Emirati designer Sara Tamimi. Photographed by Julia Chernih for Vogue Arabia
“I always knew I was going to be a fashion designer,” starts Sara Tamimi. The Abu Dhabi-born and bred designer reveals that fashion has coursed through her veins since she was a little girl. “I always insisted on shopping for my own clothes; I had imagined certain designs in my head. When I couldn’t find what I was looking for, I began picking my own fabric and going to the tailor to execute my vision. That was when I started sketching different designs, inspired by John Galliano for Dior at the time.”
Sara Tamimi’s debut collection. Courtesy of Sara Tamimi
Sara Tamimi’s debut collection. Courtesy of Sara Tamimi
Studies at Esmod Dubai followed by four internships, including at the Chalhoub Group, and a creative director post at Bedashing Beauty Lounge served to fuel her passion further. Launching her eponymous label with this first collection, Tamimi outlines hero pieces for career-minded, jet-setting women. “I am determined to bring back the grandeur of an earlier era,” she remarks. “Looking at pictures of older times and how fashionable women dressed incited a nostalgic feeling of what clothes represent – a lasting statement in each piece, an identity, all while keeping it feminine and luxurious.”
Sara Tamimi’s debut collection. Courtesy of Sara Tamimi
The fabrics are the heroes of the debut line. Yellow organza appears wet but a closer look reveals silk woven with metallic fiber. The white coat dress is a jersey with a slippery gloss finish offering it a leather effect look. A maxi skirt feels like velvet to the touch, but it is made of reflective lurex. A sheepskin fitted jacket is made of a patina to bring about an antique leather look and vintage feel – “a staple piece,” nods Tamimi. “I love working with fabrics that are expressive and timeless; they’re contemporary yet elegant,” says Tamimi of the clothes, which are made in Italy, the Ukraine, and Russia. “The fabrics I have focused on are unique in the way that they stimulate more than one sense.”
Sara Tamimi’s debut collection. Courtesy of Sara Tamimi
Tamimi agrees that fast fashion is detrimental to the environment. “Our brand’s core value is creating clothes that last in your closet for life; sustainable living manifested into fashion,” she affirms. The collection isn’t defined by season, though she herself harnesses a fervor for the colder months. An aficionado of skiing, she is itching to escape to New Zealand’s slopes, where there is currently snow. As for her professional ethos, she remarks, “We don’t believe that collections should be marked as spring or fall; instead, we are balanced for clients who are located all over the world.” She states that fashion has been too fast. “We’ve compromised a lot of what we value as humans; it did not suit our nature. I believe now is the time to appreciate quality, above all.”
Sara Tamimi’s debut collection. Courtesy of Sara Tamimi
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