Created in collaboration between Emirati designer Madiyah Al Sharqi, and Lebanese digital influencer and entrepreneur Karen Wazen, the Madiyah Al Sharqi x Karen Wazen Collection for Spring Summer ‘21 is a blending of perspectives, and a collaboration founded on pursuing reinvention.
Having been friends for many years, witnesses to each other’s sartorial evolution and milestones in the industry, Al Sharqi and Wazen joined forces to create a collection that reflected a beautifully balanced interpretation of their distinct aesthetics and individual identities. While retaining the spirit of the Madiyah Al Sharqi brand with exaggerated silhouettes, thoughtful details and an expression of everyday luxury, Wazen’s signature modern femininity and adventurous style are unmissable throughout the repertoire.
Reimagined from Wazen’s favourite pieces and silhouettes within the Madiyah Al Sharqi brand archive, the range encompasses soft tailoring, statement dresses, and casual separates that make up the perfect capsule summer wardrobe while providing an essential dose of escapism.
The collection is a fresh take on the Emirati label. Alongside its best-selling pieces over the seasons, Wazen conceptualized new styles to evoke her personal fashion sense and vibrant personality, and instinctively choosing a natural-toned palette of fresh blues, white, blush, olive and taupe, that make up textured textiles, lustrous silks, and bold ikat-style prints rendered on lightweight fabrics.
Every look easily stands out as a potential summer uniform, with each piece thoughtfully designed to seamlessly transition from day to night, and offer the flexibility of mixing and matching separates within the collection. The tiered skirt is interspersed throughout dresses; from floor-grazing gowns with a ruffle collar, to off-the-shoulder midi dresses affixed with elaborate sleeves. Monochromatic looks are propositioned with a wrinkle-effect texture; a boxy blazer, lapelled crop top or peplum blouse can be paired down with a high-waist short, or dressed up in wide-leg trousers for a tailored note.
Effortless, laid-back dressing runs through the designs, with cowl-neck slip dresses, and button-down blouses that can be thrown over a matching crop top and flared pants. A strong contender for accessory of the season, bandanas that can be multi-purposed are incorporated into the collection; worn wrapped around the head, tied as a top, or to cinch a waist.
Of the collaboration, Sheikha Madiyah Al Sharqi and Karen Wazen shared;
“The brand has been creating collections for 8 years and with the times we’re living in, now more than ever felt right to explore a new direction, away from what we normally show season on season. Collaborating with design talents from the region is not unfamiliar to the brand, but a partnership of this scale–an entire ready to wear collection was a first for us. The collection harmoniously captured her fresh vision and brand’s trademark aesthetic, and it has been an exciting journey to work with Karen and bring our designs to life.” –Sheikha Madiyah Al Sharqi, Founder and Designer of Madiyah Al Sharqi
“I’ve always admired her work and have been wearing her designs since 2016. Her collections naturally speak to me so coming together to create a collection with a long-time friend and collaborator was very special. It’s the first brand partnership I’ve done on this level, sharing my vision with a ready to wear brand, and it was a very enjoyable learning process from tracing back the looks I’ve worn, selecting our favourite silhouettes from the brand’s archive, down to designing new styles, selecting the fabrics and taking a hand at refining samples. The collection was created during a strange moment in time, and was truly a result of a partnership, so it came from a very personal place, and I hope people will love and appreciate it.” –Karen Wazen, digital influencer and entrepreneur
The Madiyah Al Sharqi x Karen Wazen collection will be available from January at www.madiyahalsharqi.com, FARFETCH, Bloomingdale’s Dubai and Kuwait, Ounass, Rubaiyat Jeddah.
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