The document summarizes the 2014 student fashion design showcase hosted by Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar (VCUQatar). It discusses some of the notable collections presented, including Maha Khalifa Al-Subaey's silver and black texture-heavy line that won the Salam Fashion Award, and Alexia Thomas' sleek grey separates that won the W Doha Fashion Award. It also mentions Marianne Bermejo's collection taking inspiration from Japanese Harajuku street style. Overall, the showcase reflected a taste for minimalism with much black and white coloring and pared-down outfits.

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F
rom fun Japanese-
inspired street fashion
to sophisticated evening
wear, there was a little bit
of something for everyone
at Center Front, Qatar’s 2014 student
design showcase.
Hosted by Salam at The Gate Mall,
the annual fashion show by Virginia
Commonwealth University in Qatar
attracted a who’s who of buyers,
bloggers and stylistas keen to see what
Doha’s graduating student designers
could come up with. It was a bit tamer
than in previous years, with lots of
monochrome and safe neutral smart
separates, but there was still plenty
of variety.
Maha Khalifa Al-Subaey presented
a silver and black collection heavy on
texture – fluffed up black rara skirts,
sparkly midriff tops, chiffon overlays
– which won her the Salam Fashion
Award. The award, in its second year,
gives a young designer the opportunity
to work with the luxury retail brand to
develop two bespoke collections to be
sold exclusively at Salam.
Alexia Thomas, who had fun with
disc hats and sleek charcoal grey
separates, was awarded the W Doha
Fashion Award, which will involve
working with the funky hotel brand over
the next year to showcase her work at W
Doha and another W hotel somewhere
in the world.
Marianne Bermejo grabbed our
attention with plush animal motif outfits
in her take on Japanese Harajuku street
style (Bermejo and Alanoud Al Nuaimi
shared the award for Most Outstanding
Senior Collection). Other stand-outs
included the structured ruffle-edged
evening gowns by Noor Abdulla Hamad
Al-Thani and the bold black and white
outfits by Hisham Dawoud.
Sandra Wilkins, VCUQatar’s Chair of
Fashion Design, said overall, though, the
show reflected a taste for minimalism.
“There was a lot of black and white, a lot
of outfits that were pared down,”
she said.
While the show focussed on the
senior collections, there were also
collections of little black dresses,
sportswear and children’s wear by
fashion design sophomores and juniors.
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New WaveWhatDoha’shottestaspiringdesignersaresendingdowntherunway
Qatar’s Fashion
marianne bermejo noor rashid al-thani NOOR ABDULLA AL-THANI maha al-subaey
A year ago, Dana Masoud was
one of the stars of VCUQatar’s
2013 fashion show. She’s
just launched her collection
Bejeweled at luxury retailer
Salam in The Gate Mall,
reflecting her passion for
textured fabrics and intricate
detailing.
Tell us about your new
collection. What was
your inspiration?
The inspiration for Bejeweled
came from embroidered
fabrics and my love of small
details. I began by selecting
fabrics then I created a story
and concept, then came up
with the designs.
My deal with Salam came
about last year when I was
one of the graduating seniors
putting on the runway show
to show off our collections to
different stores around Doha.
Salam selected me as the
student whose collection they
wanted to help launch. [Dana
was the inaugural winner of
the Salam Fashion Award,
presented at the 2013 show].
Who’s your favourite
designer?
I really love Elie Saab because
of his attention to detail. He
creates beautiful, glamorous
clothes and you can see that
he puts a lot of thought into
his designs.
Which celebrity would
you love to design a
dress for?
I would love to design for
the whole female cast who
worked on Gossip Girl! I
would love to style Leighton
Meester.
Who are your top celeb
style crushes?
Leighton Meester – her
character on Gossip Girl
always wears awesome
outfits! – and Blake Lively for
her amazing taste. I like Jessica
Biel as well, she has that
whole confident look to her.
What are your top three
wardrobe must-haves?
I would struggle to live
without statement jewellery,
either bracelets, necklaces
or earrings. I also have a big
thing for scarves right now
and always have handmade
pieces I’ve created lying
around.
What are your top places
to shop in Doha?
Salam Stores, because they
carry my collection! Also Miss
Selfridge, as they have a great
collection of embellished crop
tops, Céline, because I love the
sunglasses, and Tiffany & Co
for necklaces.
What’s next for you now
that your collection has
launched?
I’m currently working on my
next collection, which will be a
mix of cocktail, evening wear
and ready to wear. I would
love to see my collections
featured in more stores across
the Middle East.
Bejeweled, from Dana’s label
Tiraaz, is now available at
Salam. For more about Tiraaz,
go to facebook.com/tiraaz or
Instagram: Tiraaz
Ahlan! Talks Shopping & Style
with designer Dana Masoud
The Doha designer and VCUQatar graduate chats about
her new collection for Salam and her celeb style crushes
starstyle
sleek separates from
Alexia thomas
WORDS:DAWNGIBSON,HEATHERDONOHUE.PICTURES:ALLANCOFLORES,ANGELMALLARI,SUPPLIED.