The star-studded event by Qatar Creates featured 150 designers from around the globe and over 20,000 attendees at 974 Stadium
M7 wowed an audience of more than 20,000 attendees at the Qatar Fashion United by CR Runway Show presented by Qatar Creates, and held at 974 Stadium on 16 December. 21 Qatar-based brands showcased their designs on the global stage with support from M7, Qatar’s hub for fashion, design, and technology. The show featured 150 designers from six continents and 50 countries, represented on the world’s biggest catwalk.
Envisioned by Qatar Museums Chairperson Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Qatar Fashion United by CR Runway Show connected cultures like never before, showcasing a modern embrace of tradition and heritage. Curated by visionary French fashion editor Carine Roitfeld and directed by Vladimir Restoin Roitfeld, this monumental event featured 21 brands from Qatar, along with acclaimed global icons of art, fashion, music, architecture, and sport. Two days before the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ final, this extraordinary cultural gathering put an international spotlight on Qatar’s creative flair.
The 21 brands from Qatar included Aldukan, Aliya Al Obaidly, Tamader AlSultan, Drizzle, Ghada Al Buainain, Hairaat jewellery, HAMADIS, Harlienz, Kaltham’s Pavilion, Lorenaa Michelle, Maryam Al Darwish, Mhefhef, Muna Saad, Naila Al Thani, TRZI, TIIYA, Waad Designs, WADHA, 1309, Yasmin Mansour and Wit Noiz.
In an enchanting combination of traditional pearl diving heritage and modern-day couture, Aliya Al Obaidly and Harlienz presented their special performance, titled “Where the Sand Touches the Sea”. Directed by Aliya Al Obaidly, featuring a long white dress and Harlienz’s abayas, the performance was accompanied by the music of Hala Al Emadi and the vocals of Qatari singer Dana.
HAMADIS, a luxury abaya brand founded by Jawaher and Aysha Al Hamadi, presented its Off-White Reinterpretation on the runway. Representing Qatar alongside 32 global brands, HAMADIS showcased a modern abaya made from the Off-White jersey.
Aldukan presented a piece that captured the essence of Qatar and its traditional roots, inspired by the Qataf – Qatar’s national flower. Founded by Alanoud Almegaiseb, Aldukan uses uses traditional designs and embroidery with modern fashion trends to make contemporary abayas.
Drizzle, founded by Al Anoud Al Hedfa, presented the perfect blend of modern elegance and traditional touches with a classy blazer jacket, trousers, and head cover. The brand is built on elegant, timeless, and minimalist pieces.
TRZI featured a structured suit complete with a flowy, soft abaya inspired by the traditional bisht – with traditional zari bisht embroidery on the edges-. Founded by fashion designer and art director Amna Al Misned, TRZI reimagines the abaya, blurring the lines between Qatari cultural attire and the global fashion world.
1309 presented a dress inspired by the strength and resilience of women, paired with a remarkable headpiece designed and worked on with jewellery designer Nada Al Sulaiti. Founded by Ghada Al Subaey, 1309 is a ready-to-wear label that celebrates women, with a ‘contemporary bohemian’ aesthetic.
Hairaat showcased its diverse brand design language on the runway, accessorizing four brands’ looks; Aldukan, TRZI, 1309 and Drizzle, with pieces such as ‘Hilali’ inspired from traditional hilali with modern touch, and ‘Nafla’ to honor the designer’s great grandmother. Founded by Nada Al Sulaiti, the brand links Qatar’s remarkable cultural and architectural concept with the highest standards of jewellery design.
Tamader AlSultan, an eponymic brand, presented a blouse with a head cover, trousers, and coat, a look inspired by Qatar’s landscape for the colours and embroidery. For the outerwear, the brand presented the traditional “daglah” which is a customarily masculine garment; modern and feminine. The fashion label seeks to create experimental Ready-to-Wear lines that push the limits of local Qatari fashion.
