Surrounded by 25,000 pearls, Farida Temraz sits in her workshop narrating another personal story through the intricate stitches of her embroidery. The dress she is working on might be a dream for a bride-to-be. And yet, to the designer it is simply a method of self expression.
Temraz is the founder and creative director of Temraza, one of Egypt’s most prominent haute couture fashion lines. The designer started 2016 with dressing Hollywood star, Laura Bell Bundy, for the SAG awards; becoming the first Egyptian designer to penetrate a star-studded event. Meanwhile she has also managed to become one of 2015’s top highlights, and the year definitely saw a number of great milestones in her journey.
She started the year with a fashion show and a prestigious award in Paris Fashion Week and ended it with great success in Los Angeles Fashion Week. Temaraza is certainly on the path to become a name that is synonymous with Egyptian fashion.
Daily News Egypt met the designer to find out more about her new collection and what she managed to learn throughout her transformational year.
Tell us more about The Concert collection.
This collection is called “The Concert” and it is inspired by stage performances. I decided to participate in Los Angeles Fashion Week because that is the city where most musical world-tours start. The collection’s main concept is that any lady wearing one of the outfits should instantly feel as if she is the star of the night; the performer.
As for the fabrics, this collection was extremely different because it was my first time to use embroidery. I was completely against embroidery at the beginning of my career and so all my previous works revolved around the fabric itself, with no embellishments.
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Why did you choose to introduce embroidery now?
Based on the collection’s theme and concept, I had to add bling and movement. I kept in mind the dress’s reaction to the dancing routines and energetic performance. I thought about the fabric’s reflex and the embroidery’s glamorous shimmer.
It took me a whole month just to learn the embroidery techniques. Meanwhile, drawing the patterns took about three good months. On the other hand, the whole collection took four months.
Each and every outfit had a character; the embroidery was based on hand-made patterns that I personally drew. Accordingly, each dress was a dancing star on its own.
This collection also had several bridal looks, the main colour pallet included yellow, emerald green, grey, and lots of white. All of the white looks were absolutely bridal, but with a modern twist that suits LA.
Before targeting a foreign market, I make sure to do my research. All weddings in LA usually take place in open-area venues. One of the bridal dresses was a two-piece look that included an embroidered top along with a flowing skirt. It is true that it is a look suitable for concerts but it could also be taken as a bridal garment.
One of the main dresses was very simple, but its beauty lay in the fact that it is embellished with 25,000 pearls.
To what extent was your personal life involved in this collection?
This collection included 12 dresses, each one a story in my life. In other words, this collection was an inspiration to me. Personally, I can only express my thoughts through music and fashion and so I wanted to combine these two factors to narrate few personal stories and prove the power of music in uniting as well as separating people.
One of the dresses was called Diamond and my main inspiration for it came from an old couple whom I knew. Whenever they used to get angry, they used to put their foreheads together. The embroidery pattern on the dress’s top looks like two foreheads meeting, just like the old couple. This is not something that could be understood without my explanation, yet it remains beautiful.
Meanwhile, the Warrior ensemble narrates my own story. It has a structured embroidered top with a moving lower part. It resembles one of the weakest points in my life; it is a sign of my sharp edges that surround my delicate and sensitive persona. The top along with the pants are very stiff but they do have the flow factor. Meanwhile, the pearls maintain the feminine feel.
You started the year in Paris and now you are ending it with Los Angeles. How is each experience different?
Each fashion show has its own circumstances. Paris was my second international experience after London Fashion Week. Meanwhile it was also much easier because I had lots of help from the organising team; they had a member for each and every detail, starting from the zippers all the way to the garments’ labels. All this accuracy is currently reflected on my logistics, work techniques, and confidence.
I remember in Los Angeles, one of the models accidentally tore her dress and I was just so calm. I even stitched the dress in a matter of minutes without hesitating for a fleeting moment. Next season, I plan to showcase my collection in my own hometown because I have managed to prove myself to the world. I currently received invitations from all key fashion weeks.
My next show is set to be an international event and yet for the Egyptian Temraza, I plan to invite all the experts that I have met during my travels.
What is next for Temraza?
I do not want to be solely a boutique or store. I am aiming to provide much more than pretty dresses. I want my clients to feel confident, comfortable, and satisfied. I want to become a full brand and fashion house. I want to become the first international high-end fashion house that started from the heart of Egypt. I wish that later on, Temraza becomes an independent empire way after Farida.
