LONDON: Beauty on the catwalk – that’s the only way to describe the ethereal bespoke gowns showcased by Omani brand Atelier Zuhra at London Fashion Week for Stories from Arabia. Held in the impressive setting of the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, a succession of stunning designs were paraded with the only downside being the deafening soundtrack, which threatened at times to eclipse the fashion.
Arab News spoke to Atelier Zuhra CEO Rayan Al-Sulaimani whose mother, Omani-born Mousa Al-Awfi founded the couture house in Dubai in 2015.
Omani-born Mousa Al-Awfi founded the couture house in Dubai in 2015. Photographed by Garry Carbon
The inspiration for the collection, she explained, is “The immaculate flight of the phoenix.” The phoenix is a powerful bird from Greek mythology, which cyclically regenerates and is continually reborn. Associated with the sun, a phoenix obtains new life by arising from the ashes of its predecessor.
“We have used charcoal grey and black to represent ashes with light greens, pinks and lilacs representing sunlight and fire. The sapphire blues represent the eyes of the phoenix,” she said.
“For the fabrics, which we source from France and Italy, we have tulle, embroidery and a lot of feathers in addition to acrylics with crystals and pearls,” she added.
The inspiration for the collection is the phoenix. Photographed by Garry Carbon
A striking feature of the showing was that all the models wore striking close-fitted silver headpieces to reference the Arab culture.
The bodices on the dresses are beautifully fitted but when I admired the workmanship Al-Sulaimani confided: “To be honest, for this specific show it was all very last minute. The timing was very tight. We only had 60 days to prepare 50 different pieces. This was due to having another major showing in November. It is always challenging to have everything ready on time!”
All of the models wore striking silver headpieces as a nod to the Arab culture. Photographed by Garry Carbon
Asked about her future plans, she said: “My ambition for the future is for the brand to be well recognized internationally. Over the next five years I hope to have Atelier Zuhra established in Europe – either in London or Paris.”
Atelier Zuhra has many celebrity fans across the world including actress Eva Longoria, Bollywood stars Kareena Kapoor and Deepika Padukone as well as Arab celebrities Buthaina Al-Raisi and Mariam Hussein.
