Tag Archives: Fashion Week

Paris Fashion Week 2011 – Smalto (Homme)

Posted on by

The first fashion show I visited during the Paris Fashion Week  was on the 20th of January 2011 for Smalto. I went backstge, enjoyed the model’s getting done and met with the designer Youn Chong Bak. During the fashion show, I was seated first row.

Love the interior and the tattoo on the model was an Arabic Calligraphy

To tell you the truth, I made a big mistake not taking professional photos of the collection – but in my defense I was mesmerised by the greatness of this collection for men. I’ve never seen such perfect fitted suits and trousers, which made every man look hotter than a cake out of the oven! The lines and material, such as cashmere and wool, were impeccable. The details on the jacket lapels left me speechless as well as the beautiful low cut leather gloves. As for the colors, Youn focused on the soft degrees of grey, brown and camel.

I loved the hall of the show at the Westin Hotel Paris. Even the hair and makeup room seemed to be part of a museum.

Runway photos are courtesy of http://blamobysco.blogspot.com

Here are some photos of me partying at the Smalto VIP after party

Aiisha partying with River Viiperi

Paris Fashion Week report soon…

Posted on by
Reply

Just came back from Paris and Milan were I had the pleasure of being at the front row of nearly all of the fashion shows I watched at the Paris Fashion Week. I met with all the designers of the shows I’ve visited and had the best time backstage cuddling with their clothes as well as meeting with the hottest celebrities.

Anyways, since I came back – just 4 days ago, life has been upside down trying to catch up with a lot of work. Soon, I’ll update you on my trip in addition to our latest and really exciting news!

The shows I visited:

- Smalto (Homme)

- Cerruti (Homme)

- John Galliano (Homme)

- George Hobeika (Femme)

- George Chakra (Femme)

- Zuhair Murad (Femme)

- Elie Saab (Femme)

- Robert Abi Nader (Femme)

I’d also like to thank the below for inviting me, sorry I couldn’t make it, but I did watch all your shows later on and they’re amazing!

Among many others, Kenzo, Paul Smith, Basil Soda and Stephane Rolland (who I met later and found super charming!)

Here’s a little taste from George Hobeika’s backstage model’s running order chart:

George Hobeika models' running order

Thanks to all of the designers, their PR, and to Laith Bazari.. one of the sweetest, boldest and workaholic journalists I’ve ever met!

Laith Bazari

Aiisha in Desert Fish Magazine

Posted on by
1

It was interesting to be at the Galeries Lafayette fashion show and have my hand on Desert Fish which had the below full page:

Aiisha Ramadan in Desert Fish

In terms of content, again, I speak my mind about fashion in Dubai and how it should and can get better.

Aiisha Ramadan

I won’t talk much about fashion
week, exhibitions and buyers because
the problem in all of them are related
to a single core and to one another. The
entire concept of fashion weeks and
exhibitions in the UAE is new (4 -
5 years in not old enough) and has
been based on wrong foundations
in some ways and has had plenty of
great potential in a handful of ways.

I believe that the core is all down to
when we form a fashion designers
organization that would regulate, set
standards and look after its members,
only then the UAE fashion will take a
very different path. With that comes
an education to the society to
appreciate and being proud of their
designers. It’s a mentality change
that we have to build and lead in order for us to
break from the routine of the domination of
the international brands from Chanel to H&M.
Eventually, the UAE will develop an identity
of which it will be known for.
When the identity is strong enough,
clear and unique in its own way,
only then the UAE fashion can invade the world.

Fashion Weeks, Designers, and myself in Dubai (Thoughts)

Posted on by
2
Aiisha on catwalk

I’ve been living in Dubai for the most of my life. I don’t know any other home. As a young girl who likes fashion, I’ve seen the fashion scene in Dubai mature and become more cosmopolitan. It’s almost well known that Dubai lacks a clear identity in terms of its fashion mood, yet it brings onto the table so much to look up to. Is it conservative? Modern, Funky, Classic, High-End, Ready-to-Wear or Couture oriented? Is it for very well established designers or emerging talents? Because the quality is immensely different.

That is especially clear at the internationally acclaimed Dubai Fashion Week where you see several designers with contrasting views towards fashion and the market needs. It’s not a Prêt-à-Porter show, it’s not a couture show. It’s not conservative; it’s a lot of things.

That, has so far been perceived as a negative thing, which in many ways it is. However, if the fashion organizers take a look at the fashion scenario from a different perspective, they can bring these varieties in the most amazing form.

If you go to Paris it’s because you enjoy and want to see couture at its best, with London, its funky street wear with an open minded creativity. There’s a clear identity and purpose of their fashion weeks. However, only Dubai has a variety of cultures, styles and serves more than 1 market. In the end, Dubai has a massive variety of population, tastes and cultures.

  • To bring together what we currently have in the fashion scene closer to the various markets and consumers in Dubai, there has to be standards set without bending.
  • There should never be a first come (pay) first serve to be listed at the fashion weeks. The screening process shouldn’t be conducted by an accountant.
  • There should be a big awareness campaign regarding the regionally based designers.
  • These designers should be able to get International level of training in Dubai.
  • All designers showcasing should have a theme to follow in each of their fashion shows.
  • Coherency is a must. Right now, the press pick up photos from each designer where its impossible to guess that both designs are for the same designer from the same show.
  • Professional models.
  • Professional Photography.
  • PR – PR – PR: Fairness to all designers participating. Once all have been accepted, all designers are supposed to get the maximum possible coverage. Or else, each would rather get his/her own sponsors and carry out their own shows solo with their PR working on their media coverage.
  • Bigger sponsor names.. come on, this is the image of Dubai which is FULL of big brands, if not the HOME of brands!
  • An International Fashion Designer/ Fashion House to be invited to showcase as the Grand Finale of the fashion week. Lets face it, what’s been offered is really not international. International is Dior, Donna Karen, Gucci.. Do I need to name them all??
  • International Press. After all of the above have been dealt with, invite few international editors. It will pay off well.

