"If nature was to crawl up gracefully a human's body, how would it look like?" Azza Fahmy head designer Amina Ghali smiled, explaining to Ahram Online the idea behind the latest collection of the renowned Egyptian designers. The launch of the latest collection, dubbed Wonders of Nature by acclaimed Egyptian designer Azza Fahmy created an uplifting mood at high-end Cairo Capital Club overlooking the Nile. Flowers and butterflies surrounded and mingled with the collection. "It is definitely different in so many angles and quite timely for people who aspire to connect with the healing spirituality of connecting with everything natural. This collection comes after an extensive time of deep research," Azza Fahmy told Ahram Online. Research prior to launch (Photo courtesy of Azza Fahmy) 50 years ago, the Cairo-based jeweler Azza Fahmy ventured as an apprentice in the male-dominated workshops of Khan El-Khalili learning ]about the centuries-old craft of making jewelry. She then started her own workshop with a handful of artists aiming to tell stories of heritage and culture through jewelry. She then started her own line and eventually became the most prominent Egyptian jewelery designer. Azza Fahmy & Amina Ghali (Photo courtesy of Azza Fahmy) "Everybody is coming back to nature, spirituality, and the connection between the souls of human beings with each other and with the universe at large. Global trends sweep over the world, affecting creativity in all fields," design manager Aya Sedki explained Sedki said that this is what inspired their previous collection, Third Eye on the Universe, which included pieces picked and unveiled exclusively by renowned British designer Matthew Williamson for his AW15 show "Now we thought of narrowing the prospective into connecting people with mother earth," Sedki said, adding that that the collection is mainly divided into 4 sections: faith, timelessness, nature and classics, all related underneath the same umbrella. "Use of faith motifs is more of a cultural note, whether it takes the form of rosary bead necklaces, crosses merged with the pharonic flower lotus or Quran pendants so that anyone can relate to them. "The fresh take use of vintage watches reflect the concept of timelessness, as does the idea of revamping older pieces of work and introducing them again in different ways," she concluded. As she took Ahram Online through an overview of displayed pieces, head designer Ghali marveled about the way nature was manifested through the collection. "If a plant was to crawl on a building, we don't expect it to be perfectly uniform. A butterfly sitting on a finger will flap its wings in different angles, and a flower surrounding finger would differ in looks depending on the way it's positioned." "We paid specific attention to all that, avoiding symmetrical shapes and forming a sculptural 3D effect and the illusion of movement," she said. The novelty of introducing vintage watches drew a lot of attention. "There is always something new in each collection, in addition to the reintroduction of previous staples," said senior media representative Rana Kandil. "In this collection black diamonds and rose gold are used for the first time, in addition to the unprecedented inclusion of vintage watches in some of the pieces." Now Azza Fahmy is acclaimed worldwide, not only for her designs that rely profoundly on research, but also the manifestation of the Ottoman craftsman hierarchy, which had been sustained in Egypt for centuries. In her workshop, craftsmen are ranked according to the work longevity and experience into three categories: the Master (osta), the handyman (snaiei), and young workers (sabi) and so the skill is preserved and passed on.
