Ghada Abdel-Kader explores the relationship between fashion and identity Fashion acts as a communication code between the inner and outer worlds. People know this, and very often, they act accordingly. As such, the body plays a central role in coming to understand identity. Both contemporary scholars and artists are increasingly responding to this dynamic and fundamental element of our shared existence as social animals. How we dress our bodies, and how we present them to others and ourselves, has become integral to our personal and social identities. This concept has led a team of specialists from the fashion and art departments at Helwan and the German universities in Cairo to organise several workshops in collaboration with the Goethe Institute and the Sawa workshop of the Townhouse Gallery of contemporary art, to explore themes around the fashion and identity. These workshops were crowned with a Fashion Night, held recently at the Townhouse, and set to mark the Goethe's 50th anniversary. "We worked to identify a project that was just as suitable for youth as it was topical. So we put a cultural label on our work, because it is a broad area that can encompass all our ideas," said Lilli Kobler, project coordinator for the fashion and identity. Fashion Night was as such by no means limited to being a fashion show. It also featured creations by Egyptian and international artists, interactive installation art, crafts and fashion accessory exhibits. The linkage was there though: all the work on display explored the relationship between fashion and identity in Egypt. As for the role of the Townhouse Gallery, Mina Noshi kept Al-Ahram Weekly in the loop. "The Townhouse established the Sawa workshop in February 2006," Sawa workshop organiser Noshi said. It consists of a group of Egyptian and foreign artists whose goal is to give Egyptian and refugee artists from different walks of life the opportunity to mingle with each other through the creative process of learning and making art. Meanwhile, the Brand Identity workshop focuses on accessories and their relationship to identity. The theme of the workshop is based on using modern printing patterns and technique on traditional galabiyas. The idea was inspired by Fred Meier-Menzel and fashion designer Thanaa Ezzeddin, with German University in Cairo (GUC) students. "We tried to be unique and present good ideas, regardless of the material used, so we used arabesque, plastic and metal in making the accessories, and then fixed them on white galabiyas to achieve the strongest effect," said workshop director Mohamed Khafagi. All in all, 30 students participated in this workshop and made 15 dresses and 10 accessories inspired by Egyptian culture of the past 100 years. Further, Shadi Salama, assistant professor of the decorative designs at Helwan University's Art Education Faculty, led the Dress-Up workshop. According to Salama, audiences got very involved in this project. The idea behind it is for it to act like a game, whereby one stands in front of a white screen and have his friends express opinions on how to dress him up, swapping between slides that appear on the screen. "A digital programme was especially developed for this installation," he explained. Salama also told the Weekly that that idea of installation art and graphics is quite new to Egyptians. This project took a month and a half to develop. Ten students and graphic programmers helped him create the project. "We will put all the pictures and video digitals up on our Facebook group," he added. For Mai Yehia, a student at the Faculty of Fine Arts at Zamalek, the game is a lot of fun, and is just as appealing for the older generation as it is for younger audiences. "There aren't any specific rules for participating in this workshop, except for having a modest background in art," she said. On the other hand, Bulgarian artists Vahida Ramujkic and Aviv Kruglanski created the workshop Fashion Map. Under this title, they travel around Cairo with workshop participants for almost 10 days, exploring the identity of Cairo and getting inspired by the places they visit. They transferred this inspiration into embroidered work, with little icons on the map. "The same work is done in Spain," Noshi added. "It was something new for me to do boundary work. I also learnt how to look deeper into the places I visit." Ayman Abul-Kheir, a student at the GUC believes that our clothes reveal much about our personalities. "There are different cultures in Egyptian society. My colleagues and I tried to show these variations and create new ideas that reflect the Egyptian personality and tell more about their lives through what they wash," he told the Weekly. The next workshop focussed on Window Shop Design. It features the way each person's sense of fashion and identity can be expressed through a shop window. Washing-Line photos were at display, they are totally new and creative. They shows how washing reflects our identity. Nine students participated in this four-day workshop. The videos and photos were presented in the Fashion Night. Reactions to the workshop were very positive. Yasmine Elwani, a student of design at the GUC's Applied Arts Faculty said: "I gained a lot of experience about the real world, and learned more about the different ways people look and get dressed." Meanwhile, her colleague Mariam Salah from the graphics section of the same faculty accepts as true that the way one hangs washing on the clothesline tells much about whether people living in this house are tidy and organised or not. The First Sketch workshop, on the other hand, is about expressing identity through design. Fashion designer Hoda Shukri directed the two-week workshop with the help of applied arts students at Helwan University. Faten Mahmoud, a student at Helwan's Faculty of Applied Art chose a baby's happiness as her central inspiration. She designed a dress shaped like a teddy bear, using very soft materials, to express the joy of childhood. As for make-up, GUC student and artist Mona Mustafa said: "I used classical Arabic colours, red and black, to highlight lips and eyes, to create an eye-catching look." Finally, it is worth knowing perhaps that "the Fashion Night isn't a professional fashion show," said Kobler. The models are from the VIP performance group, a Sudanese band who live in Egypt. Other models were GUC students who acted as models for the first time in their lives. Though the fashion show was held at a warehouse in Downtown Cairo, it secured great success and attracted many young people. "It was so diverse. I hope we can do this again in future," Kobler told the Weekly.
