Egyptian designer puts on a show as industry insiders scout for talent

A model walks down the runway in a design by Marwa Sayed. (Photo courtesy: DDFC x FAD)

LONDON: Egyptian designer Marwa Sayed is known for creating clothes that are for every woman who is confident in her sartorial choices.
With flowy dresses in delicate, artistic prints alongside more structured pieces in pure whites and pastel shades, Sayed’s “Three Fifty-Nine” collection ensured she secured the top spot at this year’s Dubai Design & Fashion Council (DDFC) competition held in collaboration with the FAD Institute of Luxury, Fashion & Style
Part of the prize included an opportunity to showcase her designs at the Fashion Scout event held during London Fashion Week.
Arab News spoke to Sayed as she was adding the final touches to her models, right before the show. “It’s amazing to be here — there is so much energy. This is my first international appearance and I am really looking forward to the feedback,” she said, adding that her journey would have been incomplete if not for the support extended the Dubai Design & Fashion Council.
“DDFC and FAD are building an eco-system for all designers — it’s amazing what they are doing for the industry,” she said.
With a diverse range of applicants from Africa, India and Middle East — specifically from the UAE and Saudi Arabia — FAD’s founder said he was excited to add Sayed to the pool of talent as the first “Egyptian label to showcase in London through their platform.
“This is a young designer with a capacity to have both regional and global reach… I think she is going to do a fabulous job,” Shivang Dhruva, founder of FAD, said.
Fashion Scout, an independent platform for international designers, is credited with launching the careers of such industry big-wigs as Peter Pilotto, David Koma and Eudon Choi.