Farida Temraz; Couture Spearhead

If you haven’t heard about Temraza, you might be living under a rock. On several occasions, it happens to be the first Egyptian bridal and couture brand to win some of the most prestigious awards in fashion, including First Place Award in Paris Fashion Week 2015 and Best Female Couture Designer Brand in New York Fashion Week 2017. Without a doubt, the founder and designer-in-chief, Farida Temraz, has smoothly paved the way for young Egyptian designers to the international fashion scene. We talked to her to learn more about her spring/summer 2020 collection and the keys behind her groundbreaking career.

Tell us a bit about your backstory. How did you come to pursue a career in fashion?

Since I was seven years old, I enjoyed and loved fashion illustration. I never thought I’d make a career out of it. It was just a hobby. After I graduated from AUC with a major in Integrated Marketing Communications, I got a Master’s degree in Fashion Communication. I wasn’t passionate about my first job so I decided to go after my passion and pursue fashion design. I launched my brand Temraza soon after graduation. My dream was to become an international brand and put Egypt back on the global fashion map, since I hadn’t heard of a single Egyptian fashion designer making it all the way to international platforms. I started submitting my collections to fashion weeks everywhere. Once I got accepted, that opened the door for me to show up to the major fashion weeks and start dressing mega celebrities from around the world.

How was your first experience at Paris Fashion Week?

My first international fashion show was actually London Fashion Week. Paris was my second, where I showcased my collection ‘Once Upon a Paris’. At the time, there was a competition between fifteen international designers and Temraza won the first place award in the field of couture and evening wear. This was a huge milestone for me because it made Temraza the first ever Egyptian brand to receive such a prestigious award. Not only that, but also receiving such recognition in the biggest fashion city in the world created so much buzz about Temraza. Since then, the signature pearl piece has been our bestseller.

How did it feel to get this exposure at the beginning of your career?

It was huge. It felt like we were able to break so many stereotypical views. Back then, when people thought of Egyptian fashion, they thought of a seamstress doing an okay job. They didn’t picture a talented fashion designer or stylist.

What type of challenges have you faced along the way?

We face new challenges everyday that you start getting used to them. For example, in order to dress someone for the Oscars, our cut and every little detail has to be perfect. You can’t spot one fault in it. If you want to get there, you have to work on perfecting your product, your team and your implementation plan. It requires a lot of passion and persistence to reach that level in the fashion world. That’s why I think it’s so important to work in the field that you love.

We love your latest spring/summer collection. What is the theme and inspiration behind it?

Our SS20 is called ‘La Lumiere Darcey’, inspired by the Darcey rose. Since it is fuschia, I added La Lumiere at the beginning which means light in color because my theme for the collection was revolving more around light pinks, greys and baby blues. It ended up being showcased at New York Fashion Week, making Temraza the first Arab couture and bridal brand to take the stage on that platform.

What couture trends are you following right now?

Before making a new collection, I study the trends and create the story behind it almost three years prior to the showcase. This is because I want to take time and be inspired by more people around me. I can’t rely on fashion alone to make fashion. We are all about being a trendsetter brand.

You’ve broken so many records for young Egyptian designers. How does it feel to pave a way to the international fashion scene?

It is my absolute honor. It proves that dreams do come true after hard work. You have to be on-point, always around, checking on your work, trying to perfect it and striving to be better – not just you, but your whole team. Questions like this one always encourage and motivate me to run even further and never stop.

Tell us about your experience directing a fashion course at AUC.

I’ve always enjoyed learning and teaching. This is a huge thing for me because it really gives me purpose. It feels like I’m really doing something. I love watching others learning not only through practice but also through theory and academia. The fact that they choose to learn from my experience so they can follow their own dreams is just amazing.

• Styling and Art Direction: Solyma Darwish
• Photographer: Mohamed “Mushu” Mostafa
• Make-Up Artist: Sherouk Kassaby
• Hairdresser: Malak Sami from AlSagheer
• Location: The G Hotel – Seashell