Everyone’s a Fashion Designer!

I don’t know if its my overly criticizing character or the fact that Campus gave me a ‘free-pass’ for being a fashion critic that I became such a cynical character. If I wasn’t so innocent looking I’d be termed a bitch a long time ago. So forgive me for being too (lets term it) forward. But some things need to be criticized. 

The fashion industry is booming in Egypt, and while it is so nice to see local talents get creative there is too much “nafsana”. If designers would accept to learn from those around them and admit that they need the advice, the fashion industry in Egypt would look so different. 

I recognize this flaw in most Egyptians. We think we are the shit. We think we don’t need help. And we love to “nesee3” 3ala ba3d. I see so many people calling themselves “real designers” and accusing people of copying them when all I want to tell them is “darling, just because you produced a fashion line with the least creativity (Fatima hand and the evil eye… again) doesn’t mean people are copying you, it just means you need help.” The occasional bumping into random people and faking small talk always ends up with someone saying “I’m a designer now,” or one girl giving another golden advice “why aren’t you a designer? You know how to dress, you can SO be a designer.” Yes people, because apparently Stella McCartney was just a good dresser so for that reason she magically became a designer. 

They make it sound so easy to say they’re designers while all my thinking goes to those students who spent 4 years actually studying design and another 4 years in retail jobs until they work their way to the top when they can confidently call themselves designers. Being a designer is like being an artist. It’s talent, it’s creativity, it’s practice, it’s knowledge. I have a friend and she’s my role model. She studied fashion design in London College of Fashion, used literally all her holidays to do internships in the fashion industry and when she had the opportunity to come back to Egypt and absolutely flaunt it in everyone’s face, she decided to work with one of our best local designers here to gain as much experience before she can call herself a designer. Now that’s how it’s done. That’s how our prominent “designers” should work.  

Educate yourself. Compete with international standards. Thrive to learn at everystep. Recognize your flaws. And you’ll do great.