If you were a witness to the 2013 graduation show of Dubai’s famed French Fashion Institute, ESMOD, you would definitely appreciate what their 2014 offerings stand for, as this year’s graduation show held at Wafi City earlier this week registered improvements of epic proportions.
The graduating class of 2014 seems to have benefited from their new faculty, which shares real world’s experiences with the students. And it was visible because many students stepped out of the typical Dubai fashion-box, displaying confidence in their design stance and a fresh, bold outlook to fashion.
Sure, there were some collections replete with concepts we have seen before — Grecian silhouettes, Tom-Ford inspired caplets and a collection fit for Katy Perry’s pop persona — but given their neat execution, their lack of originality is a minor gripe. And as a fellow front-rower rightly pointed out: “It has all been done before but at least here it’s done well”.
It was interesting to note that graduating students could successfully avoid the highbrow and ditch haute-couture. “You need years of experience to put out a collection you can remotely label haute couture,” says Yohann Proux, fashion design professor at ESMOD Dubai.
It can sometimes come off as pretentious and if not done exactingly, can end your career even before it starts. “I am glad our students have taken an inventive approach to their collections in sync with their personalities, their individualistic design aesthetic and the risks they have taken have not been seen before in the UAE.”
The fact that these are young people presenting their fashion views to an audience for the first time was evident in the bold, even shocking strides; more impressive was that one could easily identify real people wearing them. Amira Salim’s sportswear inspired collection featured jumpsuits and dresses, even a backpack that transformed into a cape — in PVC and faux leather — an edge that would resonate well with a Rihanna. Using horsehair, knitwear and prints inspired by mutations in nature, Dean Richard Aquino’s A/W ’14/15 Collection — the layered gown would suit Sarah Jessica Parker to a tee — had a moody, dark tone reminiscent of Alexander McQueen [this comparison should be read as a compliment].
“The students have displayed a lot of different techniques,” says Emmanuel Rochet, pattern making professor at ESMOD Dubai. “You will see everything from classical corseting to knitwear, print design and layering — and it all takes great skill.”
Fatima Kinkhabwala displayed her learning in a collection fit for the Alexa Chungs of the world. Blending knitwear with cottons and suiting material, her collection had an androgynous feel to it. She showed maturity as a designer, creating individual pieces that can be worn with great versatility.
Layal Nadar’s modern, slick collection explored geometrical figures and repetition in organza, jersey and cashmere, creating a luxe monochromatic collection to flatter most body types. Hanan Nader Abedini employed fabric manipulation and print, overlapping florals with mashrabiya patterns, organza and feather — fit for actresses such as Blake Lively and Sonam Kapoor, while Hasleen Kaur Anand’s A/W ’14-15 collection with geometric seam details and abstract prints looked perfect for a contemporary woman with an edge — think Gwenyth Paltrow!
At her talk during the Fashion Forward April 2014 edition, fashion industry heavyweight Fern Mallis hinted it takes a village to create a viable fashion industry; if the newfound confidence of the freshest entrants into the Dubai fashion fraternity is anything to go by, a good design school and its hard-working faculty is at the heart of that fashion village.
— Pratyush Sarup edits design blog designcarrot.co
