It is the best of times, it is the worst of times for fashion in the Middle East. While Style.com/Arabia has been following young Middle Eastern talents, we came across a figure on the scene whose mission is to focus on up-and-coming designers, with a roster that includes Madiyah Al Sharqi, Mochi, and Endemage. We sat down with Firras Alwahabi, an Iraqi raised in Fujeirah, to chat about his consultancy and his approach.
What was the impetus behind launching your business?
I studied design. I wanted to be a designer when I first got into it. I interned for fashion publications, I started taking on freelance styling jobs, and when I graduated I got a job offer from one of the biggest retailers in this region. First I was a Product Editor, and then Fashion Editor. I found it fascinating what PRs do, what buyers do — you have to witness it first-hand to have a full understanding of it.
I conducted interviews with emerging international designers, and I was frustrated to notice there was a pool of talent here—and I wondered why was I wasting my time interviewing a newcomer from England? What makes them better than someone in Dubai or Saudi? If Arabs don’t support Arabs then we are just going to fall by the wayside. You see designers add people on BlackBerry Messenger and they send broadcasts — an example of the backwards mentality of sales and distribution here.
Why do you think so many more designers are emerging within the region nowadays?
I think three years ago the number of publications was smaller, the amount of access was smaller — fashion in this region became a culture, so I just feel as everything lined up. It takes a few leaders to show “this is what I have done.”
Who was your first client?
MADIYAH AL SHARQI FASHION FORWARD SEASON 2.
Madiyah Al Sharqi. We worked from conception stage for 6 months before anyone saw any garment.
And you always want to keep it Arab?
I am willing to take on people that are interested in getting into this market, but it will never be a priority. The heartbeat of the company is Arab talent.
What is your selection process?
Well, obviously you need to have some form of realistic plan for your company. Even before talent you need to have a business idea, you need to have a budget and a place where you can manufacture your idea. You have to follow a calendar. Our clients have to have raw talent and some sense of a business. Contacting someone to help them is already a good first step, but we also have to be careful about our brand alignment. It’s about taking on clients I know I can guide and I know can be successful.
We have three main services. Creative consulting – assisting with fabric selection and the commerciality of a collection. Sales and distribution – securing stockists. And finally PR and marketing. Every designer is completely different so we don’t have one strategy. Our aim is to make designers the best that they can be, with a cultural vision in mind.
What would you like to change in this market?
It’s great that there is a slow evolution into accepting Arab talent, but it’s not completely there yet – there is still a negative connotation about the Arab market in general. When people hear the word “Dubai”, they often smile and walk away.
It’s because seemingly everybody and his/her mother is a designer now – there is no filtering process. You don’t even need to get any form of real media coverage; if you get enough followers on Instagram then you’re a designer. It’s ironic that you can add something to your social media bio and that makes it real. If you add ‘Stylist’ to your biography does that make you a stylist? Not really. I believe that you have to have some form of education in this industry—or hire someone that does.
ENDEMAGE FASHION FORWARD SEASON 2.
We are taking on a brand called L’Afshar — she just graduated from ESMOD and she is doing perspex clutches with a strong design aesthetic. Focusing on four silhouettes, four shapes, seven colors. We are also expanding our services to emerging Middle Eastern retailers.
What’s the major roadblock you are facing?
Some people are scared to support the emerging designers; they don’t feel that it will sit well in their store. And I have to respect that. There are two or three stores in Dubai that are very supportive of emerging talent—Symphony and Sauce, for example. These are benchmarks in Dubai’s fashion industry for Arab fashion designers. People sometimes assume that we get things easily because we are Arabs in Dubai, but it’s the opposite. We have to bang on those walls.
