From emerging talent at Qatar’s first fashion school to a design incubator in the heart of Doha, Qatar 365 explores the innovative collections of the next generation and discovers how Qatar is becoming a fashion hub in the region.
Nurturing Budding Designers
One of the key centers of innovation is the oldest fashion and design university in the country, Virginia Commonwealth School of the Arts. The fashion program helps budding designers from conception to final project.
A fashion graduate, Ayatallah Mohamad is part of a talented batch of fashion graduates, who showcased their designs in a show titled: “It is history (that does not) repeat itself.” He explained his concept, “Her name is Ana Ahli or Ahli Ana, in Arabic it means I am my family and my family is me. We slowly take in their traits and then decide what to keep and what to remove. That’s when we become ourselves.”
Hira Nisar’s collection was called “Swing Motion”, “It’s about my personal conflict of going back and forth between my Pakistani roots and my life here growing up in Doha. I combine it with modern embroidery and tailoring techniques.”
Christopher Fink leads the team of teachers, all of whom have worked for international fashion houses, “We want our students to find their inner voice… and translate it into a collection. The journey of a fashion designer is really to be the voice of his generation.”
The graduates are now preparing to start their own lines here in Doha.
A fashion incubation project
M7 is a series of studios, co-working spaces and incubation programs designed to nurture new and future designers. It is a vital step in Qatar’s goal of becoming a knowledge-based economy. M7 director Maha Al Sulaiti said: “We partner with different entities that can provide something unique to the creative ecosystem. One of them is the Concept Store, studio seven. And it is a unique space in Qatar. The goal is to shine a light on Arab designers to share the narrative behind the products and make people really understand that it’s not just an object. There’s this story behind it.”
Maha says that a big part of M7 is exhibition spaces and exhibitions, like the recent Christian Dior Dream Designer. For him Zwara Design Challenge, seven local designers created pieces inspired by Dior and the culture. At Scale 7, designers receive mentorship and business advice. But the overall goal of M7 is to provide a space conducive to collaboration, innovation and creativity for both established and emerging designers.
Liwan: a creative hub
Part of a Qatar museums initiative, Liwan Design Studios and Labs Internships is a former girls-only school, where fashion innovators now come together to create exciting new projects. Head of programming Khalid Albaih says, “It’s for anyone interested in design and art, to be surrounded by creativity and creation.”
During Covid, Isa Ali Aljalahma and her cousin decided to turn their hobby into a business, artisan elaboration of vegetable tanning. On-site, his leather shop aims to source materials ethically: “We try as much as possible to be the best for the environment, the consumer and our workers,” he says.
It is a common theme in Liwan, hello ronidesigner and creative director, he says his conscious, ready-to-wear brand is based in Beirut and Doha, with modern, unisex clothing that emphasizes the brand’s values: sustainability, human rights and animal rights.
graphic designer at TypeArabiaShima Aeinehdar told Qatar 365: “We use screen and screen printing to design T-shirts and bags. I draw inspiration from the shapes of nature, fusing Arabic typography and illustration in an experimental rather than traditional way.”
Creatives say that Liwan is proving to be the ideal place for growth and collaboration, helping aspiring designers find inspiration from their surroundings and exchange knowledge, regardless of their background or culture.
Source: www.euronews.com