An early initiation into the big, bold, colourful world of fashion has set Noof Al-Zadjali on the right track with her N-11 Collection. Although she describes her initiation into the world of fashion as a soft start, as it was restricted to designing her personal outfits for special occasions, it was, perhaps, the perfect entry for someone who has nurtured fashion all her life.
“From the very early stage, fashion design has always been the perfect getaway to follow and study and practice during my free time,” she maintains, pointing out that her passion for designing grew along with the support from family and friends, who also sought her advice and assistance in different aspects of their outfits.
With positive feedback and active endorsement came the realisation that she could turn it into a career and make good the opportunities to share her thoughts, ideas and design beliefs, as a young and upcoming Omani designer. This ignited in her the desire to establish her own brand and, as she notes, “By the time ‘N-11 Collection’ was established, I was ready and confident to share my fashion beliefs with a wider audience.”
N-11 proved to be the perfect platform to create a balanced fusion between traditional Eastern fashion and modern fashion trends, while channelizing her fashion interests in the right direction. Today, her latest designs and collections are released on regular basis, along with size guides, on the Instagram page, with the potential of setting-up a fashion boutique in future to provide a more interactive experience for buyers.
She attributes the success of N-11 to her personal expertise and observations. She states: “The progress accomplished today through the successive collections of N-11 has been a result of both personal experiences and encounters in fashion design as well as following and appraising top fashion designers and the latest fashion.”
She has been strongly influenced by Omani culture and heritage, which, she says will always be at the core of her fashion designs and collections. “It is simulated by the belief that a girl’s outfit has to be respectful and sincere to her society and religion; however, not forbidding the right to glow and shine with the latest fashion trends and designs,” she states.
Personally, she is inspired by the traditional Omani national dress code for women which is centered on simplicity through a dress worn over trousers (sirwal) and a headdress (lihaf) infused with the latest fashion trends and top designs.
As a designer, she follows the following fashion beliefs:
Practicability: practical designs providing fashion buyers with multiple uses ranging from day-to-day formal office outfits to light casual dresses;
Modernity: contemporary designs aimed at equipping end-users with trendy fashion solutions for their daily affairs;
Affordability: smart and affordable designs set to attract and a wider range of fashion audiences;
(* Find ‘N-11 Collection’ on Instagram @n11_collection, or call +968 99049491 for orders)