Madiyah Al Sharqi Spring 2018 RTW. Fashion Forward, d3. Photo Getty Images
Madiyah Al Sharqi‘s shows are always packed. She is, after all, the daughter of the ruler of Fujairah and Emiratis are fiercely proud of their own. While royals involved in the design world are only just starting to open their work to public critique, Al Sharqi was the first to put her brand on a runway during the earliest days of Fashion Forward, now in its tenth season.
Settling into Thursday night’s show were Mary Katrantzou, Vogue Arabia Editor-in-Chief, Manuel Arnaut, The Modist‘s founder Ghizlain Guenez, and Dima Ayad, along with journalist Godfrey Deeny. The show opened with a cotton candy pink trench and a few looks in, it was evident that this was a collection for the pastel apasionada. Trench coats, trousers, midi skirts, turtle necks, and blouses trotted along the runway in a My Little Pony rainbow of colored-chalk hues before corralling together in a wave-like pattern.
Madiyah Al Sharqi Spring 2018 RTW. Fashion Forward, d3. Photo Getty Images
Madiyah Al Sharqi Spring 2018 RTW. Fashion Forward, d3. Photo Getty Images
With Spring 2018, Al Sharqi aims to conjor the notion of an LA-based jet-setter wardrobe. Yet, for the most part, today’s millennials fall into two camps: hipsters or hip hop urbanites and that’s the clientele that Al Sharqi (who herself harbors a vast knowledge of hip hop music) aims for.
For several seasons, she has diligently evolved her label by stepping out of her comfort zone (lace eveningwear) to offer various separates and outerwear. She must continue to flex her proverbial pen to offer the edge that today’s youth crave. After all, every sweetheart always has a dark side, only now, she isn’t afraid to flaunt it.
See the full Madiyah Al Sharqi Spring 2018 collection
Missed the show? Watch the Madiyah Al Sharqi Spring 2018 RTW livestream.
