VCUarts Qatar fashion graduates present their collections

Tribune News Network Doha Fashion design students graduating from Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar (VCUarts Qatar) this year pr...

Tribune News NetworkDohaFashion design students graduating from Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar (VCUarts Qatar) this year presented their collections at a fashion show held at the university recently. Seven senior students from the Qatar Foundation (QF) partner-university showcased their designs at the show titled ‘It’s history (non) repeating’, for an audience that included their families and friends in addition to the VCUarts Qatar community. The presentation was held as an in-person event after a two-year pandemic-induced hiatus and was streamed live to the public.This year’s theme evoked the nostalgia of the designers’ personal links to their respective histories, heritage, cultures and families, with the seven collections reflecting each designer’s interpretations on the theme.Christopher Fink, Chair, Fashion Design, VCUarts Qatar, said, “We were delighted when the students decided to develop collections that have close ties to family, heritage, memories and identity, themes that we can all relate to. And it was wonderful that the public could view it as well, providing them and Qatar’s fashion industry, a glimpse into the creativity of a group of emerging, young designers who are exploring what fashion design has evolved to be today and its place in our future.”The names of the collections, and the respective designers, who took part in the presentation were: ‘Teta Chic’ by Reem Atout; ‘The Desert Rose’ by Aisha Al-Fadala; ‘Balady’ by Ayatallah Mohamad; ‘Reawakening’ by Shaikha Al-Thani; ‘The Soul’ by Farida Fathala; ‘Swaying Motion’ by Hira Nisar, and ‘Confessions of a local’ by Najla Al-Eida. Following the presentation, awards were presented to outstanding graduating fashion design students by event partners Harper’s Bazar Qatar and Doha Film Institute (DFI). Harper’s Bazaar Qatar presented the award for Emerging Talent to Hira Nisar, and DFI selected Reem Atout for the Narrative by Design award. VCUarts Qatar’s department of Fashion Design presented the Golden Needle Award for Most Outstanding Senior 2022 to Reem Atout. The Buyer’s Choice Award went to Aisha Al-Fadala, and the award for Outstanding Academic Achievement from the graduating class to Ayatallah Mohamed.