The Turkish pavilion at the 13th edition of Heya Arabian Fashion Exhibition at DECC.
DOHA: The 13th edition of Heya Arabian Fashion Exhibition showcased more international brands than ever before, with new and returning brands from around the world.
Complementing a wealth of quality, Qatari collections, brands from the Middle East, Central America, Europe, Asia and North Africa participated at the show.
Dilek Hanif from Turkey; Romani Design from Hungary; Liza Cardenas and Olga Doumet from Ecuador; Rida Couture and Samar Secret from Lebanon; Doris Dorothea from Indonesia; Anardana and KD Boutique from India; Caftan Lalla Salma and Sophia Bin Yahia from Morocco; Valentino Pucci, Krystal B and BKIB from Italy and Inunez from Spain displayed brands at the expo.
Turkey-based world-famous designer Dilek Hanif; Liz Cardenas and Olga Doumet from Ecuador; Romani Design from Hungary and Kristal B from Italy, were part of the eclectic mix of catwalk shows at the opening of Heya, through the collaboration with their representative Embassies.
Both exhibitors and visitors were treated to a conversation with Dilek Hanif who hosted an inspirational talk about her journey to the top of the fashion industry, as well as a catwalk show, two workshops and a forum. The forum looked at “Exploring Similarities and Differences between Arabian and Ottoman Fashion”.
The session was led by Dilek Hanif as well as Sandra Wilkins, Head of Fashion at Virginia Commonwealth University-Qatar (VCUQ) and Fahad Al Obaidly, Qatari designer and artist.
Rafine, brand from Istanbul showcased special collection of shoes and dresses. Talking to The Peninsula, Merve Sen and Merve Erener, Designers of Rafine brand, said: “This is my second time in Heya. I have come up with my new collection of shoes which we named “CHIC”, as our clothing is very simple that’s the reason of our shoes standing-out.
Musse is the type of shoes which we have used this time with stones on top to enhance them. For summer we have designed the shoes with silk material. Clothing line depends on customers’ demands as we have many local customers in Doha.” Adding depth to this year’s programme, partnerships forged with the Ecuadorian, Hungarian and Turkish Embassies presented catwalk shows, and hosted forums and workshops, to help nurture and develop local design talent.
In addition, visitors participated in the forum, ‘The Interrelation of Fashion and Culture’ by industry veterans Valeria Mangani and Olga Doumet.
Ecuador-based designer Olga Doumet, commented on her participation at Heya; “I was honoured to be asked to come to Heya. I was excited to come to Qatar, and to see the amazing women’s fashion that is trending as well as meet all the local designers. It was also great to get such positive feedback for my designs. This is one of the most elegant shows I’ve done to date, and I wanted to present a collection to suit the Arab market with my own South American touch.”
