Teen and high-street fashion are what Embé and the teenage Egyptian designer behind the new brand, Mayar Badary, specialize in. At a lively and crowded gathering at the Townhouse gallery, 17-year-old Badary celebrated the launch of her first collection. Although the fashion show very closely resembled a high school dance--with teenagers running around and even the DJ and the photographer seemingly Badary's schoolmates--there was something to be said for Badary's ability to pull the event together. A fashion enthusiast, Badary's plan was to release her first collection--pieces with mixed fabrics, colors and designs--as a complete "collection" for fall 2011. More than the majority of the attendees were around 16 or 17 years old, with a few moms scattered here and there. Badary is a student at DSB (the only German school for girls here) and has had a love for fashion since childhood. She also attends the FDC (Fashion and Design Center), a fashion school in Downtown Cairo. The music was hip and funky and the models, again Badary's girlfriends, appeared on the runway without apparently planning a career in the field. The designs were cool and trendy, and mainly Badary's take on market-available designs. Tops and cocktail dresses appeared in zebra prints and electric, vibrant colors--a signature of the show. Badary used jersey abundantly, which was smart and practical, taking into consideration the age group she is targeting. She also used satin and lycra. All tops were paired with either leggings or short skirts. Her models started out wearing black at the start of the show but darker colors developed into electric blue, green, orange, yellow, white, and shiny silver by the end. The young designer took on a huge workload--doing everything herself, from creating the designs to actually assembling the outfits together with no professional help. Her perceptiveness for the trends around her and her passion for design were eminent throughout the event, but to join the ranks of local designers cat-walking onto the Egyptian fashion scene, she will need to find her own style. Badary has yet to start fashion studies, and although this collection shows promise, she will need more practice and experience. The young designer plans to put on another fashion show before college. “The plan is still unclear, but I am looking for accredited fashion schools in the States and Europe, although I am still not sure if I will study abroad or not,” she says. Recently the Egyptian market has opened wide arms to the creations of Egyptian designers like Amina K, Heba al-Awadi, Malak al-Ezzawi, and young potential talents, such as Mayar Badary, stand a good chance of achieving their dreams. Egypt now needs a good fashion and make-up school for those interesting in developing their skills in couture and creativity. Women Entrepreneurs in Action is Al-Masry Al-Youm's new series on women who start their own businesses from home. Whether as a means of increasing income or as a result of extra time, women all over Egypt are sparking up their creative energies in different fields and organizing their ideas into little businesses. This is, of course, a global phenomenon and entrepreneurship is a trend for both genders. In this series we look at women who create businesses from home, discussing the birth of their idea, the steps they took to actualize their businesses and, for those who ventured out into boutiques or online, the catalyst of their growth. Even greater are the numbers of women who live, day by day, with an idea that has yet to be actualized. The series is therefore fueled by profiles of women who have stepped up to start their own businesses and articles about resources for starting your own business. Are you starting your own business? Send us your information or let us know what would resources you would like us to highlight. Email the Life & Style Editor: [email protected].