I live in Dubai, and I love it here.

As I saw the UAE growing into one of the most economically powerful and man-made countries to be proud of, in my field, I’d love to see faith in the designers around, high standards to be proud of and to have Vogue scheduling us on their calendar rather than us begging for the local newspapers to cover us. I know that we can make it, but first, we need to agree on what we want.

Did you know that Dubai is getting recognition as a Fashion City? We will cover that in another post.

Dubai Fashion Week Part 2

Posted on by
Reply

 

DFW Studio 8 Invitation

DFW Studio 8 Invitation

Press Release – Dubai Fashion Week – April 2009

 Aiisha showcased her new collection in the Studio 8 fashion show at this year’s Dubai Fashion Week.  In an exhilarating and vibrant display of creative brilliance, Aiisha pushed the boundaries and scaled new heights of fashion individualism. Evoking the spirit of Dubai and her fresh, pristine mood, Aiisha combined striking colours, flowing designs and an effervescent energy to create a big splash for her Resort  Autumn/Winter 09-10 collection.

aiisha_1_resized

Fuchsia mini dress with an opened back. This opening dress was a show stopper!

The Aiisha collection is evolving and becoming more defined which in turn reflects her personality and creativity as a designer.  Aiisha is extremely excited about this new phase of her design career and feels passionately that it will strike a chord with fashion lovers and resonate deeply within people that are looking for unique, fresh concepts and styles

img_4294_resized

One of my favorites, Fuchsia Kaftan with a killer beaded back

“The best part of creativity is experimenting and for me, going from Earthy tones to striking ones was an unprecedented move” says Aiisha. Keeping in spirit, the collection will also be more haute couture.

img_4338_resized

Lemon Yellow Kaftan

img_4348_resized

Lemon Yellow Kaftan (Back)

The new Aiisha collection will headline many various events, combine with special occasions and showcase exclusively at new and trendy fashion outlets.

aiisha_3_resized

Poison green layered short dress

Straight after the Studio 8 show at Dubai Fashion Week, Aiisha’s collection will be available at the International Multi brand store Studio 8 which is owned by Sara Belhasa.

img_4262_resized

Yellow Flower Dress

 

Stockists also include:

March 2009 – Chocolate & Pickles – Wafi (already available)

April 2009 – Le Balcon des Creatures – Beirut (Lebanon)

May 2009 – Soiree, Al Wasl Road

May 2009 – Aura B – online

Dubai International Fashion Week

Posted on by
2

It is this time of year again, the Dubai Fashion Week (April 5-9, 2009) is here again.

DFW Logo

DFW Logo

I sat down with the intention to write an article about my experience with Dubai Fashion Week over the years, when two articles about the subject pops up in my RSS reader.

The first one was Arabian Business calling for an overhaul to the DFW system. The article tries to find out how much sales are generated during such an event in Dubai, and the answer is no surprise to the participating designers, not much sales are generated at such an event.

The 2nd article was from Natalie Long, at Gulf News, who wrote what I’ve been saying all along. It was as if she read my mind or we might have had a chat in the past.

According to Natalie (and I strongly agree) “It’s all hot models, beautiful dresses and all-night partying”. It is after all as the organizers pitches it for designers “An ad campaign on a budget”. Only that this is not what the designers, and specifically I, would be looking for. As a young designer, I have to invest in establishing myself, being present in showrooms and boutiques and above all, get my production right. This is the main investment that will pay back. PR, marketing and glamour all comes at a later stage to remind people of the status I’d have come to and to introduce new lines or services.

The problem is that there are no international standards set to elevate Dubai as a fashion capital and the DFW as an international fashion week. The screening procedure is ineffective, its almost like first come first serve and that really underestimates the quality of the designers. Looking at a lot of the participant’s collections, you see rare consistancy, sometime no theme, and an undefined market.

On top of all, there are no buyers. The buyers lounge is there by name only. The buyer’s invited are mostly there to mingle and have a drink and appear in the social pages of the magazines.

All of that doesn’t sell and that is exactly what caught my attention in Natalie’s chosen title: “Dubai Fashion Week: Are we buying it? “

I give the DFW a lot of credit for trying and for putting the event together end of the day. However, I highly encourage them to keep the young talents in a completely different category or a different event all together and have the semi-established, at least, in another section. I highly encourage them on getting on board stronger partners and inviting the buyers and the international press. I advise them to offer workshops for the designers to improve and show their talent in the most professional manner.

I encourage you to read both articles, it makes a good read.

Arabian Business

Tabloid! Gulf News

 

Aiisha at DFW Spring/Summer 09

Aiisha at DFW Spring/Summer 09

This season I will be participating at DFW as part of Studio 8 show, as my sellers they requested from me to showcase 6 items like the rest of the Studio 8 designers. I will be writing a new entry after the show takes place on the 7th of April.