Tears of joy filled the eyes of 32-year-old Lebanese designer Alaa Najd after he was named the first winner of “Project Runway Middle East” at a star-studded event on Thursday night in Dubai.
“A strong voice inside me kept telling that he will win,” said Lamia, Alaa’s mother, after the announcement of the result of the reality show, which was aired live from the Dubai Design District (D3) on MBC4 and MBC Masr. “My son never disappointed me. He always gives and works from his heart,” added the proud mother, who was wearing a dark blue dress designed by her son.
Borrowed from the globally-successful Project Runway format, the Middle East version of the show has famed Lebanese designer Elie Saab as head judge, along with Tunisian-Italian fashion icon Afef Jnifen and Algerian-French actress and former fashion model Farida Khelfa.
Najd received $50,000 (Dh183,500) towards his first fashion show, courtesy of Maybelline New York. He’s also walked away with a year’s membership with the Dubai Design and Fashion Council, plus his own creative space in the emirate. His collection will feature on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar Arabia’s first issue of 2017, along with an editorial.
“Now, I will start my own line,” Alaa told Gulf News tabloid! after winning. “From the comments of the judges, I know I am on the right path and I will continue on that path”.
Najd beat 14 other contestants from across the Middle East during 13 episodes, where he won the hearts of the jury and viewers alike with his colourful and unique designs.
“This is excellent,” Saab said about Alaa’s collection. “It is classic, and has nothing repulsive to the eye. It shows a professional [designer] is behind it.”
Before announcing the winner, Saab gave final comments on the collections of the four finalists: Rayan Atlas from Algeria, Selim Chebil from Tunisia, Eisa Hesso from Syria and Najd. He said of Alaa’s collection, “A woman wouldn’t find it difficult to put her hand in her pocket and pay for the designs”.
“Throughout the season, the show has showcased some tremendous talent and creativity, not to mention a great competitive spirit between the designers,” he added. “I’ve always said that I want to promote fashion and design in the Arab world, and thanks to MBC Group becoming the incubator and optimising that goal, we’ve been able to enter every Arab household — thus enabling all family members, not just the fashion enthusiasts, to enjoy the show.”
The show also featured performances by singing stars: Wael Kafoury from Lebanon, Samira Said from Morocco and Mohammad Hamaki from Egypt.