Wit Noiz, a contemporary sustainable brand by designer Aldana Al Misned, created ‘A Common Thread’, a sophisticated garment combining feminine and masculine elements of traditional Arab attire (Battoulah and Igal) in a modern way, connecting Arabs across borders. The brand aims to create functional pieces that have become the launchpad for the brand’s expansion into furniture and lifestyle product design.
Ghada Al Buainain accessorised two designers on the runway, Tamader AlSultan and Wit Noiz, with their eponymic brand’s pieces designed for the contemporary woman. These pieces are meant to be worn by those with an inspirational story, confident and modern figures who grasp the world with both hands.
Mhefhef, a fashion brand founded by fashion and textile designer Mashael Al Nuaimi, presented a culturally-rooted dress made with permanent henna paint; an amalgamation of childhood memories, fantasies, scents and flavours. The brand is known for their all-natural, sustainable pieces featuring intricate craftsmanship.
Kaltham’s Pavilion, a fine jewellery brand founded by Kaltham Al Majid, accessorised Mhefhef’s look with a five-piece set inspired by Qatari culture. The set, made from 18K yellow gold, diamonds, and freshwater pearls, included earrings, a necklace, two ring bracelets, and a headpiece with a cashew outline, inspired by a gown designed by Mhefhef.
Lorenaa Michelle presented ‘Galaxy’, a piece combining two different textures to reflect as one. Lauren imagines that a woman wearing this piece will feel grounded in her roots and able to add cultural diversity through simple details. The brand boasts a mixture of Middle Eastern and urban Latin styles, it creates sustainable and unisex clothing.
Maryam Al Darwish presented a modern yet modest ensemble at the show, including a long abaya, headscarf, trousers, blouse, and gloves. Changing details to fit today’s fashion while keeping the bones of the original design, the piece, represents growth over the years. Maryam has a strong taste in chic, asymmetrical, bohemian embroidered style, with modern yet modest aesthetic.
Muna Saad foubded by Muna Al Sulaiti, presented a modern, abaya-inspired ensemble featuring an elegant white trench coat with a large shoulder bow. The design represents the duality between feminine and masculine and celebrates the story behind it. The brand is a Demi-Couture line with gender culture and racial equality as a key inspiration.
Naila Al Thani presented a garment made from upcycled damaged textiles locally collected from bisht tailors in Qatar. The award-winning designer and material researcher merges craftsmanship and technology to work with natural materials and microorganisms such as fungi and bacteria to create circular biomaterials and pieces that keep discarded materials in use.
TIIYA, founded by Alanoud Al Attiya and Shaikha Al Thani, presented a gown featuring individual handmade butterflies that commemorate the year 2022, when the World Cup was hosted in Qatar. The butterflies create the colours of the Qatari flag on the outer part of the cape and the colours of the Palestinian flag on the inside, expressing solidarity with Palestinians, and to raise awareness on this ongoing humanitarian crisis.
Waad Designs presented a design inspired by the beautiful and delicate sand dunes of Qatar. The brand, founded by Waad Mohammad, is an award-winning Qatari abaya brand that aims to dress modern Muslim women of all shapes, sizes, ages, and backgrounds in luxurious, easy-to-wear pieces.
WADHA, a contemporary luxury brand founded by Wadha Al Hajri, presented a design inspired by the strength and elegance of Qatari women. The dress, made with a white silk organza cape, was a tribute to femininity and confidence. The brand aims to bridges the gap between ready-to-wear and couture.
Yasmin Mansour presented a dress inspired by Qatar’s coast, with elements representing the sea and sailing boats. The shoulders of the dress is inspired by the sailing boat while the bottom by the waves of the sea. The brand, founded by Yasmin Mansour, is a luxury and sustainable fashion label creating handmade, made-to-measure pieces for high quality and sustainability.
All proceeds from the Qatar Fashion United by CR Runway Show event went to Education Above All (EAA), a not-for-profit organization that works to provide educational opportunities to underserved children and youth, and empower women in their communities. By attending the show, attendees not only witnessed the incredible creativity of Qatar-based brands, but also contributed to making a positive impact through EAA’s important work.
