UAE label Atelier Zuhra sends opulent gowns down London Fashion Week runway


Claire Corkery
  • English
  • Arabic

Atelier Zuhra put Arab design in the spotlight at London Fashion Week with a solo show on Saturday, February 15, presenting the Dubai  couture house’s autumn / winter 2020 collection. Opulent gowns, featuring sequins, embroidered fabrics, feathers and jewels, were on display on the runway in the British capital’s famed Royal Opera House.

In the front row were celebrities, influencers and fashion lovers, gathered to see the latest offering from a brand that has quickly established itself as one of the Middle East’s leading couturiers. Atelier Zuhra was founded in 2015 by Omani designer Mousa Al Awfi, who named the brand after her mother. Al Awfi raised five children – four daughters and one son – before realising her dream of dressing women in maximalist glamour.

After opening the Dar Al Aufi boutique in Dubai, Al Awfi’s evening dresses caught the eye of fashionistas in the region first and then internationally. The brand’s celebrity clients range from Bollywood and Hollywood stars to Arab royalty. Al Awfi has since handed the business to her daughter, Rayan Al Sulaimani, who opened a second Atelier Zuhra boutique in Muscat.

"I never studied fashion," Al Sulaimani told The National after her show. "I came from a business foundation, but I used to go to my mum's atelier after work and that's when she noticed I had a passion for fashion. She gave me a chance to prove myself and I took it. Thank God she trusted me."

With creative director Ryan Pacioles, Al Sulaimani has created a standout collection of floor-length, A-line and mini dresses in lilac, mint green and shimmering metallics. Head covers come dripping in gems and capes are topped with feathers.

“So far everyone is happy with the collection,” she says. “The people I heard from said they were overwhelmed.”

This is the third time that Atelier Zuhra, which produces two couture collections a year, has been showcased at London Fashion Week.

The Atelier Zuhra show at London Fashion Week 2019. Photo: John Phillips / BFC / Getty Images
The Atelier Zuhra show at London Fashion Week 2019. Photo: John Phillips / BFC / Getty Images

“I think there are a lot of challenges that designers face, especially coming from a Middle Eastern background. I think the main one would be the time frame in producing a collection,” Al Sulaimani said.

Not content with owning two boutiques in her home region, Al Sulaimani is looking to Europe for Atelier Zuhra’s next venture, and aims to open her third UAE-born boutique in Paris. “There’s been a lot of change in the design scene in Dubai, not just in fashion,” Al Sulaimani says. “Before we used to follow the trends, but now we pave new paths and set new trends.”

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1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes - 263
2. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari - 235
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4. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull - 162
5. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari - 138
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Name: Tratok Portal

Founded: 2017

Based: UAE

Sector: Travel & tourism

Size: 36 employees

Funding: Privately funded

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Best strike-rate: 12.83 – Andrew Tye

Best strike-rate in an innings: 1.50 – Suresh Raina (for Chennai Super Kings against Rajasthan Royals in 2011)

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What is THAAD?

It is considered to be the US' most superior missile defence system.

Production:

It was first created in 2008.

Speed:

THAAD missiles can travel at over Mach 8, so fast that it is hypersonic.

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THAAD is designed to take out projectiles, namely ballistic missiles, as they are on their downward trajectory towards their target, otherwise known as the "terminal phase".

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THAAD can target projectiles both inside and outside of the Earth's atmosphere, at an altitude of 93 miles above the Earth's surface.

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Lockheed Martin was originally granted the contract to develop the system in 1992. Defence company Raytheon sub-contracts to develop other major parts of the system, such as ground-based radar.

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ELIO

Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett

Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina

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Badla

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Produced by: Red Chillies, Azure Entertainment 

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Rajputs 96-0 (4 ov)

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Pakistan v Dubai

First Test, Dubai International Stadium

Sun Oct 6 to Thu Oct 11

Second Test, Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Tue Oct 16 to Sat Oct 20          

 Play starts at 10am each day

 

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1 Mohammed Hafeez, 2 Imam-ul-Haq, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Asad Shafiq, 5 Haris Sohail, 6 Babar Azam, 7 Sarfraz Ahmed, 8 Bilal Asif, 9 Yasir Shah, 10, Mohammed Abbas, 11 Wahab Riaz or Mir Hamza

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