DUBAI: Lebanese fashion designer Hass Idriss is showing for the first time in the region at the prestigious Fashion Forward Dubai (FFWD) event.
His show is slated for the last day of the gathering on Nov. 2. “I have been in the industry 10 years now, but this is my first catwalk presentation in the region, so I know all eyes will be on me,” he said.
The 34-year-old founded his label in 2009 and made his debut at London Fashion Week, having shadowed fashion icons Alexander McQueen and David LaChapelle.
The designer aims to cater for all body types and skin colors. Photographed for the Hass Idriss A/W 2019 campaign
Most of the region’s well-known influencers have been spotted in Idriss’ designs. The label has also dressed actress Dorra Zarrouk and London-based singer and songwriter Leigh-Anne Pinnock.
“My signature look is body conscious, strong shoulders, small waist, sensual hips, flowy romantic bottom, translucent and some three-dimensional embroidery,” he said.
At FFWD he will show his A/W 2020 collection titled “She Rises at Dusk.” Idriss’ fashion house is all about couture and he believes “designers from this region excel at couture because of the Arab women who like to express themselves as individuals.”
Even though he is a couture designer, diversity is very important in his collection, and he aims to cater for all body types and skin colors. “I love sculpting around a real body,” he added.
Idriss’ fashion house is all about couture. Photographed for the Hass Idriss A/W 2019 campaign
Idriss’ approach to design has attracted clients from all around the world. “This collection is an odd mix between two worlds: The geishas of the 1930s and burlesque dancers in Berlin of the same era.”
With the collection being full of elaborate embroideries and having graphic structure, these are statement dresses. For Idriss, fashion is truly an art form and he likes his work to stand out. That is why he has kept the set for his catwalk show clean, to allow the clothes to do the talking. “I am working very hard on lighting and music,” he added.
“The turning point of my career was when I stopped doing what I thought people wanted and decided to give them what I wanted to see. I told myself that even if I failed, I would fail at doing what I love.”
