The Mosaic Rooms, which is a UK based art space showcasing contemporary culture from the Middle East and its diaspora, has recently been graced with the well thought out designs of young Palestinian designer Omar Joseph Nasser-Khoury.
Nasser-Khoury's work is very much inspired by his homeland Palestine where traditional embroidery still has a place in fashion aesthetics. He worked with local artisans to stay true to the embroidery tradition and traditional garments of the region but puts his own spin to it. The synthesis created a product that is pure genius and I've seen nothing like it from a Middle Eastern designer.
There is a certain uncanny richness to the collection and this richness is enhanced by the stern expressions on the models' faces. Seemingly, through these expressions and through the garments, the designer seeks to provide commentary on the Palestinian people and their occupied status.
The collection features 22 pieces and is on display at The Mosaic Rooms until 03/09/11. Anyone in London should go and tell me how it is!
Browsing through Hermes' Fall 2011 collection that hit the Paris Fashion Week runways recently, I thought for a quick second that I might have slipped up and was browsing through the collection of some up and coming Islam-conscious Middle Eastern designer. But lo and behold, the Hermes collection IS that Islam-conscious designer this season. I was very impressed by the orientalist details that worked their way throughout the collection from flowing kaftans to elongated kurtas, to the rich color and texture choices. I couldn't help thinking that this would be a "muhajababes" DREAM collection. For those of you who don't know, muhajababes are women who wear the hijab while still remaining ultra fashionable and chic. I am in LOVE with them. And I feel the world should be too! Check out my favorite pieces from the collection and tell me what you think:
