For Dubai-based Omani fashion brand Atelier Zuhra, participating in the Stories from Arabia – a part of the London Fashion Week event – meant an excellent opportunity to narrate her creativity, translated in the form of elegance with her Swan Collection. 
FACES contributor Rabi’ah M met her on the sidelines of the event to talk to her about her aspirations, her uniqueness and why London remains special as a fashion hub.
Last month, as the London Fashion Week unfolded, the city braced itself for an interesting combination of leading Arab fashion designers participating in the Stories from Arabia event. For a fashion designer, associating with any of the world’s prominent fashion week is a dream come true. Amongst these was Omani designer Rayan Al Sulaimani of Atelier Zuhra, who successfully showcased her ‘Swan Collection’ and received rave reviews.
Classifying her brand as unique couture, Rayan Al Sulaimani points out that Atelier is targeted towards dressing women with allure and glamour. As she explains: “The brand has been designing high-quality dresses, which make them timeless. The style is the result of exquisite materials, which feature sequins, embroidered lace, feathers and silk embroidery.”
From an aspiration perspective, Rayan, who describes herself as ‘cultivated, unprecedented and distinctly design-focused’, said she hoped to make Atelier Zuhra hold a top position in the world of fashion. “I would want my passion for fashion and creativity to be recognised and appreciated globally, at prestigious events,” she states.
So, what motivated her to participate in the first place?
Her reply: “Stories from Arabia was one of the biggest platform featuring elite fashion designers from Arabia, during the London Fashion Week. The vision of this platform is to indulge London with the Middle Eastern culture and expose the remarkable work of those designers. I believe this is an excellent platform to share my brand with the rest of the world.”
Regarding her featured collection at the show, Rayan explains the inspiration behind it thus: “It is the swan princess of the art of mosaic who inspired this collection where the slogan is ‘never-ending elegance’, depicting a fairytale; it includes the quest for true love. Using a colour palette that includes ash-greys, silvers and whites there has also been the incorporation of classic sheer elegance that influenced the silhouettes and shapes.”
The primary inspiration behind Rayan’s vision is her mother, Mousa Al Awfi. “My interest in the fashion world was kindled because of my mother. It was due to my strong business background along with my passion for fashion that I took this decision to take over the business,” she points out.
When asked if London is the best city for fashion and how it differentiates itself from the likes of Paris, Milan, Tokyo and New York, she asserts that all the international fashion capitals possess a charm of their own and they can simply not be compared. “It is like picking a favourite child, you just cannot do that. When I think of London, the first thing that comes to my mind is the level of diversity there is,” she observes.
Her advice for those seeking to wear outfits that are fashionable and yet commuter-friendly is to follow what one perceives as fashion. She believes fashion is meant for everyone, which means there would surely be something called as commuter-friendly fashion. “It depends on how capable and confident you are of carrying yourself and assimilate fashion in your everyday life,” she states.
It is important to note here that due to the cutthroat competition in the fashion world, not only has the industry become tough with numerous players in the market, there are also a plethora of talented designers to choose from. However, for Rayan “This creates a sense of urgency, which makes brands like Atelier Zuhra behave in a proactive and creative manner in the industry by using high-quality innovative fabrics and designs.”
Representing her Arab culture and heritage on such an international platform was an ideal opportunity for her to illustrate her creativity. “I feel overwhelmed representing my country with a collection as an overall ‘ode to my roots’,” she states.
