Joanna Laura Constantine SS18 mood board
The 2017 DDFC/Vogue Fashion Prize Accessories finalists are set to present their Spring 2018 collections for jury deliberation this week in Dubai. We already gave you a preview of the brands’ Spring 2018 offerings as well as intimate glimpses into where they were cultivated. Now, we look at the people, things, and places that have shaped the aesthetic vision for the Joanna Laura Constantine, Alia Bin Omair, Najeeba Hayat (Liudmila), Farah Nasri (Hooked | HKD), and Sally Sarieddine (LaLaQueen) Spring 2018 collections.
JOANNA LAURA CONSTANTINE
By Joanna Laura Constantine
Photo: Getty
“My collections are all about fusing inspirations. While creating these collections, what came to mind in terms of muses was a hybrid between Loulou de la Falaise and Rihanna. Loulou de la Falaise, dubbed the quintessential bohemian chic woman, transcended time with her iconic 70s style of flowing garments, exotic colors and, of course, her accessories. She was a fashion revolutionary and continues to inspire designers with her effortless, non-standard femininity. She challenged the status quo with her playful fashion choices to create glamour from eccentricity, inspiring women all over the world to take pride in their own individual personalities.
I draw inspiration from such influential characters, and designed pieces that gleam with bold individuality. The other major muse of this year’s collections? Rihanna. Much like the woman I design for, she has the natural ability to pull off anything. She brings glamour to the streets with style choices that are daring in their expression. She does not hold back who she is. She does not settle. Her words and thoughts are worn unapologetically on her body as fabrics and jewels.
I found inspiration in these muses because of their ability to change the fashion landscape by questioning what is seen as fashionable. They have proven that fashion and style can transcend the predictable mainstream image, and cross its boundaries by turning daily elements of nature and the street into high fashion. They were able to form a new pop culture that encourages the woman to be herself. Their influence dances with empowerment and leaves conformity envious on the side. The runway is wherever the woman is standing and my collections pay homage to the urban runway this year with street style pieces that – much like Loulou and Rihanna – are not only powerful, but fabulous.”
LIUDMILA
By Najeeba Hayat
Liudmila SS18 mood board
“Diverse concepts, people, and moods inspire my collections and my inspiration blender is always too full of different components to honestly say a single personality is the source of my inspiration. However, the girl that informs my style from the beginning until today is half-fact, half-fiction. She is a combination of my scientist mother, Eloise at the Plaza, Hillary Clinton, Buttercup from The Powerpuff Girls, Sailor Moon, Devon Aoki in 2 Fast 2 Furious, Carmen Sandiego, myself, and Liudmila Rutilova, the escapist beauty from Fyodor Sologub’s The Petty Demon. She is a fantasist, she imagines the impossible, is a little bit hard-headed, committed to her point of view, almost always the boss, dramatic, expressive, poetic, has a strong sense of humor, and most of all, is full of life. She is the kind of girl who wants to dazzle and agitate, but doesn’t want to be hindered in any way while doing so. She wants the fantasy brought by a dramatically laced shoe, festooned with ribbons and sparkles, but will only wear them if she can dance all night in them. She is not necessarily feminine, she is simply unapologetic about her magpie tendencies, her dramatic turns, and her love for ornamentation while pushing forth for the things she cares about – should it be saving the world or crafting political strategy. She is a modern girl, through and through.”
HOOKED | HKD
By Farah Nasri
Courtesy of Hooked | HKD
“The HKD girl is someone who wants to sculpt and morph her body into a playful landscape. She is hooked on her pieces. She eats, sleeps, showers, works, and dines with them. She is looking for unique pieces to stack and she is not afraid of statement jewelry. She is not interested in jewelry in the traditional sense of the term, and does not wait for her husband to buy them for her. She gifts her best friends HKD pieces.”
LALAQUEEN
By Sally Sarieddine
LaLaQueen SS18 mood board
“Keep your love of nature, for that is the true way to understand art more and more” – Vincent Van Gogh
“LaLaQueen is an imaginary and real persona that I created. It exists in every woman. It is the place where a woman embraces her full self and lives her highest potential. Her elegance is timeless, her beauty radiates from the inside, and her voice resonates with sensibility and authenticity. Soft and powerful, and she expresses it boldly. I am inspired and fascinated by nature and it is apparent in all my collections. The moon collection is inspired by the cycles of the moon and the geometric collection is inspired by my fascination with natural crystals. I create pieces that are personal. I create pieces because I feel a need to express myself in color, shape, texture, and form.”
ALIA BIN OMAIR
Alia Bin Omair
Alia Bin Omair SS18 mood board
From Alia Bin Omair’s maison, “Two years ago, Alia bin Omair started designing jewelry. Bold, wild, and highly curated. Starting with objects that had a sense of place, experimenting with different materials from the UAE to present varieties of forms and designs. This is how Alia bin Omair works; a curious designer who likes to explore new techniques and methods in jewelry design and in her country’s heritage and traditional crafts.”
Designer Omair adds, “Inspiration to me does not come from a specific artist. Although there are people I may look towards for new techniques, my actual inspiration comes from within the materials I use. The material itself presents its potential to me, which I try to work with. The material’s inherent qualities give me ideas on how to design around its ‘personality,’ rather than to break and reshape it out of its original state.”
Read This Next: See the Fashion Prize Accessories Finalists’ Spring 2018 Collections
