Nora Al-Sheikh is a Saudi fashion designer who is obsessed with colors, fabrics and shapes, all of which combine in a self-expression of Nora’s inner life. Over the years she has experimented with designs, fabrics and concepts until she settled on three luxury lines: Nosh by Nora, Nosh Fun and Nosh Oriental.
“I’ve always loved to dress up and look unique ever since I was a little girl and that’s when I fell in love with fashion and felt that it was powerful enough to really let someone feel beautiful and confident,” she said. “The real reason that I chose to become a fashion designer was to let everyone feel beautiful.”
Nora did not think her first serious pieces, called The Modernista, were outstanding. “I was very surprised at the reaction of people when I first showcased the collection,” she recounted. “They said they saw me in those pieces and felt that my designs reflected my fashion spirit,” she said. “Now that I look back at them, I feel proud and think of them as amazing pieces. I believe I did a fantastic job as a first-timer.”
“I want women to feel unique, confidant and beautiful when wearing my designs,” she said. “I get inspired by everything when designing a new line, but I get mostly inspired by shapes and textures.”
Nosh’s new collection is called Geo Glamous. “It’s basically a mixture of glamor and geometrical shapes, I wanted to mix the modern geometrical shapes with the old glamorous Hollywood look,” she said. “My style is edgy, bold and colorful. I used very fine taffeta satin with mostly Swarovski element stones for this collection.”
She said she starts to work four months in advance on a collection. “The process starts by trying to get inspired, thinking and staring at the wall,” she laughs. “Then I start getting serious and begin sketching, refining ideas, choosing the final theme with colors, fabrics and then starting with the patterns, sewing samples and so on.”
Nora finds strength in her designs. “When it comes to designing, I believe my strength is my senses. Eyes in choosing the color theme and hands in touching the fabrics and deciding on the right one,” she said. “My weakness is the sewing part.”
There are no hidden messages behind Nosh — a name coined from the designer’s initials — like other fashion brands. “I don’t send out a message. I usually create a story in my designs. For example my ‘laceather’ collection, when I mixed leather and lace, I imagined a girl from space who was invited onto the red carpet,” she said. “So she mixed the leather space flavor with the earthy elegant lace in her clothing,” she added.
She feels her designs are special because they express her emotions. “No one can express me better than me and I use fashion to do that for me,” she said. “I’m looking forward to a big step forward in the fashion world, so stay tuned and wish me luck,” she added.
Nosh can be found in Riyadh and Dubai and soon in Kuwait, Doha and Jeddah. The designer wishes to expand internationally, to New York, London and Paris.
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