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Students hoping to make their mark in the highly-competitive world of fashion design have taken their first step under the spotlight with a dazzling display of their work on the runway as part of Bahrain International Design Week (BIDW).
Top models from Matty B Models Modelling and Fashion Agency glided down the catwalk at The Avenues, Bahrain to present the outfits to a packed crowd of onlookers last Thursday evening.
Dressed in sequined, embroidered, bedazzled and classic-cut jalabiyas, abayas and suits they showed how the students and alumnae from the Royal University for Women’s (RUW) College of Art & Design could cut the mustard.
The student designers had spent the past semester sketching, planning, illustrating, pattern-making and stitching a series of traditional and modern designs under the guidance of Dean Dr Shweta Kalra Kinra, head of design Dr Nessreen Elmelegy and Noora Albinfalah, an alumna and teaching assistant at the college.
They were approached by BIDW organisers to participate in the week-long design exhibition and Noor Fahad Alfadhel, Yara AlKhan, Lana Ziyad Aladdin, Noair Aldafer, Nouf Alkhan, Bayan Turki, Amal Rafie Alsamahiji, Areej Alshaikh, AlJouhara Alzamel, Hatoon Alghazzawi and Reem Almannai took up the challenge. Noora, also a former alumna, showcased her designs as well.
RUW’s Dr Mona Suri, the academic vice president and associate professor, was delighted and said: “I’m so proud of the students as they have produced beautiful designs. It was a great chance for them to exhibit their works, learn more about what people want and the inner workings of preparing for a fashion show.
“This kind of exposure is great for them. Many of our students are already entrepreneurs with businesses in Bahrain and our programme helps them develop their businesses further.”
Matty Benson, founder and chief executive officer of the modelling agency, also managed the show and the choreography, as well as some complimentary social media promotions, and said the show also gave seven of his models a chance to ‘elevate their status and expand their portfolios’.
“We have an amazingly diverse range of models and I believe that their differences is what makes them beautiful,” he said.
“Being an ex-model myself, I became increasingly frustrated with how some agencies typically work. They often suggest runway models need to be a certain height or weight but that is not right and not the world we now live in.
“People that buy clothes are not all tall and skinny and I proved that point by placing models at the show who were all under 170cm tall. I felt the time was right to take action and create something aligned to the world we live in.”
The participating design students, such as 20-year-old Nouf from Saar, were delighted to watch their creations adorned by Matty’s leading ladies.
Nouf’s jalabiyas and abayas were inspired by Libyan culture while her suits were based on flouncy, airy and light designs. She said: “I was so excited and also a little bit nervous to see my work coming down the runway.
“I love drawing, art in general and fashion, so this programme was perfect for me. My dream is to one day become a top designer. This week was a great opportunity for people to see our work.”
Fellow Third Year student, Noor, 23, from Askar, also enjoyed the occasion. She said: “I’ve wanted to be a fashion designer ever since I was a child. I used to help design clothes with my mum at her tailoring shop in Riffa. I learned how to draw and design more than cutting fabric and measurements but now I’m good at that too thanks to the university.”
Mature student Noair, 49, a Saudi national who now lives in Hamad Town, took up the course to enhance her tailoring and designing skills and hopes one day to open up a clothes shop. She said: “I’m initially a designer that loves to stitch. I wanted to hone and develop my skills and learn the basics of tailoring and how to design fashionable items.”
Other designs on display during the runway show included Batool Dadabhai’s fusion collection called Affinity and wedding outfits by fashion designer Fatima Muhanna.
BIDW, organised by All In One Services Co, GALLURE Co, Twiser Management Company and 1A Services, concluded on Saturday and also featured a marketplace, a series of workshops and lectures during the week.
