In a fashion landscape saturated with trends, ZAAM stands out with its distinctive fusion of vintage charm and contemporary design. Their latest collection, ELLA Soirée, takes this signature style to new heights, drawing inspiration from the celestial heavens. Delving into the creation of ELLA Soirée, Egyptian founder Ahmed Azzam guides us to his design philosophy, brand identity, and the star-bright future of ZAAM.

The ELLA Soirée collection sets its own orbit. This translates into shimmering pieces adorned with beads, crystals, stones and even laminated leather, every element reflecting the captivating brilliance of the night sky. If you look closely, it’s in the name as well, “Ella is an abbreviation of Electra, a Greek origin girl’s name, meaning ‘shining’,” Azzam told SceneStyled.

More than just starlit glamour, ELLA Soirée embodies ZAAM's core identity.

“ZAAM has three main elements that shaped the brand over the years; baroque art, geometric shapes, and pharaonic heritage,” Azzam adds. This collection pushes boundaries by incorporating hand-beaded fabrics alongside genuine leather, which is a first for the brand. Unlike their usual leather and brass, or just leather, they experimented on new skin to create geometric art pieces.

The collection's teaser message, a quote by poet William Wordsworth, hints at a deeper connection with nature. “William Wordsworth is one of the romantic poetry figures who drew inspiration from nature, which helped us deliver the teaser message on the ELLA Collection Film. Stars were a big part in his poetry, and in our collection as well.”

ZAAM's international acclaim - with showcases in the UAE and France - presents an exciting challenge: expanding their presence while preserving their essence. Azzam stresses, “We are very picky when it comes to international expansion as we must maintain what we already have locally and regionally. Having a lot of international celebrities wearing our bags, and especially the new ELLA pieces like Laufy at the Golden Globes, Iman Vellani the Mrs. Marvel red carpet, and Nikki Beharie at the Pre Grammy Gala puts on us more responsibility to maintain the brand positioning and increase our international exposure at the same time.”