Retrograde by James Blake

Today’s Music Monday is Retrograde by James Blake. What do you think?

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The Symphony Edit | Introducing the new issue for Spring/Summer 2013…

Available in-store at Symphony, The Dubai Mall in a limited edition print run now. Also available to view online here.

Is Symphony your favourite boutique?

Tasyourah Q&A Series | Maryam Omaira

A model wearing of Maryam’s designs

Symphony // How did you get your start in fashion?

Maryam Omaira // Dressing dolls in designs I created using tissue paper as a child, I knew, and so did those around me, that designing was not merely a passing phase but something I would make a career out of. Seeing as it is my passion, I took it as a chance to study at the first fashion university in Dubai where I took my first steps.

Symphony // What advice would you give to budding designers?

Maryam Omaira // Trusting their instincts and believing that what is in their mind is beautiful is my advice to budding designers. With this kind of confidence, it becomes easy for them to transform what is boring and plain, into something extraordinarily beautiful.

Symphony // What or whom is your greatest inspiration?

Maryam Omaira // My greatest inspiration is beauty itself. I tend to extract it from almost everything around me. I can find it staring out my window or simply looking into my children’s eyes.

Symphony // What does it mean to be an Arab fashion designer to you?

Maryam Omaira // To be an Arab fashion designer is amazing as it gives me and other designers a chance to represent our country through talent, making it and its people stand out in the name of fashion. The limited selection of supplies, though, is the one downside to being an Arab designer.

Symphony // What is your biggest dream for 2013?

Maryam Omaira // My biggest dream is to expand and become international as I am a designer with a message that needs to cross borders and become known everywhere, and that message is that the United Arab Emirates is a country that is fashion aware.

Find Maryam Omaira at Symphony

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Maryam Omaira’s Spring/Summer 2013 is available at Symphony, The Dubai Mall.10% of all proceeds from Maryam’s collection sold between the 13th and 20th of March 2013 will go directly to Dubai Cares.

Tasyourah Q&A Series | Abeer Al Suwaidi

Symphony // What advice would you give to budding designers?

Abeer Al Suwaidi // Be yourself, have an identity and let your style and signature be something unique.

Symphony // What or whom is your greatest inspiration?

Abeer Al Suwaidi // My Parents

Symphony // What does it mean to be an Arab fashion designer to you?

Abeer Al Suwaidi // The pros are that you are really appreciated, respected and encouraged by your community. I view being an Arab in the fashion industry, which is very new and very young to the region and outside world, as an opportunity to showcase the UAE culture through fashion to the International Market .

Symphony // What is your biggest dream for 2013?

Abeer Al Suwaidi // To be the best person that I can be.

Find Abeer Al Suwaidi at Symphony

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Abeer Al Suwaidi’s Spring/Summer 2013 is available at Symphony, The Dubai Mall.10% of all proceeds from Abeer Al Suwaidi’s collection sold between the 13th and 20th of March 2013 will go directly to Dubai Cares.

Rashed Almajed – ويلو

Tasyourah Q&A Series | Malaak

Malaak designer Huda Nuaimi

Symphony // How did you get your start in fashion?

Huda Nuaimi // I have grown up surrounded by fashion, as my mother is a fashion designer in the UK, so mannequins, flat patterns, Vogue magazines & fabrics have been a big part of my childhood. In 2009 I had just got back from LCF and decided I wanted to focus on launching my own collection. I really wanted to use my technical background and rework the abaya as I felt it was time the garment needed a revamp, it was time to introduce a more contemporary and edgy look to the garment.

Symphony // What advice would you give to budding designers?

Huda Nuaimi // Fashion is a very hard industry to break into; therefore it is important that you find a unique identity for your label and designs. It is vital to see consistency in your seasons and really see how your designs will evolve with each collection, that will really give you credibility as a designer in the eyes of the media and buyers and make you stand out as a key player. In the long term individuality is the key in this industry!

Symphony // What or whom is your greatest inspiration?

Huda Nuaimi // There are so many aspects of life that I find inspirational, women, fabrics, music, fashion, cultures etc so it is very hard as a designer to pinpoint one as inspiration changes with the seasons and experiences.

Symphony // What does it mean to be an Arab fashion designer to you?

Huda Nuaimi // It is an exciting time to be an Arab designer, as we are getting allot of recognition and opportunities regionally and internationally. There is allot more support of the fashion industry by the government, media and buyers, which is very important as it helps give the industry and designers credibility. However the industry is very young and has a long way to go. We are in need of international tradeshows to showcase collections, exhibitions such as Premiere Vision brought here to help build those important ties with the international textile industry and manufactures and educate them about the potential of the region.  A broader aspect of the education of fashion, textiles, digital printing and distribution being a few gaps I have identified as I have worked on collections. But every industry starts somewhere and I believe that slowly these gaps will be bridged as the industry grows.

Symphony // What is your biggest dream for 2013?

Huda Nuaimi // 2013 is a very strategic year for the brand, where we will see the brand venture in to different markets. Also it will mark the introduction to contemporary wear, which is something I have wanted to do for a long time.

Find Malaak at Symphony

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Malaak’s Spring/Summer 2013 is available at Symphony, The Dubai Mall.10% of all proceeds from Malaak’s collection sold between the 13th and 20th of March 2013 will go directly to Dubai Cares.

Tasyourah Q&A Series | Lama Taher

Deisgner Lama Taher (right) with her sister Maha Taher

Symphony // How did you get your start in fashion?

