than 20 designs then that would have given the audience a better knowledge about the intricacies of Arabian designs.”

Being Jordanian and English worked very well for Omar Kashoura, who was very nervous of being the only menswear designer in the show. The whole event was about bringing East and West together “and this was evident in my work”.

“I think bringing five Arab designers in one event was a great idea. What I do is quite Western and that is my school in terms of cutting and designs. But the colors relate to my routes,” he said.

Rabia’s collection for Fall/Winter 2009 targeted women who want to wear hijab in a modern way. Her motto was “Where modesty is always in style”. She used a different range of colors from purple, pink, indigo, dark fuchsia to black and gray. The collection that was demi-couture and prêt a porter included jumpsuits, harem pants, jodhpurs. She also emphasized on the different ways of wearing hijab including soft fabric scarves to streetwise hoodie wraps.

Haddouchi’s designs mixed the Moroccan traditional style with modern dresses. The colors were bright and the belt was widely used.

Next year’s Arabian Fashion World event, that is to become an annual show, will be held over six days and in two European cities — three days in InterContinental London Park Lane and three days at InterContinental Le Grand in Paris. Two designers will present their designs per evening in order to allow each designer to present bigger collections.

“We are already arranging designers for next year, including the acclaimed Saudi designer Hatim Al-Akeel, and I am sure we will be inviting the wonderful Amina Al-Jassim from Saudi Arabia again and the magical Samira Haddouchi from Morocco, as well as new designers,” said James Black, PR and media consultant at the InterContinental London Park Lane.