In search of the next crop of UAE design talent, Luxury singled out five students from Esmod Dubai, the famed French school that has had a presence in the region since 2008, and four from Fad Dubai, a leading fashion institute in the region.
The designers
Fad’s Rakshana Krishnan, Kalistar, Tijani Adebimpe and Dhara Sheth collectively delivered some dynamic ideas. Krishnan’s sassy dresses were made from tiered lace and chequered cloth, while Sheth offered a simpler take, with a graphic 3D bodice added to an LBD. Kalistar showed a silver suit with net gaters worn under cropped, flared trousers, while Adebimpe created dazzlingly inventive gowns that presented a twisted alternative to eveningwear.
New talent from Esmod includes Janta Kumari, Taruni Kottakota, Arjun Naveen, Alaa Elghrabli and Fatima Saad, who all crafted their collections with skill and passion.
Kumari worked around the idea of a young Pakistani woman in New York, fusing hip hop with traditional embroideries to create contemporary, transformable pieces, while Kottakota embraced a Victorian Gothic aesthetic, creating looks from dried flowers and crinolines that evoked the formidable Miss Haversham from Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations.
Naveen deconstructed denim, using rust, laser etching and latex to create unique fabrics cut into curved seamed jeans and jackets, while Elghrabli, who is also a painter, created looks centered around the practical needs of artists, with pockets, flaps and surfaces to store, hold and clean brushes.
Saad, meanwhile, revealed a rare talent for couture, with cocktail looks garnished with oversized bows as trains. In a field brimming with raw talent, she displayed a skill far beyond her years, making her a name to watch.
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From left, Kristine in a woven raffia double breasted jacket, mini crinoline and kilt; Nyajouk in a tartan and denim jacket with caged sleeves and woven raffia trousers; Mitchell in a corset with straps over a skirt and crinoline trousers; all from Taruni Kottakota -
From left, Mitchell in an ivory silk bustier with bow and train; and tailored trousers; Kristine in a pleated mini dress with bow sleeves; and Nyajouk in a fitted cocktail dress with bow detail, all from Fatima Saad -
Kristine, left, in a tiered lace dress with puffed sleeves; bolero jacket (worn back to front), both from Rakshana Krishnan. Shoes, Giuseppe Zanotti Mitchell, right, in a mini dress with slashed net sleeves, Rakshana Krishnan. Lycra body, Elisabetta Franchi. Boots, Giuseppe Zanotti Mitchell, right, in a mini dress with slashed net sleeves, Rakshana Krishnan. Lycra body, Elisabetta Franchi. Boots, Giuseppe Zanotti -
Leather and denim jacket with detachable sleeves; denim trench coat with embroidered lining; woven top; skirt; jeans; and basketball handbag, all from Janta Kumari. Boots, Giuseppe Zanotti -
Distressed and laser-etched denim jacket with puffed sleeves; corset with trailing hem; and circular cut jeans, all from Arjun Naveen -
Silver jacket with bead work; kick-flare cropped trousers; and net gater, all from Kalistar -
Unisex gilet; jacket with cold shoulder detail; and drop waist skirt, all from Alaa Elghrabli -
Dress with structured bodice, Dhara Sheth -
Front, Nyajouk in a red evening dress with beading and floor-length pleated sleeves; Mitchell in a black beaded dress with a structured hip, both by Tijani Adebimpe.
For behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with the designers, follow @luxuryexplained on Instagram
