Fashion has always been in my life. I'm just a very visual person by nature.
When I was a little girl, I would make clothes for my dolls and always steal copies of my sister's fashion magazines like W and Vogue. I loved art too and realised I could combine my two passions for clothes and glamour. So I started going to art classes in school and at the age of 16 I designed my first collection. Luckily, it was a great success and I interned at top fashion companies like Gucci, Sotheby's and YSL.
We are a close-knit family.
I grew up in a small town called London in Ontario, Canada about two hours from Toronto. I'm the youngest and I have a brother Hussain and a sister, Jameela. We're very close and all work in arts or fine arts. Hussain is a television actor and TV presenter in North America while Jameela runs her own jewellery boutique in Toronto.
I always thought that being in fashion meant being a designer.
I made my first collection in high school and was frustrated by the pattern cutting and staying up all night, sewing. I realised during the fittings I really enjoyed the styling. I loved worrying about the hair, make-up and accessories for the models and how the outfit looked. It was all about making the designs come alive. So I decided to study fashion. I did my BA (Honours) in fashion management in luxury goods at the London College of Fashion and completed design courses at Central Saint Martins in London, UK. This drew me to the luxury sector and I worked for 13 years in Europe with fashion houses and designers including Tom Ford, Gucci, Burberry and Juicy Couture as a PR director.
My fashion sensibility helped me set up my business.
It was a sort of accident how I got into luxury brand consultancy. When I moved to Dubai in 2007 most of my former colleagues in the fashion industry overseas began asking me about the Middle East. One wrote from Europe asking me to do some shopping for a major luxury brand based out of London. She asked me to do research and give her my feedback. From there my name was recommended to other brands. And overnight my consultancy business grew.
There is more to fashion than designing…
I believe that to have a successful commercially viable brand you need the perfect balance of business and creativity. My dad is an entrepreneur so I grew up learning the foundations of business ethics and because I am creative I think it's the perfect balance for what I do as a brand consultant for luxury products. I honestly learnt more during my time working with Tom Ford, the American fashion designer, than I did in university. I learnt about brand management, design, styling and how to work with and manage people.
There is no right answer to what is fashionable.
Fashion should be flattering, complimentary and you should inject your personal touch. I always tell people to learn about what suits their body shape, then their lifestyle and work. Trends don't work for everyone. Just because it's in a magazine doesn't mean it'll suit you.
Fashion is not frivolous.
It is a form of art. There is a lot you can do in society with fashion. This year I did a lot of work for breast cancer awareness, which is a cause very close to me after my mother battled it. I worked on a campaign called Bras for Cause and the challenge for young and established designers was to design a bra for post surgery, a sort of a competition to produce the best one. The campaign was done here and in Beirut and we received a good response to it. It just shows how fashion can serve a purpose.
Quick Questions
Define your style in one line?
Classic, feminine and a touch of trend!
Your idea of beauty?
Flawless skin… something I wish I had.
Essential things an ideal woman must have?
Little Black Dress, classic high heels in beige and black and a good pair of dark jeans.
Your style icons
Queen Rania of Jordan, Shaikha Mozah of Qatar, Aerin Lauder and the late Jackie Kennedy.
What's hot on the fashion circuit?
Dubai Fashion Week is a great platform for emerging local designers to showcase their designs.
