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Egypt’s First Luxury Fashion Show at Citystars 

Cairo's premier shopping hot spot Citystars is launching a luxury corridor featuring a slew of high end brands; to inaugurate the space, the mall is hosting the first luxury fashion show to be held in Egypt, organised by The Fashion Studio. We speak to the people behind the sartorial extravaganza.

Staff Writer

Egypt’s First Luxury Fashion Show at Citystars 

As winter approaches and luxury brands set out to release their latest fashion must-haves, Cairo’s premier shopping center Citystars is hosting the first luxury fashion show to be held in Egypt. Introducing the Fall-Winter 2015/2016 Collection, the show will kick off on November 4th, combining premium and luxury fashion and accessory brands at the retail hotspot that has become a favourite amongst Egyptian fashionistas.

“We look forward to introducing Citystars as the first and only superregional shopping center hosting all premium brands under one roof,” says Naemat Shafik, Citystars Heliopolis’ Retail Leasing Manager, as she anticipates the retail giant’s ongoing plan to host a semiannual fashion show featuring their latest brands.

Among the top brands presenting their ravishing collections are Armani Jeans, Armani Junior, Love Moschino, True Religion, Versace Collection, Boss, Paul & Shark, dstore, CK, Burberry Children, Michael Kors, Longchamp, Tory Burch, Felopateer Palace, Charriol Boutique, Hublot, Montblanc, who will be taking the stage by storm, in what fashion experts expect will be a milestone event for the fashion industry in Egypt.

“The event is a landmark for us, as having the approval of all the brand’s mother companies was challenging due to the restrictions for premium brands terms of exposure, but they had confidence in our management and organising team, trusting the event will certainly meet their international standards and expectations to empower their performance,” says Shafik.

The show is organised by The Fashion Studio, a creative agency and educational studio with a main focus on fashion styling, imaging and art direction. “Luxury brands on the global front can be really adventurous with the image side of things,” says Bosaina El Kahal, Show Producer and founder of The Fashion Studio (TFS), the company in charge of organising the event. “They’re basically the leaders who dictate the trends so if they want to make alien or avant-garde images they can do that, but we can’t. The market here here has potential, but it’s not entirely there yet. But the challenge of changing the mindset is very exciting. It’s a new territory for all involved,” she explains.

Boasting a decade of international experience in the field, El Kahal has been previously involved in prominent international events, such as London Fashion Week, as well as projects with celebrities of the caliber of Eddie Redmayne and Beyonce.

Now working with a team made up of her alumni at TFS, the show producer visualises a promising landscape in the Egyptian fashion scene. "For the show, we’re focusing on each brand for its identity and the stylists have made their selections to best represent the spectrum of high-end and premium brands available at Citystars. For example, Love Moschino has a very colourful pop-arty approach and Burberry is more classic British heritage with key pieces like the trenches, so to group these brands under the theme of modern luxury and to translate this to the audience in one moving picture is something we’re very excited about," she says. 

A refreshing event for the local fashion scene, the show will feature an ObjetsD’Art gallery, where TFS has styled beautiful displays with accessories and leather goods and footwear, which will be shown at The Fashion Corridor at Citystars on the day of the event.

“As the theme of the show is 'Modern Luxury', we went for something classic catered towards Citystars' luxury clientele, but still injected our young and fresh energy into it,” adds the show’s stylist, Ahmed Nabil, “It’s going to be refreshing to see luxury done in minimal ways and not over-done like we’re used to in Egypt.”

The fashion show acts as a launching pad for Citystars’ upcoming luxury corridor, an area covering 14,000 m2 on the mall’s third level which represents the only platform hosting exclusive brands such as Tory Burch, Versace Collection, Carolina Herrera, and Michael Kors. An ongoing project for the past two years, the area is upgrading and incorporating new brands.

“Introducing new premium brands in Egypt with reasonable prices will attract shoppers as well as encourage more brands to launch, reintroducing Egypt as a shopping destination for tourists, as the country is considered to be one of the most prominent potential markets in the MENA region,” explains Shafik.

Anticipating this winter’s upcoming trends, TFS’s Junior Show Stylist Sandra Tarek says this season, it’s all about the 70s. “We’ve got everything from suede to flared trousers, knee-high boots, patchwork, jumpsuits, fur stoles, and fringes,” she says, “There are also late 60s and hints of the 80s as the fashion cycles are speeding up. Bold colours such as yellow, red, winter whites and forest greens are also in! Another theme is the Goth Glam/Neo Victorian trend; some collections were all about the velvets, lovely leather, and peekaboo dresses. Also, capes, ponchos, oversized jackets/coats, and masculine tailored suits are a big hit this season,” she concludes.

You can check out Citystars' Facebook page here or follow them on Instagram @citystars.heliopolis.