Sarah Guirguis Already breaking creative stereotypes in the Arab fashion world, Omneya Hussein is on the road to major success. The Egyptian fashion designer has a knack for merging edge with class in her designs. If you don’t believe us, take a look at her latest AW collection. It is second to none! We talked to her to get to know more about the brains behind the brand.
Tell us about your experience studying fashion design in Milan and Lebanon. How has it affected where you are today?
Expressive arts was my bachelor’s degree under Faculty of Fine Arts. This teaches you a fashion brief to support the implementation of cinema, theater and television décor. I decided to follow my passion and make my studies more specific to the fashion field so for three years at the institute Di Moda Burgo-Milan, I studied how to design, make patterns and style. It was a very comprehensive and intensive diploma that definitely added a professional touch to my dream career.
As for the Academy of Fashion Design in Lebanon, this decision was my step forward in starting my own brand. It provided more value to my experience with a lot of fashion synonyms and fashion anatomy. It was like a workshop that ended with a competition, and I was chosen as one of the best 8 designers out of 30 participants. Believe it or not, this outcome was actually the push I needed to believe in myself as a talented and creative person. That’s how I recognized the potential to offer something different to the fashion industry in Egypt.
We love that you have a Sudanese model in your last campaign. What was your vision behind that decision?
I believe that beauty comes in all shapes, colors and forms. It’s not related to a specific stereotype. I chose my models to match my own theme and mood-board and to display the full picture of my collection. For this, I decided on a Sudanese model to implement a specific idea/mood about the 70’s days and pop music stars with modernism.
Tell us about the inspiration behind your latest collection.
My latest collection is ready-to-wear outfits based on 70’s fashion outlines with a touch of modernism to suit a fast-paced life. I also believe it approaches a variety of different tastes and vibes.
Which would you say is your favorite piece out of the whole line?
I am in love with all the pieces. Every piece captured my heart as I began to draw the collection. However, if I had to choose a piece to wear, I would go for the long sleeve piece because it suits my hijab.
What boundaries do you hope to break in the Arab fashion world?
I hope to have the ability to break all the boundaries with regards to fashion ideas in the Middle East and help people believe that fashion design is an artistic field that requires no rules for the sake of creativity. The sky is the limit.
Where do you see your brand in five years down the road?
Five years ago, my brand was just an idea and now it’s growing bigger day by day. So I believe that in five years, I’ll have an influential signature and make my mark not only in Egypt but hopefully worldwide.
What have been your greatest struggles as a designer so far?
Designers can face a variety of struggles but the main one for me was that a lot of people call themselves fashion designers without earning a proper degree and at the end of the day, you have to compete with them. Another point is that we don’t have many variety of fabrics and materials in our Egyptian market so I usually travel to buy them or order them online. Finding good, qualified workers is also another challenge. Last but not least, there are no copyrights for your designs as a creative designer.
