Last night Naz and I attended the finale of Who’s Next in Dubai to see the glamorous catwalk show of local designer Essa. Essa is a stellar brand in the region since he single handedly took the iconic kaftan and modernized it for the glamorous & chic Arab woman. We loved the colorful presentation which had a combination of hints from retro Gucci, vintage YSL, and glamour of Cavalli.
Essa, of Indian origin, was born and bred in the UAE . In 2004, a Paris-based organisation launched a project that aimed to establish UAE designers internationally, so Essa chose to incorporate traditional Arabian material – from Bedouin jewellery and thalli trimmings used for kaftans to the aghal (rope headband used to keep the ghutra in place) – in the creation of a modernised Arab collection.
“Art is what provokes you and makes you think. If it doesn’t make you do any of that, it’s just another dot or flower or portrait.”
photo by Leila Antakly
Hi,
My name is Nathalie Hanna Bernhard, I am the French jewelry designer of Essa catwalk show. I have just seen your picture with our monkey, would it be possible to show it on our site ? and do you have other pictures of the jewelry that you would like to share ? We were sitted far at the show and our pictures are bad..
Thanks by advance !