— Marwa al-Said, budding fashion designer
By Umer Nangiana
Her creative instinct was to put it to the test and she delivered a punch first up. Even before practically putting her first step in the glitzy yet challenging world of fashion and design, her ideas are out and winning.
Chosen to be tailored for the wardrobe of the Lady in Red, her designs will be adorned and showcased to the world by the first lady of Qatar’s new premier five-star destination, Marsa Malaz Kempinski, a magnificent establishment built on an island in The Pearl.
Kempinski’s first lady, the Lady in Red, will get nine dresses for her wardrobe, all of them exclusively designed by Marwa al-Said, a student of BFA Fashion Design from the Virginia Commonwealth University Qatar (VCUQ).
Aspiring to take on the local fashion industry, Marwa not only won the competition to create a bespoke wardrobe collection for the Lady in Red, she has landed herself a six-month internship opportunity with Kempinski, the ultra-luxury resort.
She is ready to take the fashion industry by storm. After she was officially announced as the winning designer for the Lady in Red, Community caught up with Marwa at Malaz’s stylish Café Murano to talk about her inspirations for the design and how she made her proverbial red letter day.
The up-and-coming fashion designer has what it takes to be a propitious hand. First up is grasping the subject in hand, the lady in red.
“The Lady in Red is a strong lady. It’s not just about colour, but attitude. She represents feminine strength, is elegant and, of course, beautiful,” says Marwa, clad in a traditional yet fashionable Abaya.
She defines fashion as an attitude, a statement that one can comfortably make in his or her personalised style.
Before sitting down to sketch the designs for the Lady in Red, Marwa first took time to understand the concept so that she could find a balance between the client’s needs and the suitability of the dresses.
“They (the hotel) gave us the idea (on) what they were looking for in the dresses for the Lady in Red, who they visualised as someone with an elegant persona and style at the same time, complementing the concierge role,” Marwa explains.
Tasked to provide the lady with signature red wear which is chic and comfortable yet durable, Marwa began with mood boards outlining silhouettes, cuts, materials and colours, along with selecting a certain era of style.
“I took inspiration from the 1950s and 60s, using soft materials such as crepe, linen, chiffon and cotton. It was the era in which the idea of feminism was gaining strength and the representative women’s dresses characterised the strength of their personalities,” says the budding fashion designer.
“You know these dresses tailored in the shape of hour-glass were very popular back then so I thought I would incorporate that idea into my designs which were contemporary, but displayed the same characteristics. The Lady in Red is a strong woman and she needs to look like one,” explains Marwa, adding that she wanted to elaborate all her features. She laid equal emphasis on the details of the fabric and cuts.
“I wanted to dress up the Lady in Red in one that is as luxurious, elegant and feminine as it is practical so that lady in concierge services feels comfortable and beautiful,” says Marwa.
Initially, as Kempinski tasked Marwa and other budding local designers to create a wardrobe for their iconic Lady in Red, they were asked to come up with a collection reflecting the unique concept of her role that is synonymous with the five-star hotel’s trademark personalised luxury; ensuring guests feel welcomed, comfortable and cared for, with no task or request too much to fulfil.
Eight local students in the senior fashion class were to compete to design the Lady in Red custom-made collection, with the winner not only to be rewarded with their designs being fashioned into a bespoke wardrobe, but also an internship at Marsa Malaz Kempinski.
First, 56 sketches were created that were further narrowed down by a judging panel from Kempinski. For the final 18 sketches, Marwa drew full designs and the judging panel then selected 12 designs. From these nine were finalised. Each dress is designed to be worn on a different occasion by the Lady in Red, who would soon be seen welcoming guests at Kempinski.
Marwa describes the process of creation an “incredible experience” and the joy of being selected as the one to design the collection for the iconic Kempinski’ Lady in Red as priceless.
“It was an amazing experience. I learned a lot from it and the result has given me a lot of encouragement and confidence. It is an honour to find an opportunity to work at a prestigious establishment like Kempinski at the very start of my career and I am excited,” says Marwa.
Besides a BFA in Fashion Design, she holds an HR Diploma from the College of the North Atlantic-Qatar. In her leisure, she likes to read, travel and paint.
She has ambitions to soon step into the world of fashion design with her unique ideas for both traditional and contemporary designs. The young designer, however, intends to begin more personally by designing clothes for her siblings.
“For instance, I would love to design an Abaya or a traditional dress for my mother or sisters and I think these dresses do not necessarily have to be glitzy, but something that is elegant and it makes them look good and feel comfortable,” says Marwa.
She targets a mixed audience for her design with a particular focus on innovation in the traditional wear of the region. However, she intends to work with a blend of both eastern and western styles and does not believe in limiting herself to a typical style.
“All styles of dresses have their respective charm and their own statement. I would love to work on all of them, but I prefer the traditional outfits from the region and think there is a lot of room for innovation and styling in them,” says Marwa.
The internship opportunity with Kempinski would allow her to work closely with the Lady in Red besides letting her see her own designs practically making the fashion statement she imbued them with.
“I think it would be a great learning experience for me so early in my career. I would work closely with the Lady in Red and other executives of the hotels. I am hoping to gain valuable experience from this stint which would help me later in my career,” she enthuses.
Marwa says she is looking forward to get that exclusive look at Doha’s new ultra-luxury destination and learning valuable insights into the premium travel, food, fashion and hospitality industries.
Marwa hopes to see how fashion functions in the real world and is ready to take her first step in practical life. It may coincide with the Lady in Red’s first appearance in Marwa’s designed red dress.
SETTING THE STAGE ALIGHT: Marwa at her graduation ceremony; and right, walking on stage after winning the competition to design the Lady in Red.
