Atelier Zuhra presented its second collection at London Fashion Week in February 2020. Photo courtesy of Atelier Zuhra
UAE-based couturier Atelier Zuhra was reborn at its London Fashion Week presentation yesterday, February 15 in an exploration of the everlasting beauty of couture. Although the Omani label touted maximalist creations once again in the opulent halls of Covent Garden, that is where the similarities between Atelier Zuhra’s LFW debut one year prior and its 2020 showing ended. Joining an impressive lineup of British heritage houses Burberry and Vivienne Westwood as well as leading luxury brands Roland Mouret and Simone Rocha, one could never guess Atelier Zuhra was established less than five years ago.
While passersby hoped for a glimpse of the Arab designer’s newest collection, only those within the glass archways of the Royal Opera House were treated to an elaborate metamorphosis of the regional womenswear label. Named “The Immaculate Flight of the Phoenix,” the latest designs for the coming Fall season were a celebration of the parallels drawn between the mythical world of couture with the creature that experiences transformative cycles of rebirth. “Continually morphing and remorphing, this immaculate bird represents the idea that the end is only the beginning,” said Atelier Zuhra CEO Rayan Al Sulaimani.
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Blending imaginative silhouettes with ethereal embellishments of feathered gowns and beaded headdresses, each creation exudes the infinite power of the modern Atelier Zuhra woman. Hues of black and grey represent the “ashes” from which a phoenix rises while the playful pastels are associated with the “rising sun”, explained Al Sulaimani. Up-and-coming Indian model Farhana Bodi opened the show in an endless display of mint-colored plumes while Moroccan muse Abla Sofy closed in a dreamy finale of lilac tulle and sequins, encapsulating a sartorial representation of how the sky is the limit. As Al Sulaimani said, by “empowering” the phoenix, you pave “the way for a more equal future beyond what they thought possible.”
Click through the gallery below for a closer look at some of our favorite masterpieces from Fall 2020.
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