Mrudu Naik
Oman Time
MUSCAT: Designers from Oman, Lebanon, Morocco, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Pakistan and Syria will participate in this year’s Muscat Fashion Week. This will be the finale event of the 2012 edition of Muscat Festival.
The Muscat Fashion Week will be held from February 21 to 23 on an outdoorrunway at the Riyam Park, which will be redone for the event.
The participating designers include Hanaa Wahaibi, Nawal Al Hooti and Dibaj from Oman, Abed Mahfouz from Lebanon, Siham Tib from Morocco, Kubra Al Qaseer from Bahrain, Amina Al Jassim from Saudi Arabia, Ayesha Depala and Kanzi from UAE, Mehwish Afzal from Pakistan and Hassan Mardash from Syria.
An exhibition of clothes designed by these designers will be held for buyers from February 22 to 24 at the Ghalya Museum of Modern Art, Mutrah Corniche.
Malik bin Fahmy Al Hinai, Muscat Municipality Committee member responsible for Muscat Fashion Week said, “We are delighted to continue last year’s success, and once again we will do our part in highlighting the extraordinary talent the Arab fashion world has to offer.
The response we received from the first Muscat Fashion Week in 2011 was tremendous, and this fortified the strong demand for an international Arab Fashion Week.”
Tickets will be on sale from February 21 at the Muscat Intercontinental Hotel, The Grand Hyatt, Qurum City Centre, Sabco Centre and Bait Al Baranda. Tickets are priced at RO10 for the front row and RO5 for a panoramic view. The timings of the show is between 7 and 10pm every evening.
“Arab fashion will take centre stage at the second Muscat Fashion Week. Following the success of last year’s event — the first ever of its kind — Oman will play host to fashionpress and buyers from around the world as the international fashion spotlight turns to fashion talent based in the Gulf and South Asia,” organisers said.
“Focusing on established designers from the Middle East as well as new talent, the week collects the best of fashion from all around the Arab countries,” they added.
Taking place over three evenings, the Muscat Fashion Week will consist of a number of boutique shows – exclusive, limited presentations – to make each night an experience.
“With renowned local Omani designers taking their designs to the catwalk alongside other top Arab and South Asian designers, this second Muscat Fashion Week will also present the international community with an outstanding example of the beauty of Arabic influenced fashion,” organisers said.
Last year’s edition received rave reviews from the international press who covered it.
New York Times writer had written that “Despite the short preparation time, the production was as strikingly beautifulas it was effortlessly punctual.”
The designers who participated last year included Hanaa Al Wahaibi, Nadra Al Ajmi, Anisa Al Zadjali and Nawal Al Hooti from Oman, Robert Abi Nader from Lebanon, Amina Al Jassim from Saudi Arabia, Shrekahnth from India and Zolaykha Sherzad from Afghanistan.
