Latest news with #Ayissi
Gulf Today
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Gulf Today
Syrian couturier Rami Al Ali makes history at Paris Couture Week
Syrian couturier Rami Al Ali made history on Thursday as the first fashion designer from his country to feature in the official Paris Haute Couture Week calendar in a new landmark for Arab representation in the luxury business. After years of showing his tailored evening dresses on the sidelines of Couture Week, he was invited this year by France's Federation de la Haute Couture et de la Mode to join the programme. He sent out models in long pleated dresses in pastel colours, making elaborate use of silk, rolled crepe fabric, embroidery and beading in a collection that reflected his optimism about the future of his war-ravaged country. 'We called the collection the 'Guardian of Light', and it came at a time that is very hopeful, very promising,' the 53-year-old said beforehand. Al Ali, who grew up in the eastern Syrian city of Deir ez-Zor before moving to Dubai, where he founded his brand more than 20 years ago, was holding back tears as he spoke to reporters afterwards. He said he had been feeling 'nervous, excited, tired, happy' about his breakthrough moment, which follows years of dressing A-listers and royalty including Beyonce and Oscar winner Helen Mirren. Haute Couture Week is separate from the ready-to-wear Paris Fashion Week and is dedicated to handcrafted, one-of-a-kind creations made for red carpet events, galas, and other high-profile social occasions. The programme this week included two designers from Lebanon — Elie Saab and Zuhair Murad — as well as Cameroon's Imane Ayissi, the sole sub-Saharan African label included in the calendar. Saudi Arabian designer Mohammed Ashi's brand Ashi Studio was also in the programme. Ayissi, who joined the Couture calendar in 2020 at the same time as much-hyped Indian designer Rahul Mishra, paid tribute to the increasing diversity on the Paris fashion circuit. 'It shows that things are changing, that things are moving forward,' former model Ayissi said this week after his show, which made elaborate use of traditional African textiles. After studying in Damascus, Al Ali left for Dubai as a young man in search of opportunities in the fashion industry, working initially for two regional brands. He branched out on his own in 2001, building a regional fanbase for his eponymous brand from the United Arab Emirates before creating a following in Europe, including via shows in Paris outside the official Fashion Week calendar from 2012. The invitation this year from France's prestigious Federation de la Haute Couture et de la Mode places him in a new elite category that is increasingly diverse. 'I built from my heritage, from my background, from where I was based, also in the Middle East, in Dubai, all of those combined together created the form and the DNA of the brand,' he explained. Given an appreciation of tradition from his historian mother, Al Ali draws on the design aesthetics of Damascus, Aleppo and Palmyra in particular. Agence France-Presse
Arab Times
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Arab Times
From Syria to Paris: Rami Al Ali's breakthrough at Paris Haute Couture Week
PARIS, July 12: Syrian couturier Rami Al Ali made history on Thursday as the first designer from his country to be featured in the official Paris Haute Couture Week calendar — a major milestone for Arab representation in the global luxury fashion industry. After years of presenting his intricately tailored evening gowns on the fringes of Couture Week, Al Ali was formally invited by France's Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode to join this year's official programme. His runway show featured models in flowing, pleated gowns in soft pastel tones, incorporating silk, rolled crepe fabric, detailed embroidery, and beading. The collection, titled Guardian of Light, symbolized Al Ali's optimism for the future of his homeland. 'This collection comes at a very hopeful, very promising time,' the 53-year-old told AFP prior to the show. The shift in Syria's political landscape — following the fall of former president Bashar al-Assad in December and the rise of transitional leader Ahmed al-Sharaa — has brought a fragile end to nearly 14 years of civil conflict. Al Ali, originally from Deir ez-Zor in eastern Syria and now based in Dubai, where he established his fashion label over two decades ago, appeared visibly emotional as he spoke to the press after the show. Holding back tears, he described his feelings as a mix of 'nervous, excited, tired, happy' in what marked a defining moment in his career. He has previously dressed global celebrities such as Beyoncé and Oscar-winner Helen Mirren. After years of Syria being associated with war and political repression, Al Ali hopes this new chapter will allow Syrian creatives to spotlight the country's rich cultural and artistic heritage. 'We now have more freedom to express ourselves in different ways — politically, humanely, and creatively. We have a lot to say, and we are definitely bolder, braver in how we say it,' he said. Paris Haute Couture Week is distinct from Paris Fashion Week, as it is dedicated to exclusive, hand-crafted garments often designed for red carpet events, galas, and other prestigious occasions. This season's official schedule also included designers from Lebanon — Elie Saab and Zuhair Murad — as well as Cameroonian designer Imane Ayissi, the only sub-Saharan African label featured. Saudi Arabian designer Mohammed Ashi's label, Ashi Studio, was also part of the lineup. Ayissi, who debuted on the Haute Couture calendar in 2020 alongside Indian designer Rahul Mishra, welcomed the growing diversity within the Paris fashion scene. 'It shows that things are changing, that things are moving forward,' Ayissi told AFP following his show, which celebrated African culture through the use of traditional textiles.
