showcase www.womanthismonth.com For inquiries please contact the brand managers via email: [email protected] or on whatsapp 34 422-227 / 33 282-228 Duaa is a Bahraini fashion stylist and blogger, holding a BA in Fashion Styling and Photography. She has studied and lived in Hong Kong, where she found most of her inspiration. She is considered one of the most popular bloggers in the Kingdom, having been present online since 2011. Her fresh ideas and outlook have rightfully earned her an average of 40,000 readers on her blog and up to 7,000 followers on social media. She focuses on personal and editorial styling and has worked alongside many of the Kingdom’s renowned designers, such as Eman Heider for Lalla Eman and Shaikha Farah Al Khalifa for ByFara7. DUAA ZAINAL Certified stylist from London College of Fashion What is fashion according to you? Fashion to me is not about wearing high-end brands and following the latest trends. It’s about expressing my personality and emotions through the colours and prints of my outfits. How important is it to be fashionforward in the corporate world? It’s important for a woman to dress well and look presentable in the corporate world. However, being fashion-forward depends on the field you work in. For example, a woman that works in an industrial field will not go to work wearing the latest Manolos, but a woman that works in the fashion industry definitely would. How can women dress differently in the boardroom from daily life? Choosing the right colours and prints is essential when dressing professionally. Concentrating on settled or dark colours, with fewer prints, as well as being conservative in your style, gives a serious and professional impression, as opposed to dressing up in loud, bright colours with big prints, which gives a more playful impression. How has the fashion scene in the Middle East evolved and how can fashion traditions be kept alive in the way women dress today? The simplest example on the advancement of fashion in the Middle East is the evolution of the abaya which is the main traditional factor for Arab women, especially in the GCC. Over the past five years this garment has rapidly changed in terms of shapes, cuts, colours and prints, giving the Khaleeji woman the freedom of expressing her style while still maintaining its conservative purpose. Women today dress in the most beautiful and glamorous abayas that are designed for all occasions and come in all various designs and shades rather than a plain black abaya. How can a modest dresser stand out for her fashion sense? The modest dresser today has a variety of options which were not available 10 or 15 years ago. Referring to my previous point with the evolution of the abaya, there are many recent trends that can accommodate modest women and help them stand out and be as fashionable as any other woman, such as the loose harem pants, long dress shirts, kimonos and more. What can be done for Bahrain to have its own indigenous fashion industry? I would love to see Bahraini women be more creative and express their own ideas and personality in fashion rather than follow the latest trends. There is very high potential for Bahraini women to excel in the fashion industry and I believe that creativity as well as full support and encouragement can help Bahrainis to have their own indigenous fashion industry. April 2019 29
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