Q&A with Lebanese designer Reem Acra

A model walks the runway at the Reem Acra fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall 2015 at The Salon at Lincoln Center on February 16, 2015 in New York City. Frazer Harrison / Getty Images Show more

New York-based designer Reem Acra paid a flying visit to Dubai this week to address the fashion community in her capacity as board member of the Dubai Design & Fashion Council. Here's a sneak preview of our full interview with the Lebanese couturier which will appear in Thursday's edition of Arts & Lifestyle.

Welcome back to the region Reem, tell me about the ready-to-wear collection you’ve just rolled out.

The inspiration was, American singer-songwriter, Stevie Nicks — she is one of my favourite people. She’s an artist in every true way and she was my muse. I had to embody her personality and become her to be able to design the collection and it came with ease. It was so much fun, I was the happiest ever when I was designing this collection.

Does she know she was your muse and has she seen the collection?

Yes, she knows but she was in Atlanta when we tried to reach her to invite her to the show. She has her tour and is very busy. Everything about the collection is about this ‘modern gypsy girl’ who is so deep inside and has an individual style. She’s like a fairy — the pieces are luxurious and bohemian with a very modern twist.

What do you think is your unique selling point as a designer?

I’m a woman and I understand the body very well. I know how to enhance a woman’s body, making the best out of it. Silhouettes change over time and today we’re very body conscious and when people like celebrities send me photos I can fit them with my eye straight away. I know what cuts will flatter and how they should be properly measured and fitted.

Do you have a favourite colour palette to work with?

I was the designer to originally introduce hints of colours to bridal gowns but I’m also known in my ready-to-wear and couture collections to always have something in gold. It’s in my aura and always around me.

You mentioned in your talk in Dubai as a board member of the Dubai Design & Fashion Council that aspiring designers shouldn’t try an emulate other brands and create collections purely on the basis of what they think the consumer wants to buy. Have you witnessed many designers launch and fail because of that?

Those brands came and went in a flash. So fast you won’t have even felt their impact. At my level I don’t see this anymore, perhaps when I first started but now not so much. That’s why it’s important to have something so entirely different to anything else out there and be true to yourself.

How would you describe the level of creativity and execution you’ve seen with the work of Dubai’s aspiring designers this week?

It’s hard to say we have ‘a standard’ yet, to be honest. The industry is still at the very beginning and I think there is room for designers to emerge. They just need to dig deeper and find the elements which will make them ‘a brand’. We all know the retail market here in Dubai, and the region, one of the best in the world. That is already presenting a huge opportunity for these designers — it’s perfect. So, with the consumer right in front of them, now it’s just a case of how they’re going to find the other elements to attract them.