Gulf Today
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Gulf Today
Ayissi fuses African tradition with Parisian craft at fall couture show
Beneath an opulent chandelier in a sunlit salon, Imane Ayissi's fall couture show once again fused African tradition with Parisian craft. Monday's running motif was the flower, explored in bold, distinct ways. In one of the most striking looks, the model's entire upper body was transformed into a sculpture of giant vermillion flowers — petals constructed to fly outward and create a vivid silhouette. Another satin dress placed a flower appliqué playfully at the hip, as if growing from the fabric itself. Elsewhere, a tailored pink jacket was punctuated by crisp white floral embellishments, merging softness with geometry. Ayissi played with contrasts throughout: sharply structured jackets alongside softer, draped pieces, and traditional African textiles interpreted with couture techniques. Handwork and tactile details gave the collection both presence and lightness. If there was sometimes tension between architectural lines and exuberant decoration, Ayissi's best looks felt fresh and intentional — pushing the conversation between heritage and high fashion forward. Once again, he made a compelling case for the place of African craft in the heart of Paris couture. Ayissi's best looks felt fresh and intentional — pushing the conversation between heritage and high fashion forward. Meanwhile, a celeb-heavy show by Schiaparelli kicked off Paris Haute Couture Week on Monday, the first of four packed days that will see Georgian showman Demna bow out from Balenciaga after 10 years at the brand. Schiaparelli designer Daniel Roseberry, hot on the heels of providing one of Lauren Sanchez's outfits for her blockbuster Venice wedding to Jeff Bezos last month, drew a roster of A-listers. Rapper Cardi B turned up in a traffic-stopping tasselled neckpiece and posed with a black crow perched on her hand in the drizzle outside the Petit Palais exhibition space, where Roseberry's collection, entitled 'Back to the Future', was unveiled. The front row also included singer Dua Lipa, who wore a full-length petalled white bridal outfit, as well as US trans actress Hunter Schafer, known for HBO hit show 'Euphoria'. Haute Couture Week is dedicated to handcrafted, one-of-a-kind creations bought by celebrities and VIPs for red carpets, galas and other high-profile events. Schiaparelli was followed by a show by Dutch designer Iris van Herpen, who said her creations were inspired by the ocean and British documentary maker David Attenborough's heart-rending new film on sea life. Models present creation for Imane Ayissi during the Women's Haute-Couture Fall/Winter 2025-26 collection show in Paris, on Monday. Photos: Agence France-Presse Known for fusing technology and fashion, van Herpen presented body-hugging dresses evoking fish scales or seaweed, the flowing tails and fins of tropical fish, and the curling forms of seahorse tails. Tuesday saw Chanel present the final collection created by its in-house design studio, the fifth since former chief creative Virginie Viard's sudden departure in June 2024. Her successor, the discreet and highly respected Franco-Belgian designer Matthieu Blazy, was appointed in December and will showcase his first collection for Chanel in October. One of the highlights of Haute Couture week will be the swansong of Demna, who goes by one name and is known for his daring work as well as controversies during his decade-long stint at Kering-owned Balenciaga. Agencies
San Francisco Chronicle
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Ayissi fuses African tradition and Parisian craft with bold flower forms at fall couture show
PARIS (AP) — Beneath an opulent chandelier in a sunlit salon, Imane Ayissi's fall couture show once again fused African tradition with Parisian craft. Monday's running motif was the flower, explored in bold, distinct ways. In one of the most striking looks, the model's entire upper body was transformed into a sculpture of giant vermillion flowers — petals constructed to fly outward and create a vivid silhouette. Another satin dress placed a flower appliqué playfully at the hip, as if growing from the fabric itself. Elsewhere, a tailored pink jacket was punctuated by crisp white floral embellishments, merging softness with geometry. Ayissi played with contrasts throughout: sharply structured jackets alongside softer, draped pieces, and traditional African textiles interpreted with couture techniques. Handwork and tactile details gave the collection both presence and lightness. If there was sometimes tension between architectural lines and exuberant decoration, Ayissi's best looks felt fresh and intentional — pushing the conversation between heritage and high fashion forward. Once again, he made a compelling case for the place of African craft in the heart of Paris couture.
Winnipeg Free Press
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
Ayissi fuses African tradition and Parisian craft with bold flower forms at fall couture show
PARIS (AP) — Beneath an opulent chandelier in a sunlit salon, Imane Ayissi's fall couture show once again fused African tradition with Parisian craft. Monday's running motif was the flower, explored in bold, distinct ways. In one of the most striking looks, the model's entire upper body was transformed into a sculpture of giant vermillion flowers — petals constructed to fly outward and create a vivid silhouette. Another satin dress placed a flower appliqué playfully at the hip, as if growing from the fabric itself. Elsewhere, a tailored pink jacket was punctuated by crisp white floral embellishments, merging softness with geometry. Ayissi played with contrasts throughout: sharply structured jackets alongside softer, draped pieces, and traditional African textiles interpreted with couture techniques. Handwork and tactile details gave the collection both presence and lightness. If there was sometimes tension between architectural lines and exuberant decoration, Ayissi's best looks felt fresh and intentional — pushing the conversation between heritage and high fashion forward. Once again, he made a compelling case for the place of African craft in the heart of Paris couture.
