The Fashion Runway: Building Egypt’s fashion industry

Egypt has bid farewell to the Fashion Runway Bridal Edition, which was held for the very first time in the Middle East at the luxurious Sofitel al-Gezirah hotel last week.

The two-day event was the largest in recent years, offering an opportunity for soon-to-be brides and grooms to make their wedding day a little less stressful and more memorable.

All wedding needs, including local couture bridal gowns, hair stylists, cosmetics, jewelries, body treatments, wedding planners, honeymoon packages, and home furniture, were on display.

The first day of the event featured a unique designer contest where emerging fashion makers got a chance to showcase their talent and receive feedback from a panel of judges and the audience.

The fashion runway competition was comprised of four categories: fashion designers, hairstylists, makeup artists and models. Only the top 55 candidates out of a pool of 300 had the chance to participate in the event.

Participants showcased their talents to an expert panel of guests, including internationally acclaimed fashion designer Hany al-Behairy, hairstylist Mohamed al-Sagheer, famous makeup artist Mohamed Abdel Hamid, actress Ragaa al-Gedawy, one of the owners and director of Vogue Center Iman Afifi, CEO of Retail Pro Mohamed Tolba and the co-owner of Face2Face, an organization that manages Miss Egypt, Youssef Spahi.

The second day was jam packed with three fashion shows unique style.

The closing ceremony kicked off with wedding suits and tuxedos for grooms by Maximus, followed by an out-of-the-ordinary Jotun fashion show.

Most of Behairy’s followers are used to his floor-length gowns, but for the very first time, the prominent designer introduced a number of short dresses as part of his 2014 collection. His special touch, however, was still visible.

Silver, black, white and golden were the dominant colors, but the new collection featured vivid colors such as green, red, sky blue and shades of pink, which gave the dresses a bright and cheerful vibe.

The gowns that were seen on the runway were all impressive, which makes it difficult to pinpoint the beauty of just one. That is why I selected my favorite three.

The first one is a full-length gown made out of beige silk tulle, heavily embellished in black beads that are scattered all over the gown. The left shoulder is covered by a long cape sleeve down to touch floor, giving the dress a bit of an off-beat, yet elegant look.

My next favorite design is a V-neck dress with hand-beaded detail and long sleeves. The gown’s front and back are densely embroiled with shimmering silver and golden beads on semi-transparent beige tulle, seductively revealing parts of the body.

The wedding dress definitely stands out from the crowd. Silver glittering beads covered the bustline, extending down to the waistline. The dress then opens to a wide skirt with big floral lace embellishments. The long veil is delicately adorned just along the edges, matching the same lace pattern of the lower part of the dress.

The closing ceremony saw heavy media presence, in addition to many celebrities, including Tunisian actress Doraa among others.

The event concluded with judges announcing the top five winners who will get a chance to attend the Paris Fashion Week event next year, which is dubbed as one of the most important fashion events internationally.