Designers from Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and the UAE came together to showcase a variety of trendy Islamic apparel at a preview of the Islamic Fashion Festival (IFF) presented on day two of Dubai Fashion Week (DFW).
The show began with a collection of trendy abayas and coordinated burqas by Emirati designer Ameera Aamer. She had used colourful embroidery, bead work, shoe-lace ties and leather patches to jazz up the traditional garment for today's young and fashionable Arab women.
"I design for modern young women like myself,'' said the designer who is a banker by profession. "I have presented my collections in Malaysia, Singapore and other countries, and people there just loved the embroidered and sequinned burqas and abayas.
'Proud'
"I felt proud to take these elements of my culture and heritage to other countries. And I am very happy to have my first ramp show in Dubai as part of IFF,'' added Ameera.
Next on the ramp was a collection of delicately embroidered prayer attire in soft pastel colours with matching bags and prayer mats designed by Indonesian designer Itang Yunasz. Aktif Bestari from Malaysia presented a line of Islamic swimwear for men and women.
Using spandex lycra and a range of vibrant colours, her collection offered lovers of water sport comfortable, trendy and modest swimming attire.
Well-known Malaysian designer Tom Abang Saufi presented her stylish collection of resort wear. Inspired by the flora and fauna of Borneo where she is based, her collection included hand- painted batik kaftans, tunics and sarongs in vibrant shades of blue and green.
Elegant silhouettes
Melvin Lam, couturier to Malaysian royalty, film stars and beauty queens, showcased a collection of elegant couture gowns.
The line included beautifully draped full sleeved georgette gowns and sleeveless numbers worn over high necked chiffon blouses. Lam had used minimal embellishments relying on cuts, draping, layering and pleating to create elegant silhouettes.
Singapore-based Indian designers Sabeena and Natasha displayed the spring-summer 2008 line from their label Mantra.
Titled Fire in the Night the collection included ethnic Indian attire co-ordinated with interesting embroidered caps and scarves as well as jellabiyas and kaftans.
The designers had used dramatic red and black, intricate embroidery, gold thread work, crystals and stones and luxurious fabrics such as silk, georgette and crepes to create opulent and eye-catching special occasion wear.
The brainchild of Malaysian designer Dato' Raja Rezza Shah, the IFF is an initiative to promote and create greater awareness of Islamic apparel and designers from the Asian region.
Launched in 2006, the event has become an important part of the fashion calendar in Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta and has now come to Dubai.
Uniting people
"This is the only exclusive promotional show for the Islamic fashion design industry. Our mission is to present an avenue for Muslims with different styles of religious understanding and readiness to accept Islamic wear with a varied choice of styles and to provide non-Muslims with a better understanding of how trendy and stylish Islamic wear can be. We want to utilise fashion as a medium to unite people of different cultures, religious backgrounds and race,'' said Shah.
Marc Robinson, co-founder and event director of DFW, added, "This is just a preview of Islamic fashion. We hope to make the IFF much bigger next season by bringing many more talented designers who are creating cutting-edge designs while respecting the religious sentiments of Muslims.''
