Fashion

A Conversation with Lubna Al Zakwani

 

Omani-born Lubna Al Zakwani has always had a passion for fashion design. She boasts a career in the fashion industry, along with her sister Nadia Al Zakwani, spanning over six years. Since then, a signature style of electrifying femininity, an ever-lasting elegance and a perfect blending of East and West were immediately apparent in the duo’s collection. As a co-founder of Endemage, Lubna Al Zakwani translates her passion into chef d’oeuvres, leaving no room for doubt. The beautiful Omani designer started slow and young, but armed with irreverent taste and a blazing demure, she’s on to conquer the world of fashion and we’re gladly following!

As she showers her audience with her charismatic aura, she beautifully frosts herself with Bulgari’s Jewelry collection. And yes, you’ve guessed it; all eyes are on her! Check out Lubna Al Zakwani and Bulgari’s exclusive video for Azyaamode and take a look at the fabulous collection!

 

Could you tell us more about yourself? How did your journey begin?

As a child like most girls I would love going through my moms closet and trying on her dresses. My interest for fashion grew further when my mom and aunt opened up a boutique in Muscat where I would spend a lot of my free time playing with the fabrics and watching the production of the outfits. I grew up wanting to pursue a career in Fashion. I would take part in local fashion competitions and fashion shows till I decided to take my passion a step further and enrolled into Fashion school, where I got my Bachelors in Fashion Design and Pattern Making. For our graduation project, we were asked to create our own brand and that’s where I decided I wanted a brand that would merge our rich Omani culture with modern silhouettes that could be worn more easily.

After graduating I joined hands with my Sister Nadia and started Endemage officially.

What’s the secret behind your brand’s name “Endemage”?

Derived from an Arabic word meaning the merging of two, I chose Endemage to mean the merging of East meets West.

How would you describe working with your sister on something you both cherish so much?

It’s a blessing to have someone that shares the same passion and ambition working towards the same goals.Was it hard designing the ultimate numbers to bridge the gap between East and West?

It’s always challenging to find a medium between the two, to try to fit in with the regional market but to also cater to the international market.

How would you describe your brand?

Endemage is a brand that highlights the beauty of women, shedding the light on their femininity and elegance while still make them turn heads.  Simple in terms of cuts and silhouettes but glamorous in terms of embroidery and embellishments.

You are widely known for focusing on what women want. What would you say are your favorite Endemage designs?

I love some of our cape dresses that we’ve designed in our previous collections, and some of the more elaborate gowns. My favorite from AW16 would be the Burnt Orange gown.

 

What is the toughest challenge you encountered in this start-up?

Like any business I would say start up challenges are pretty similar. It was very important to us from the very beginning to follow all the international guidelines from quality and trends to the deadlines. Standing out in the fashion scene among all the talented designers is always an ongoing challenge.

What can we expect in the future for Endemage?

We are working towards an international appearance representing ourselves as Omani Designers.



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