Amira Haroon
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Meeting Amira Haroon was like a fashion trend, every time you encounter her, a new facet of her will come across. She is talented, creative and a fresh breath of fashion. She is an avid traveler and derives her inspirations from her travel diaries as well. Her creations are a celebration of women who dare to dream. A brief talk session with her, and we knew she is an ideal designer in today’s time and age.

Tell us something about yourself.
This region is basically home for me, I grew up in Saudi Arabia and I’m in Dubai for almost 15 years now. I am originally from Pakistan, but now I am suddenly here, my children are born here, they are going to school here, so my life is in this place. I think that primary tells my story in itself.
What’s your fashion inspiration?
I understand the culture, the society and what women like to wear.There is a great metamorphosis happening right now as we speak, women are becoming more empowered, they are getting out of their abayas only to make a more professional and cultivated impression about themselves and it’s nothing to do with our culture and values. It’s just that we don’t need clothes anymore only for ballrooms, launches and weddings, we now need to go out more, and we are multitasking in every field of our lives.
We need to be hostesses and wives as much as we need to be mothers to our children, taking our kids to school.We have to play different roles in this world. world. For this, you require to wear clothes which are smart cocktail dresses and not just ball gowns.
What do you think this region needed?

I think there was an unfulfilled need in this region when I came back from France last 2004; I saw a clear need for a pret-a- porter brand, primarily for this region. Women in this region, I feel are well exposed to luxury fashion; I mean a lot of women that I’ve known are not only wearing t-shirts and jeans under their abayas, so these are not for the women who will just wear a funky shirt or a great looking pair of jeans. They need a lot more to fulfill the engagements of their daily lives and because they have to go out and wear outfits for so many different functions, they need something more versatile and unique.



What is the main inspiration behind your design?
I think the pieces basically are very important, there are separate pieces which are basically for women to mix and match with equally stronger pieces. I don’t expect anybody to just wear my clothes, but I expectthem to wear it with a very well stitched trouser and top it up with my pieces. So the clothes are for women who are naturally stylish. I mean everyone cannot be stylish.
Tell us something about the design inspired by the ant.
One of my designs is accentuated by the ant. I am very impressed by a Southeast Asian Designer who nowadays does a series based on ants. Ant is the only animal that can carry 30 times its size
and ants never stop. So when I was thinking about it, I was very inspired by the ant. I want to dedicate this gold collection to this animal. And this particular ant designed was made by a very talented craftsman in Bombay, India and it’s a piece of art because of its three-dimensional design in which every leg and every arm moves. So you can make it an aggressive ant just like us women or like a friendly one. You can make it a hardworking one which we are always like.


