Fashion house ZAI is

on fire with the

availability of new
collections by super
hot designers from
Qatar and around the
Gulf. The new Abaya and
Arabic themed dress
collections is a new
market choice for
ZAI which is renowned
for stocking
high-end brands like Elie
Saab, Lanvin, Jean Paul
Gaultier and Kenzo

Fusion of
fashion
74
and tradition By
orna
ballout

A
ccording to Diana Karaatanassova, Sales and
Marketing Manager of NBK fashion, which is
the Qatari holding company that created Zai:
“The reasoning for the introduction of these
new collections is to motivate young designers
and expose their talents. We want them to
showcase their collections in our store and
build up a reputation where people’s fashion expectations are catered
for at a local and international level.”
GLAM show stoppers
The brightly lit, ultra chic store is spread over three levels, dedicating
space to numerous specialized luxury boutiques which can be found in
different themed corners of the store. You can enter a room with walls
decorated in jewels or one with a tropical theme – whatever one it is,
the magical ambience guarantees that it’s a pleasure to view all the
collections.
According to Karaatanassova: “Zai has changed the luxury fashion
scene in Qatar with its expertly edited assortments, sumptuous
surroundings and brilliant customer service.”
Redaa by Amal Murad
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Redaa by Amal Murad

H
er first name, Amal, means hope in Arabic, and
this lady certainly has no shortage of it with her
aspirations for the future.
Amal Murad, from Dubai, is one of the most coveted
abaya designers in the Middle-East; she’s worked
as a judge on MBC channel for the famous abaya
competition, styled famous Arabic figures for a photo shoot in L’Officiel
magazine, and this year, made one of her dreams become a reality when
she showcased her designs on the catwalk at Rome Fashion Week. “It was
my first step to be recognised internationally and has definitely been one
of the biggest accomplishments on my little journey,” she beams proudly
at our meeting in Zai fashion house.
Ever since she was a little girl, works of art adorning the walls of her family
home have played a huge part of her creative influences, especially as the
pieces were crafted by a professional painter who is no other than her
father. “I have always been interested in fashion design; I used to save all
my money as a child to buy fashion magazines that were imported from
the US and the UK, because at the time, we didn’t have them available
in the Gulf.”
At 12, with creativity brimming from her young mind, she drew a picture
of a dress which her mother encouraged her to bring to the tailor to make.
Like something you see in a film; the transformation from a 12-year-old’s
picture on the drawing board to a real life piece was created when her
younger sister wore the very same dress during Eid celebrations.
Whilst studying a degree in university, she applied herself on various
fashion courses and regularly attended a prestigious fashion seminar in
Paris called “Class Seminar”.
In 2005 she established her brand Redaa and it quickly climbed the style
ranks attracting the attention of some of the biggest Middle-Eastern
celebrities who can often be spotted on the red carpet donning one of
the sought after designs. “When I first established my brand, I tried to
combine traditional and contemporary elements; I wanted to represent
our identity from the GCC whilst at the same time creating something
trendy in which the younger generation can express themselves.”
Her designer inspirations change every season but a big influence on
her style was as a result of her style icon, Yves Saint Lauren, “I learnt to
have passion for fashion looking at his wonderful collections. Every year
I make sure to attend all the fashion shows to gather ideas for colour
combinations. I also love Marc Jacobs and Lanvin’s draping designs.”
The latest abaya collection is very stylish with its careful attention to
detail; belts nip the waistline for definition and outfits are accompanied
with gorgeous matching bags and shoes, whilst delicate detailing of gold
and red lace dazzle on other Abayas. “I want to create Abayas that are
recognised across the world as they are a beautiful symbolization of our
culture. For years we have been importing things from other parts of the
world, now is our chance to export a part of our culture to the West.”

Zai has
changed
the luxury
fashion scene
in Qatar with
its expertly
edited
assortments,
sumptuous
surroundings
and brilliant
customer
service.

76
GLAM show stoppers

Redaa by Amal Murad

77
Mimi Fashion Designs
by Mariam Al Mazro

W
earing one of the pieces from Mariam Al
Mazro’s latest collection you’re guaranteed
to feel like you’ve left reality and entered a
magical realm of fairytale fantasy. The new
line’s theme is inspired by the popular second
movie, Alice in Wonderland, which sees Alice
grow into a woman. This theme is represented in the clothing with cutesy
designs dominated with girly pinks and pale blues on silk material.
Al Mazro, from Sharjah, is quickly making a name for herself across the
Middle-East; with four fashion shows in Dubai under her belt and the
unveiling of this new whimsical collection she looks set for a stellar career.
Her own fashion fairytale began in the summer of 2006, “I made a top for my
sister who was actually studying fashion design at the time; she encouraged
me to carry on making more pieces for friends and things just took off from
there,” Al Mazro reveals.
With firm support from her whole family, she started designing dresses and
tops and eventually caught the eye of some industry insiders when she was
invited to attend the Sharjah bridal show in 2007. Since then, she has been
busy discovering her own sense of style before making her first collection at
the end of 2008.
“This current collection is the one that has really caught the attention of
the crowd. I thought the inspiration of Alice in Wonderland was the best
representation of my collection; the transition from childhood to adulthood
really attracted me as these dresses are directed at the younger generation
and will hopefully capture their minds too.”
With inspirations from designers like Etro and Christian Lacroix, Al Mazro
crafted a plan and some fitting designs for her first collection in Doha, “There
are only eight pieces available here. Before I came, I did some research into
the market and found out that people really love exclusivity. I usually make
around 30 pieces per collection; however, I tailored these eight exclusive
and exquisite designs especially for Qatar.”
The range is versatile and appeals to a variety of tastes and different
nationalities. “In our culture, women having gatherings in houses for
different occasions like weddings and henna parties. And for women who
don’t wear Abayas, these dresses can be worn to glamorous events.”
It won’t be long until Al Mazro has positioned herself globally as a successful
designer and captured the attention of an international audience, “At the
moment, I’m happy collaborating with boutique stores like ZAI and in the
future I will hopefully have my own store, obviously this is a dream of every
designer. I’m actually more inspired by the people I work with as I think
when you interact with encouraging people your own personal creativity
expands.”

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 GLAM show stoppers

Fresh Qatari talent

Aishaz’ by Aisha A. Al-Naemi

Despite the fact it’s her first official collection, the creative
‘shoulder Jewel’ themed range of abayas by Qatari born
Aisha Al-Naemi, look like they’ve been created by someone
who’s been in the business for years.
The 24-year-old student of Mmarketing student is starting
off exceptionally well for her first exhibition, “It all began
when I created some designs for my friends and family, and
with much encouragement and support from everyone, I
decided to bring my designs to the public,”
Al-Naemi shares.
The unique collection combines traditional and
contemporary designs with its emphasis on shoulder
detailing in beautiful beading and embroidery.
She counts Lanvin and Valentino as her designer
inspirations and is extremely proud to be showcasing her
collection in a store which carries such elite brands. “One
of the reasons for collaborating with ZAI is because I adore
this shop. Lanvin is one of my favourite designers, to have
my clothes available in the same surroundings is a dream
come true and one day I hope to be just as successful.”

Well good luck Aisha, Mariam

and Amal, GLAM loves all your
designs and wishes you
all the best for the future!

MIMI Fashion Designs by Mariam Al Mazro

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