This year, make sure you don’t miss the trendiest looks coming out of the GCC. Keep an eye out for these fashion designers who are making a splash in 2017.
Madiyah Al Sharqi
Sheikha Madiyah Al Sharqi, daughter of Fujairah’s ruler, is known for beautiful eveningwear. Her Summer/Spring 2017 (SS2017) collection is a collage of feminine colours and cuts. Dusty pink and beige feature heavily in the collection, which meshes elegance with modern style.
Zareena Yousif
This Emirati designer creates beautiful jalabiyas and evening gowns in her Dubai fashion house, Fasateen. Her inspiration was to look good herself. “Nobody was making a nice dress for me,” she tells Gulf News. “So, it was DIY for me.” Her SS2017 collection is full of light, flowing gowns, accentuated shoulders, coloured in powder blue and beige.
Amal ben Hemd
One of ben Hemd’s designs, via Umore Collection InstagramThis Saudi fashion designer created Umore Collection to work exclusively on abayas and kaftans, crafting luxurious and fashionable clothes without sacrificing modesty. Her process, she explains to Arab News, is simple, “I like to take something simple and ordinary and glam it up. I see both my creations (abayas and kaftans) as functional, I try to design them in such a way that is stylish, modern, smart and current, and can be worn every day.”
Bonus: Dress your man in Khaled al Qasimi
Qasimi’s SS2017 collection blends a light look and feel with a heavy topic. The large, billowy designs are a comment on growing up during war – in his words, they embody a child trying to “grow up by wearing his father’s clothes.” Even though it’s a dark topic, his clothes are light, with dusty beige, fresh tones of mint, and orange jackets. Qasimi is the son of Sultan Mohamed al Qasimi, Sharjah’s ruler, and he often says that his designs are influenced by the UAE and Gulf region.
