After dazzling New York with her exquisite fashion line Satin Roses, Amanda Kamhawy’s designs are on our fashion radar. She is hoping to hit the Egyptian market soon and her image precedes her because everyone knows if you’ve made it in New York, you’ve made it everywhere! We talked to her about the breakthroughs and challenges she’s faced in the fashion industry so far.
Tell us about how you started dreaming of your own line
I actually started designing when I was seven years old. I was ripping apart my own clothes and putting it back together to see what I can do with it. By the time I was sixteen and in high school, I was selling my clothes at some boutiques in New York.
How has your education the Fashion Institute of Technology affected your current career so far?
I went to FIT for a fashion business management two-year degree first and then went back a fashion design one-year degree, which is really a two-year degree but I was allowed to skip a year because they saw that my portfolio was strong. FIT definitely helped me by not only in improving my skills, but also by giving me really thick skin. While in college, you get critiqued a lot and being in the program that I was in, I learned to stand by my designs even if someone else didn’t like them.
How did you come to pick the name ‘Satin Roses’?
One day I was just thinking about a name for my company and I thought I really love roses but how can I make it work? Then I sat and thought about different fabrics and decided that one of my favorite fabrics and what I really love to work with is satin. So it just clicked and I loved the name. Of course, I asked my best friend Katie for her opinion and then asked my family, and they all loved it so I decided to go with it.
Where do you draw your inspiration from?
I inspire myself. I’m the only inspiration I have. I like to go outside, close my eyes and just think by myself. I usually start by thinking about everything I like and everything I want in life. From there, I build on it.
What motivated you to give ten percent of your brand proceeds to charity?
What motivates me to give back to charity is the fact that God gives me so much and it makes me feel the need to give back.
How do you pick which causes to support or which organizations to donate to?
Right now I donate the money I make when I go to the mosque. Earlier, I donated to a recovery house in Egypt, which my cousin told me about. I thought the stories I heard about the people there were definitely worth investing in.
What type of challenges have you faced in introducing a new line?
There are always challenges when introducing a new line whether it comes to production, fabric, the collection, or even the marketing and self-advertising, I always face obstacles. Nothing is ever easy in the fashion business. It definitely has not been easy building my own line but what I can say is every time I fail it just makes me want to win even more.
Winning wouldn’t feel so good if I didn’t fail before. You have to know what it is to be at the bottom to really feel like you’ve succeeded at top. No one has handed me anything and I’ve worked for every single thing I’ve achieved. There’s plenty of people that have told me no and there’s plenty of people that have told me yes. It just depends on whether or not you decide to keep going.
How do you react to celebrities like Vanessa Simmons and Keyshia Cole wearing your designs?
It’s definitely exciting to see celebrities wear my clothing but it’s more exciting for me when I see everyday women wearing my clothes. I actually have a few more celebrities that will be wearing my clothes within the next few months as well so that is something to be excited about. I love seeing my clothes on TV and specifically on WWE, Total Divas, and Love & Hip-Hop: Hollywood.
Tell us about your relationship with rapper Queen Honey C.
I developed my relationship with Honey C during a photo shoot and now whenever she wants to wear my clothes, I drop it off personally to her.
What do you hope to achieve in the future of Satin Roses?
My goal is to be selling in Egypt within the next few months and build a strong image in Egypt as well as New York and LA.
Model: Pakinam Galal
Makeup artist: Banan Fathy
Hairstylist: Kriss Beauty Salon
Photo Retoucher: Khaled Tarek
Photographer: Mohamed Yasser
By Sarah Guirguis
