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By Mariam Nihal
Since its inception, Bouguessa has stood out for its inimitable design that fueled its desire to be a high-end brand. The smart street-wear style is elegant yet perfect for the modern workingwoman. The design emphasizes on details, symmetry and minimalism. Bouguessa abayas can be worn as long overcoats or statement pieces. You can turn it into a board meeting guise or a perfect piece for a night out with friends.
We spoke to Faiza Bouguessa, the French-Algerian designer who created the brand.
Truly a mastermind, Faiza carved a niche for herself by cultivating a brand that is not just a bespoke luxury product but by ensuring her individuality and style conquers trends and everything else becomes secondary. Like-minded consumers who instantly identify with the brand soon become addicted.
“This December, Bouguessa will turn three and what has happened so far is unbelievable. The journey has been very exciting and at the moment we are in the process of restructuring the company, which is even more exciting,” Bouguessa told Saudi Gazette.
She said she designs each piece to give women functional aesthetics, the freedom to express and feel comfortable with their style. “Thus, I design modern clothing that gives them the feeling of being a part of the contemporary global trend while still respecting the tradition of wearing the garment.” The contemporary, minimal and sophisticated aesthetics and impeccable finishing define each Bouguessa piece.
“Bouguessa is simply my last name but the brand Bouguessa was born from a vision to create a bridge between two cultures, through an ethos of minimalist sophistication and feminine elegance for today’s woman.”
Rise To International Fame
Faiza was in her early twenties when she decided to launch Bouguessa. “I wanted to launch my brand before I was 35. So I guess my biggest achievement is that I did. In the past three years, I got the chance to be chosen by Vogue Italia to be part of the VFDE. I was later invited to participate to Milan Fashion week. I am showing at Paris fashion week for the third season for Spring Summer 2017! Of course there is a long way to go but I am really happy to have gone this far.”
With more regional initiatives to further empower fashion designers, such as Fashion Forward and the Fashion Council in Dubai, Faiza said she has seen a huge development locally and admits they have received substantial international attention. “I have only been in the fashion business for the past three years, but within these years I have seen a huge development. For example, with the creation of the Dubai Design and Fashion Council which is a great initiative from the government to help and support the industry. The team at Fashion Forward has been working very hard to offer local designers the amazing platform that keeps getting more and more attention from the international scene. I feel that D3 is also one of the initiatives that have helped to elevate the industry’s profile.”
Aesthetics
“The innovation in my designs lies in the fact that I am taking a traditional garment whilst respecting its purpose and combining it with Western aesthetics, using the powerful contrast of colors for a modern approach. I always try to have a perfect balance of elegance and individuality for the pieces to be wearable and to allow the women wearing them to feel comfortable with their style and not overpowered by their garment,” she said.
Talking about her latest collection she said her favorite are the velvet pieces. “My FW17 collection is equally classic and modern exploring new trends while introducing a deeper, more intense color range and playing with textures to generate contrast. The architectural clean lines, elegant velvets, and contemporarytailored cuts tell the story of refined luxury dressing for modern women.”