Lama Taher // After living in the UK for 6 years and obtaining an MSc in Psychology, I moved back home to Riyadh in 2010. I then decided that I wanted to give my scientific mind and academic pursuits a break and nourish my dormant artistic creativity through strengthening my hobby in fashion design. Fashion was always a latent intrinsic interest. The idea was bloomed when I realised we lacked elegant and chic clothing in Saudi Arabia. My aim was to design unique feminine and delicate clothing for young women. What pushed me to start was my love for design and concepts as well as fabric and textiles. The first collection included casual wear offering unique cotton shirts and jumpsuits. The rapid expansion of the brand emerged after the first Ramadan’s collection was launched, it provided long dresses that are distinctive, classy and wearable all year round. The overwhelming positive feedback encouraged me to translate my taste in feminine abayas made to flaunt our culture’s robes with color and style. As the success continued, evening gowns were designed that reflect delicacy and grace.

Symphony // What advice would you give to budding designers?

Lama Taher // My main advice is the key to success applies to two fundamental concepts: passion and persistence. When you truly believe in what you do, you will always keep on going. The passion I have for my work constantly makes me look forward to a new day of exciting patterns, cuts and designs. The deep love is key to push a designer to start their journey, however no business would succeed without persistence. When the workload increases, one should stay strong and never give up. Thus, make sure to nourish your inner passion to motivate you and always be persistent. Once you’ve got the two, your aim will definitively be achieved!

Symphony // What or whom is your greatest inspiration?

Lama Taher // I am fascinated by the style in the 50s and 60s. My main inspiration comes from classic movies. Watching Audrey Hepburn movies motivates me to create pieces that reflect such effortless elegance. Finding the right mix between classic looks and modern cuts is what I love working on. To me, designing is like a puzzle: there is a right fabric/colour for each style/cut. Solving this puzzle is the enjoyable challenge when designing a piece.

Symphony // What does it mean to be an Arab fashion designer to you?

Lama Taher // It’s a privilege to be able to reach out to lovely young ladies in the region. Each and every LUM item is made with love and passion, thus it is a pleasure seeing my work being appreciated in the Arab region. I believe that the overall sense of style in the region is slowly but surely shifting from extravagance to simplicity. In other words, I am happily seeing more and more clients relating to the elegant and graceful feel LUM tries to provide to its clients. There are several well-respected regional designers at the moment and I am thankful to be amongst such great talents who are making us proud as Arabs. The difficulty in being an Arab designer revolves around the logistics behind it. Legal paperwork can be troublesome when it comes to staff recruitment and other aspects.

Symphony // What is your biggest dream for 2013?

Lama Taher // A dream has no limits while a goal does. My goal is to make as many regional ladies as possible feel great and unique in the garments I make. Once I reach that goal, I want international ladies to feel the same. My ultimate goal is for LUM to be not only a brand, but also a sense of style. The dream would be to spot a LUM sign on a red bus passing by me on the streets of London- after all it’s a dream!

Find LUM at Symphony

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LUM by Lama Taher Spring/Summer 2013 is available at Symphony, The Dubai Mall.10% of all proceeds from LUM’s collection sold between the 13th and 20th of March 2013 will go directly to Dubai Cares.

Tasyourah Q&A Series | Madiyah Al Sharqi

Symphony // How did you get your start in fashion?

Madiyah Al Sharqi // I studied Fashion Design and Pattern Drafting at Esmod, and interned at Abed Mahfouz in Beirut. I always knew this was the field I would end up in and made sure that I took the right steps to ensure this.

Symphony // What advice would you give to budding designers?

Madiyah Al Sharqi // Make sure that you understand the business side of fashion. It is crucial to understand the full scope of the industry.

Symphony // What or whom is your greatest inspiration?

Madiyah Al Sharqi // I always find inspiration from the past. Whether it’s the 1960′s or the 1700′s, I never cease to be inspired.

Symphony // What does it mean to be an Arab fashion designer to you?

Madiyah Al Sharqi // I am very proud to be an Arab designer, I feel there is a real rise in Arab talent and I’d like to think I am part of that.

Symphony // What is your biggest dream for 2013?

Madiyah Al Sharqi // I am showcasing my Autumn/Winter 2013 collection this month and I am hoping that it might be my gateway into an international market. Fingers crossed!

Find Madiyah Al Sharqi at Symphony

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Madiyah Al Sharqi Spring/Summer 2013 is available at Symphony, The Dubai Mall.10% of all proceeds from Madiyah Al Sharqi’s collection sold between the 13th and 20th of March 2013 will go directly to Dubai Cares.

Tasyourah Q&A Series | Razan Alazzouni

Symphony // How did you get your start in fashion?

Razan Alazzouni // In my senior year in university I worked on a collection of disposable clothing for women, that was my first step into the industry.

Symphony // What advice would you give to budding designers?

Razan Alazzouni // To find their style before starting a brand. Once they have a style that relates to them they will always stand out!

Symphony // What or whom is your greatest inspiration?

Razan Alazzouni // My Mother , My grandmother , my sisters.

Symphony // What does it mean to be an Arab fashion designer to you?

Razan Alazzouni // It means that you would have to work twice as hard to prove that you are up to par with the international fashion industry since the ready to wear industry is relatively new to the region. We are also extremely lucky to come from a very rich culture that is forever inspiring.

Symphony // What is your biggest dream for 2013?

Razan Alazzouni // To expand internationally and to grow as a company .

Find Razan Alazzouni at Symphony

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Razan Alazzouni Spring/Summer 2013 is available at Symphony, The Dubai Mall.10% of all proceeds from Razan Alazzouni’s collection sold between the 13th and 20th of March 2013 will go directly to Dubai Cares.