It comes as no surprise that the brand Nana’s Closet, by young Egyptian designer Dina Said, would make its international debut at London Fashion Week — during the Spring/Summer 2012 shows no less.
Daily News Egypt had dubbed her “Egyptian Fashion Designer of the Year” in December 2010 for her beautiful summer and winter collections.
Her 2010 collection featured jackets that evoked Balenciaga with pointed shoulders in coral oranges and nautical navy, black satin jumpsuits with bronze studs on the straps and gorgeous wedding dresses that were custom made for brides who wanted something a little extra special and personal.
Quickly, the name Dina Said was whispered amongst Cairo’s socialites who could afford to shop pretty much anywhere, but chose to buy unique pieces produced in limited numbers from her.
On a balmy afternoon I visited Said in her grandmother’s house, the very woman whose closet remnants and family photos inspired the creation of feminine daywear and cocktail wear. “Affordable luxury,” Said calls it, with fair price points and a fair amount of originality and sass.
It is also in her grandmother’s house that Said has set up her workshop. She meets clients, works and produces her collection there as mother and grandmother lend a hand or word of advice to both designer and clients.
I got a great viewing of the Spring/Summer 2012 collection as a petite and beautiful friend of Said’s was trying it on, hoping to place an order for the upcoming holiday season.
She modeled a sapphire blue top made entirely of chained crystals with silver tassels hanging down, paired with a gauzy chiffon skirt long on the sides and short at the front. The effect is modern, Grecian and feminine. Next, the client tried on high-waisted greige trousers with a red blouse adorned with a black bow tied at the waist.
Said’s precocious ability to play with draping and pattern is so clear on this blouse. For someone with barely a few years under her belt as a designer, Said knows how to create the most novel draping features usually mastered by designers after years of experience. The blouse can be worn in two ways: the sides can be buttoned to the sides or let down for a longer and less form-fitting effect. The back reveals a special sartorial coup: delicate draping created folds to reveal the wearer’s back, hitting just low enough for that shock factor of subtle sexiness that is unexpected considering the blouse has a high-collared neck.
The rest of Said’s collection includes shorts, lace camisoles to be layered underneath tuxedo jackets in white or grey blue, jersey cardigans, skirts with beautiful textured panels, two evening dresses and handmade accessories, most accentuated with her now trademark beading detail at the end of sleeves or entirely composing the item.
Case in point: A top made of nothing but beads with a rope and chain linked trimming holding it together. It is dramatic and original, a testament to how capable Said is of playing with basic resources.
The invitation to participate at the London Fashion Week as an up-and-coming young designer from Egypt came as a surprise to Said. The organizers of the event had stumbled across her collection online, finding pictures on blogs and published articles.
Developing her collection over three months, Said too was naturally influenced by the revolution going on in her country.
“My inspiration was by what was going on, a ‘Romantic Army’ so to speak and the military trend, but not a literal translation,” she said.
“I needed some peace so I did something to exude that and the result was a change from the romanticism and poetry of the revolution to a more aggressive tribal inspiration, yet on trend with the color blocking trend of the moment.
“You can’t help but be affected by what’s going on around you and it reminded me of the 60s and 70s, of the Beatles and Twiggy. So I went into a sort of mod period with fringes, beadwork, a touch melodramatic with a modern take on tie dye such as the skirt that has blues and greys melting into one another.”
Said was met with a lot of applause and approval when showing at the Charing Cross Hotel in London, and there are talks with various agencies who are interested in representing her in Europe to approach stores and buyers on her behalf.
Orders have come in and Said is now working on putting her Fall/Winter 2011 collection in stores in Egypt while juggling multiple season collections.
Curiously enough, Said’s fiddling about with beads, ribbon and plastic sequins caught the attention of an accessories buyer from Paris, and there is much interest in her handmade accessories. An evening dress in this collection contains a sash with plastic neon beads, a necklace from rope, melted plastic and ribbon, which has been converted into a chocker for a blouse.
Ironically, Said faces a tough market here in Egypt. Boutiques and stores don’t consider local designers into their buying budgets, representing the designers on a purely consignment basis and thus putting them at a disadvantage.
To add insult to injury, fabrics are hard to source here and Said has made trips to Lebanon to obtain fabrics, many of which were originally made in Egypt and exported abroad.
“It was an out of body experience when people were looking and appreciating my work and the really fine details, more so than people do here in Egypt,” she said.
“People take handmade items for granted here, but in Europe, people understand it.”
To view the collection or book an appointment for Nana’s Closet, call: 0100 341 9317; email: [email protected].
A lace camisole and jersey cardigan are accentuated with a necklace handmade by Said.
Tassels, beads and chiffon for the contemporary party girl.
