Cairo Fashion Festival Puts on a Show to Remember

The third season of CFF aims to remake Cairo into the fashion capital it once was 

 

By Frank E. Bartscheck II 

Once considered a world-renowned fashion hub in the Middle East, Cairo has taken a back seat to more prominent fashion centers in recent years. On November 7, Cairo attempted to reclaim its fashion savvy status by hosting the third season of the Cairo Fashion Festival (CFF) at Festival City Mall in New Cairo. It was a triumph for Cairo fashion. While the grandiose mall is more often associated with brand name, chain-store fashion outlets, for one magical evening the venue played host to a fashion show featuring some of Cairo’s most promising and creative haute couture designers.   “We want the Cairo Fashion Festival to be a fashion destination,” explains Omar Madkour, the creative force behind CFF. While this may seem like a tall order, the event proved that CFF is on its way to achieving such a goal.   Numerous designers showcased their collections throughout the evening. One designer, however, stood out among her peers and is already receiving international recognition for her work. Farida Temraz, of Temraz Haute Couture, recently returned from successfully showcasing her collection of 10 evening dresses and two bridal pieces at London Fashion Week (LFW). Widely considered one of the most important fashion weeks in the world, LWF features some of the world’s leading designers and biggest names. “A lot of boutiques asked for my collection so I am very happy to be well established in London now,” says Temraz, indicating that her designs generated a lot of interest.   Temraz did not have a collection on display at CFF but attended the show because she was to receive an honorary award for being the first and youngest Egyptian designer to participate in London Fashion Week. She was also the only designer from Egypt to participate in 2014’s LFW. Temraz had participated in last season’s CFF and used that show to springboard toward international success. Temraz’s story represents a major achievement for both the individual designer and the show as a whole.   “Last season she showed her first show at Cairo Fashion Festival and right away she went to London Fashion Week to showcase her collection. So, it is an honor for us,” says Madkour. “[CFF] has proven that we are really supporting our designers.”   Although Temraz did not showcase a collection at this season’s festival, she did have one very special design that graced the catwalk numerous times throughout the evening. The female host of the evening’s festivities, Egyptian actress Amina Khalil, was extremely pleased to be wearing a Temraz designed evening dress. “I think that Farida created a masterpiece and it is an honor to be wearing it,” says Khalil. “It is an honor for me [because] she is making such a good name for herself and I am so proud of her.” The dress was stunning as it was equally elegant and innovative. Temraz indicated that she designed the dress specifically for Khalil, so that it “perfectly fit her body in terms of body shape and skin color. I wanted her to glow on the catwalk.”   Temraz also inspired her fellow designers to replicate and build upon her recent success. Ahmed Nabil, owner of Nob Designs, who showcased his collection alongside Temraz at last season’s CFF agreed, “I support her 100%, I love her and her designs, she encourages me to better myself to be like her one day.”   Temraz Haute Couture represents the success CFF had envisioned when it was established. The successful show on November 7 indicated that there are bigger things to come. “This year is completely different,” Temraz agrees. “Last year was good but this year is much bigger, designers are more creative, the show is more organized [and] everyone has become professionals.”   Along with the large audience who braved unseasonably cool weather, Temraz was eager to take in other designer’s collections. “I am happy to see all of the young designers participating today,” says Temraz, adding that those who will be noticed at CFF will be daring. “I don’t call it risky but I call it very courageous. The courageous ones are the ones who will be the trend setters in Egypt.”   In fact, it was Deana Shaaban’s collection that proved to be the most eye catching. The catwalk for Shaaban’s collection was unique with numerous props, including distinctively colored vintage furniture alongside faux Roman statues, which complemented her whimsical collection. Shaaban says her collection was inspired by, “sexy fairytale characters like the White Witch of Narnia, the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland, the Black Swan, Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games ... just really artistic fantasy characters.”   When asked which designer caught his eye at this season’s CFF, Ahmed Nabil agreed, “it would be Deena Shaaban, I love her and I love her designs ... especially the fabrics and the cuts.” Youssef Spahl, CEO of Face 2 Face, says he preferred Deana Shabaan’s work the most. "[She] is using a lot of the fairytale, the glamour of big dresses…she has a different style.” The fabrics, textures and colors employed within Shaaban’s fanciful collection seem to be rooted in her strong drive to express her creativity and desire to, “take all of the rules…throw them out the window and try something new.” Shaaban’s creativity is recognizable in her work and distinctive vision of fashion, as she says “within a rectangular piece of fabric there is an infinite number of possibilities and I get to pick what that is.”   If local designers and show organizers continue to capitalize on the success of the November 7 show, there is no doubt that Cairo is on its way back to becoming a world renown fashion destination. In fact, Temraz already has big plans for the very near future. She says, “in March, I will hopefully be participating in another [major] fashion week in Europe … but its a secret.” Although she wouldn’t say where exactly, she gave away a hint to her fans, “the collection is called ‘Once Upon a Paris.’”   When asked if he foresaw any other local designers replicating Temraz’s success, Madkour states, “yes, all of them, they all have a great deal of potential.” It wasn’t that long ago that Cairo was on the front pages of newspapers around the world for vastly different reasons. Well, look out world, Cairo is fashionable again.