Stitching lessons

HOUSEWIFE Kameela Saleh Jawad has designs on setting up her own boutique and tailoring shop after completing a pioneering university course in fashion design.

She was one of 59 students of all ages offered the opportunity of putting their talents to the test at the Royal University for Women (RUW) in Awali.

Their work was so impressive that a fashion show entitled ‘Le Naturelle’ was recently staged at the campus to highlight their achievements.

The opportunity was described by mother of four, Mrs Kameela, 39, from Hamad Town as a ‘dream come true’ and hopes it will boost the family’s income.

She said: “I like stitching clothes for my children and making small items like embroidered table cloths. I have even made dresses for my mother, sister and myself.

“It was my hobby and I work on an old Singer sewing machine. I was very happy to go to RUW to learn more. I made new friends, got many new ideas and enjoyed the experience.

“The course has helped me a lot. I am now hoping to open a small tailoring shop with a friend in Hamad Town. I don’t have the money but I will apply for a bank loan.

“Things are getting very expensive and finding clothes of odd sizes is very difficult. I believe tailoring will help as a simple gown can be ready for less than BD5 and I am selling the wedding dress I designed for the fashion show for just BD15.”

Kameela’s husband, Hassan Ali Alqatan, works as a store supervisor in Muharraq and they have four sons – Ali, 16, Ahmed, 13, Abdulla, 11, and Mohammed, three.

The course taught participants all aspects of constructing a garment – from designing clothes to tailoring, and some participants even opted for a special course that dealt with different aspects of setting up and running a small tailoring and designing enterprise.

Leading the Fashion Design Project was Dr Rachna Mohan, associate professor in fashion design and also head of the department of faculty of art and design at RUW. She is on a three-year assignment from Delhi University where she is an associate professor in the textiles and clothing department.

Saying that the most thrilling part of the entire programme was the enthusiasm and variety of the participants, Dr Mohan said: “Their eagerness was very infectious. We were having classes even during weekends and during Ramadan. It was always a pleasure and was never boring.

“Generally we teach fresh graduates who are between 18 and 20 years old. In this course we taught fresh graduates, newly-married girls and young mums. We had some grandmothers as well!

“There were students from all backgrounds and all types of proficiency levels. Some of them were raw and some of them had some knowledge of the clothing industry or had done some courses in sewing and fashion. But they did not have any formal training.

“Some students even had a clothing business. They had designers working for them but did not have the technical knowledge.

“So we divided the course into three semesters. The first was trying to bring their skill levels at par and focussed on tailoring and sewing and pattern making, learning different stitches and finishes.

“The second semester introduced them to techniques of draping and designing and in the third semester we divided them into groups based on their areas of interest. Some chose fashion illustration, some wanted to improve their skills in sewing and some wanted to become designers.

“Some other students were introduced to the concepts of fashion retail and also had an internship programme. We also introduced a three-week programme with UNIDO that was on entrepreneurship development. Almost 50 per cent of the students joined that programme for which they received a separate certificate.

“One thing that was very common among everybody was their sincerity and enthusiasm. I really enjoyed teaching them.”

The course was free for all and students received a stipend of BD90 and did not have to pay for getting their costumes for the show tailored. Some financially-strapped participants were also provided with sponsorship for fabrics.