In The World Of Fashion, Qatar Leads The Way

One of the key centres of innovation in the country is also the oldest fashion and design university in the country, Virginia Commonwealth School of the Arts. The fashion programme helps budding designers from conception to final project.

Fashion graduate, Ayatallah Mohamad is part of a talented batch of fashion graduates, who showcased their designs in a catwalk show titled: “It’s history (non) repeating.”

Hira Nisar’s collection was called “Swing Motion,” “It’s about my personal conflict of swinging back and forth between my Pakistani roots and my life here growing up in Doha. I combine that with modern embroidery and tailoring techniques.”

Christopher Fink leads the team of professors who have worked for international fashion houses, “We want our students to find their inner voice…and translate that into a collection. The journey of a fashion designer is really to be the voice of their generation.”

The graduates are now getting ready to start their own lines right here in Doha

During Covid, Isa Ali Aljalahma and his cousin decided to turn their hobby into a business, making handmade vegetable-tanned products. Onsite, their leather workshop aims to source materials ethically, “We try as much as possible to be as best to the environment, the consumer, and our workers,” he says.

Creatives say Liwan is proving to be the ideal place for growth and collaboration, helping upcoming designers to find inspiration from their surroundings, and exchange knowledge, regardless of background or culture.