A budding designer ruled The Corporate Catwalk at The Hotel Show 2010 as she claimed the Student Design Competition crown.
Souzan Nafez won the prestigious annual award for her fun yet extravagant designs. The Centre for Executive Education, Dubai, student beat off competition from 16 other finalists to be presented with a one week internship with A.Ronai - suppliers of Simon Jersey, as well as have their winning design showcased on The Corporate Catwalk.
The 26-year-old, whose inspiration for her restaurant hostess dress came from Flamenco dancers, said she wants to have her own label one day. “My dream is to train under Elie Saab. He was my neighbour in Lebanon and even though designing is in my blood, he pushed me to keep going,” she said. “
Now in its third year, the competition was open to institutions with fashion design programmes. The students were asked to create a full range of uniforms for one of three restaurants and one of two spas for a hotel under refurbishment. They could choose from a high-end Thai restaurant, canteen-style Greek outlet or a Spanish bistro, plus either a classic aromatherapy and massage spa or an ayurvedic one.
Competition judge and Design and Production manager for A. Ronai, David Sprakes said Nafez stood out due to her choice of colour and style. “She followed the brief to the letter and put two great ranges together that with very little tweaking would make exciting and practical uniforms. Souzan had done her research and translated it for the venue she had chosen, yet the designs remained practical,” Sprakes added.
For the first time this year, A. Ronai has also made up the design of the competition’s runner-up. Rikhika Chabria, who also attends the Centre for Executive Education, impressed the judges with her spa design, which the panel also said would translate almost unchanged into a workable uniform. Kanwal Khan from Preston University, Ajman, was the second runner-up
“We were blown away by Rithika’s spa outfit and thought it deserved recognition,” said Sprakes.
Ray Tinston, Sales Director, The Hotel Show, which organised the awards said: “The standard of designs in this competition improves year-on-year and the fact colleges have incorporated into their timetables shows how important it is for the students to gain practical experience. From the designs on show today there is a lot of talent in the UAE and I’m sure these students will have bright futures ahead.”
