Last weekend, the city’s top shopping mall became a destination for all those who share a deep appreciation for fashion. The theatre was covered with a green lawn and the entrance was turned into a spectacular garden. Meanwhile, the country’s principal fashion experts and lovers dazzled with their intricate and eye-catching outfits.
Cairo Fashion Festival (CFF), Egypt’s seasonal platform for fashion and couture, returned for its sixth season to celebrate the current summer/spring season. The line-up included many up and coming talents as well as a few old-time hustlers.
(Photo by Raghda A. El-Sayed)
The event’s hosts were none other than Nadine Farag, who started her career as a radio host before becoming a well-known TV personality. Famous radio host Sherif Nour El-Deen also shared the stage with Farag to introduce the night’s various talents.
The designers and collections varied between ready-to-wear garments and couture gowns. Dominae by Mai Khaddem started the night with a simple collection that presented the perfect beach attire. The designer utilised a light colour pallet full of whites and khakis. Meanwhile, her final dresses were a great dress code for the approaching season of beach parties.
The night’s true surprise came from Bassma Boussel. The former singer and celebrity wife showcased her very first collection during CFF6. The new designer’s love for dark shades was truly evident through her all-black suits and dresses. Boussel managed to modernise and reinterpret a few fashion staples, including suits, the little black dresses, and black gowns. She mainly depended on smart see-through tricks, thought-through cutouts, and glamourous embroidery.
Her collection included two major fashion investments: the revamped tuxedo jacket paired with simple flair pants and a long black gown with intelligent, peek-a-boo details. She nearly stopped the show with a red-carpet worthy gown that was completely sequined and paired with majestic cape shoulders.
On the other hand, Malak El-Ezzawy also pulled out a phenomenal presentation for her two labels. El-Ezzawy is Egypt’s only designer with two separate fashion brands. The young designer creates extravagant evening gowns for women as well as tailored suits for men. El-Ezzawy decided to showcase her men’s line for the very first time during CFF6.
The event as well as El-Ezzawy’s show was sponsored by Huawei; therefore, it was only expected that the models would walk down the green runway and start a selfie frenzy. The show did not only settle for a representation of the current involvement of technology. Violinist Ahmed Mokhtar got the crowd swaying with his sound and light performance while several models surprised the audience with futuristic looks and dancing choreography.
The event also put on display the latest collections from Zac Couture and Nevine Mansour. The two labels showcased very different aesthetics and collections. While Zac Couture took a theatrical detour with its three-dimensional silhouettes and elaborate draping, the other left the crowd in awe with her pop art.
Mansour depended mainly on the charm of art. Most of her skirts and bottoms carried intricate portraits of dreamy women, whereas the tops featured abstract paintings full of patterns. The collection had a clear 80s vibe with deep concentration on the decade’s love for colour blocking.
The night’s finale was kept for the phenomenal educational experiment: Fashion Clash. The avant-garde project aims to connect the dots between fashion and architecture. Each year, the project’s mentors accept a new patch of students, who work hard to bring out the brilliant aspect of art and fashion.
(Photo by Raghda A. El-Sayed)
Earlier this year, the students surprised the local industry during their independent show, where they showcased a collection inspired by the ancient metamorphoses and made solely out of paper.
The metamorphoses is a Latin narrative poem by Roman poet Ovid. The poems unfolds 250 myths that existed from the creation of time until the deification of Julius Caesar.
With that said, the students participated in CFF6 to continue their journey with the mystical metamorphoses after developing their previous designs and utilising fabrics. Their 3D silhouettes, architectural collars, and details brought the roman gods and kings to life on stage.
Meanwhile, a few students followed the event’s theme with their own interpretation of mystical plants and pre-historic predators. While one of the dresses took the crowd all the way to the ocean with its deep shades of blue, others revived roman snakes, dragons, spiders, and Jurassic birds.
In parallel, two designers preferred to remain closer to their audience through showcasing their new collection in the presentation area that was open to the public. Esmeralda Radwan and Sea Shells celebrated the current season with fresh and funky details that any women would love to sport on the beach.
