On one of the tree-lined roads that opens to the Maadi Grand Mall, a small venue with a new "pop-up" concept housed designer Deana Shaaban’s most recent collection.
Ambiance? A few mannequins, small, quaint venue with clean white lines, well-lit, interesting levels, subtle music in the background – for Shaaban's collection release its African-based tunes.
"Africa meets Little House on the Prairie" Shaaban says is the theme for her latest collection.
Impressively, the clothes on the hangers are of high-quality cottons, linens and silks that the 26-year-old Shaaban manages to gather by scouring Egypt and Indonesia.
With better than average finishing for a prêt-à-porter collection, due to her keen eye, developed since childhood and her classes at Instituto Di Moda, in Cairo, the Fashion Design Center (FDC) and the Institute Technique de la Mode. Some of the white cotton and linens are reminiscent of the colonial days, when clothes was meant to last and the material breathed: a practical choice for the sometimes stifling hot Egyptian climate.
Others, on just as beautiful material, are bold in their prints – an influence from the globe-trotting this young designer has done. Purples, mix with yellows and burnt oranges: the signatures of ethnic clothing.
In her evening wear, she manages to work the prints in without overtaking and overwhelming the dress. Beautiful drapery gives an air of sophistication to the fitted bodices.
Noticeably, however, she has a loose style in her ready-to-wear, with hardly no darts to delineate the waste, no deep necklines or high slits in skirts. In part, she says, it gives the flexibility to the woman, taking into consideration every woman’s unique curve.
“I like loose clothes,” says Deana, energetically. “I’m constantly moving around and I like to be able to move comfortably,” she says gesturing in big, strong swoops taking up the space in front of her, a possible reflection of all the work she churns as she moves her open hands in a circular motion, like large gears.
“You can always tell if a woman is comfortable in what they’re wearing. A woman may not be so gorgeous, but she can be striking with that: ‘there’s something about her.’ That’s because she’s confident in herself. Do you know what I mean?” she inquires, engaging with her eyes.
She was excited to describe her experience with her Egyptian team that did the photoshoot for her collection.
“It was just incredible working with them! The photographer was a genius and so easy to work with! Everything just worked out so great, and the ideas flowed!”
On whether the Egyptian market “gets” her international, loose style, she gleefully: “They’re starting to!”
Apparently her niche clients “get” her because they have the same kind of inner strength to take on the world - like Deana Shaaban.
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