CAIRO - The news of the death of celebrated Egyptian fashion designer Mohamed Dagher, whose body was found in his home in Cairo on Tuesday night, has greatly saddened celebrities, his clients and all Egyptians, whether they knew him or not. The death of Dagher, who was brutally stabbed in the eyes and neck, was reported on the social networking sites Facebook and Twitter. Most people think that the killer was known to his victim, as there was no sign of breaking and entering, which would suggest that Dagher let him into his home. His father, musician and composer Abdou Dagher, told a local TV programme that his son probably came home at dawn, in the company of his killer. Mohamed Dagher was originally a pianist and singer. He started his career as a fashion designer in 2002, when he designed a dress for Moroccan singer Samira Said, the famous Arab singer who won an international prize the following year. He then studied fashion in the Paris Academy of Fashion for six months and won the Best Costume Designer Award in Miami Fashion Week in the US in 2006. He also won the Dear Guest Award for best clothing designer in 2009. Known for his simple yet daring designs, Dagher was the talent behind the spectacular dresses worn by some of the Arab world's best-known female celebrities, like Lebanese diva Haifa Wahabi and Egyptian actress May Ezz el-Din. His sister Magda found his body after she'd tried to ring him but got no answer. She said that the motive for his murder might be theft, as her brother's mobile phone, his car and some of his designs had disappeared from his home. Some people suggest Mubarak loyalists might have killed him, to try and foment chaos in post-revolution Egypt. His friends went straight to his home upon hearing the tragic news; they wept hysterically as ambulance men carried away his body. They were shocked by the brutality of his murder, as Dagher was a good man with no enemies. They guessed that a friend, jealous of his success, murdered him. They gave detectives the names of and other information about Dagher's friends who regularly visited him. Investigations continue.
