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Alena Akhmadullina’s Whimsical Designs Win Over Middle Eastern Buyers

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Perhaps it is because the Russian designer who launched her eponymous label 15 years ago in St. Petersburg speaks to our yearning for whimsical reverie, or maybe it is because her clothes beautifully narrate romanticized folklore recalling far-flung lands and bygone eras; whatever the case may be, Alena Akhmadullina is a designer currently on the radar of some of the Middle East’s savviest and internationally reputed buyers.

Alena Akhmadullina’s Pre-Fall collection, which is inspired by the 12th century tale of King Gesar, a legendary superhuman warrior whose heroic feats recounted by Tibetans (consequently considered to be one of the longest literary works in the world) is weaved with Akhmadullina’s skilled hand into tunics, vests, overcoats, and structured taffeta pieces. Here, we see diluted central Asian tribal attire transformed into feminine silhouettes for the jet-set élégante. Mountain peaks and copious cumulous clouds are laced with earth-colored threads, while fox fur and mink are interwoven via intarsia knitting and the ethnic ethos is further accentuated via skilled layering.

Look for Akhmadullina’s first foray into pre-fall at D’NA in Doha and Riyadh this year (helmed by Deena Abdulaziz) as well as Boutique N in Kuwait. In the US, the brand has been picked up by buyer and 2015 Fashion Prize juror Nevena Borissova of Curve boutique, exclusively in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Miami.

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