The storage room of any textile manufacturer might be a staff-only area; but that is where she could be found at any given day, sitting between the endless meters of fabrics, thinking about her upcoming creations. Fashion designers around the world constantly dwell about silhouettes and concepts while she silently pursues her love affair with fabrics.
Norine Farah is a local fashion designer that only decided to turn her extensive passion towards fabrics into a career a year ago. Today, she celebrates her first international victory upon returning from a successful display in Tiffany’s fashion week New York.
Her NYC debut marked her first international experience. Before heading to the states, the news of her participation started a wide local campaign that supported and celebrated the major milestone for the industry itself, giving the fact that Farah is the very first local designer to ever showcase her garments in New York.
“I got a pre buzz that certainly surpassed my expectations. I got a great coverage from the local media before even departing to the show,” said Farah.
“It was well organised; I did it all by myself including the fitting, choosing the models as well as styling and dressing them.” Farah added “I did not have an accompanying assistant, so I learnt that I highly need one; however, I truly enjoyed the experience in whole.”
According to the designer, the fashion week has a much bigger buzz in Egypt and the region that in the big apple.
The celebration and excitement to see an Egyptian designer in NYC only continued during the fashion week. Present media and PR were highly interested to see what a developing fashion capital could possibly add to the renowned show.
“It was great, I really loved the experience. The fashion show was really nice with a lot of local and international media who were highly interested in my work; however, there were not any buyers present,” said Farah.
Farah’s beautiful, artistic and bold collection captured the eyes of two publications and a photographer that declared his admiration with an architectural photo shoot of the dresses’ journey in the streets of NYC.
“The photo shoot here integrated the industrial theme of the cloth and it also included my friends, who happen to be influencers; therefore, I really enjoyed the friendly atmosphere of the shoot and the natural feel of the end results.” Farah added. “The main point behind the local shoot was to create a local buzz before the fashion week.”
Meanwhile, the designer commented about NYC’s photo shoot saying that it was also an industrial shoot; yet, it embraced a different concept. “They are very different, the second shoot had sophisticated poses and frames; featuring professional models. It was very fashion oriented with a formal nature,” said Farah.
Farah has always maintained an edgy and untraditional style as she absolutely despises anything pretty! The designer has been attracting lots of attention with her unexpected choice of fabrics; starting from velvet all the way to summer leather. However, it is also safe to say that her choices have initiated few trends.
Her Oasis FW 15/16 collection was no exception; yet, this time her choices did not only favour daring textiles but also a long forgotten era. The beautifully detailed collection was based on the idea of intricate baroque. While everyone is moving towards embroidery, organza and ruffles; Farah’s latest creations is a clear fashion strike.
“I found one piece of fabric, around nine months ago, and I decided that this fabric would be the base of my collection; it was green and blue with a baroque pattern. It took me two months to finish it; the only obstacle was finding just the right fabrics,” said Farah.
The collection included one full suite, a cape and 11 dresses. Each piece reinterpreted a different angle of Farah’s concept, the 21st century baroque. The designer’s eye for outstanding fabrics was vividly felt in each and every garment. While her choices were mostly textiles with a large percentage of wool, due to the cold season; the lively colours were anything but expected winter pallet.
The collection took the idea of colour blocking one step further as Farah played with the concept of clashing lining fabrics. Nonetheless, the peak of her fabric excellence is absolutely her daring choice to use the fabric’s back side as the main material while keeping its golden surface on the inside.
Meanwhile, the suite might easily be the corner stone of everyone’s upcoming winter wardrobe. Walking on the same line as the rest of the collection, its fabric is highly detailed with an intricate-bold pattern. The daring mix of royal blue and green makes the textile in itself a showstopper while the suite’s cut takes the whole look to an artistic level.
Before heading to the big apple, the designer collaborated with few local professionals to document the huge milestone.
Entrepreneur Maria Munoz, blogger Berna Ibrahim, Photographer Timothy Kaldas, hair-dresser Rafilo Toma and make-up artist Mirna Kauzman came together to create the collection’s ignite point. The garments’ retro mood highly contrasted with Kitch’s modern and contemporary backdrop.
Meanwhile, the sisters theme clearly highlighted the designer’s ability to create a cohesive yet non-repetitive collection with more than a dozen different interpretations. Kitch’s bar might have a sleek modern design; however, it has never looked any better than when surrounded with Farah’s designs.
The designer is currently working on her summer collection. Farah did not stop for long after her NYC showcase; instead, she is currently embodying her latest fashionable whims. The designer does not plan to join the flock anytime soon; her upcoming collection, which is currently under manufacturing, is set to embrace nets as main textile.
“I am thinking of a black and white colour pallet while using net as the base. I saw the fabric in Salem Alta Moda around seven months ago, hidden in a cupboard underneath the counter,” said Farah.
According to the designer, she fall in love with the fabric instantly and right on spot she bought all similar textiles from the store for a dedicated collection. While the use of net is highly fashionable abroad, once again Farah’s choice might be a bit tricky in Egypt.
“I do not think that my clothes are made to be sold in Egypt; while some understand them, others believe that they are too provocative and artistic. Egyptians still do not openly accept fashion trends; yet, even though my latest collection was against the tide I have sold four dresses.” Farah added. “As for my upcoming collection I have already sold two before the actual launch which would not be before months to come.”
The bold designer is not fritting about the matter as she has already persuaded many local women to follow her unexpected choices.
“I will keep doing what I think is right until people start appreciating my style,” concluded Farah.
