ONE of the kingdom’s celebrated designers of women’s attire has been turning on the style and turning heads with an array of out-of-this-world garments at a major global fashion event.
Noon By Noor sizzled at London Fashion Week (LFW) as one model, backed by mannequins and an artistic film highlighting the different looks, showcased a classy celestial collection.
The fashion spectacle, held at London’s ‘HERE at Outernet’, featured flouncy and fitted apparel in black and white from the Spring Summer 2024 line entitled Moonlit, inspired by the duality of light and shade seen on the moon.
According to the brand’s founders and designers, Shaikha Noor Rashid Al Khalifa and Shaikha Haya Mohamed Al Khalifa, the collection personifies balance and the multifaceted nature of the ‘Noon By Noor woman’.
“We are always fascinated by contradiction,” explained Shaikha Noor, highlighting the brand’s commitment to inclusivity and embracing the diverse roles women play in society. “By personalities, as well as light and shade, which can be both comforting and disturbing.
“Our collection for Spring Summer 24 reflects these opposite moods in several ways – in colours, fabrics, structure, mood and silhouette.
“Our approach this season was very cinematic. An idea of mystery, moodiness, drama with an injection of fantasy and a poetic narrative. We considered the different facets of the Noon By Noor woman with our creative team. We can be both romantic and soft, yet independent and strong.
“A mother, a boss, a leader. Our woman at Noon By Noor is all of these and more.
“By choosing to showcase our collection during LFW at a venue that allows us to be inclusive to a wider audience, we’re extending our reach beyond the invited press and buyers and allowing access to the consumer throughout the day.”
The designer duo, who studied fashion in the US and brought their vision to the kingdom after graduation, showcased their spring and summer attire at the popular music venue on Charing Cross Road with a catwalk film that was produced in Bahrain by I Heart Film, including a camera crew from Dubai and a director of photography and director from the UK. Stylists were also flown in from Great Britain for the catwalk film and later worked on the mannequins and assisted the model for the ‘big reveal’ at LFW.
The creative collaboration was shot amidst the gardens of the non-profit art gallery RAK Art Foundation. “It holds a special place in our hearts,” said Shaikha Noor.
Founded by Bahraini artist, collector and Bahrain National Arts Council chairman Shaikh Rashid bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, the gallery was originally built in the 1930s and converted into a traditional Bahraini house where he was raised. It contains myriad works from international artists and his oeuvre.
“Working with a team of local and imported creative talent,” added Shaikha Haya. “We wanted to showcase the enormous creativity and possibilities of our homeland when supported and encouraged to push our creativity to the next level.
“Creating a piece of work that is epic in scale and production, visually exciting, graceful, elegant, cohesive and with a poetic flow – evolving our collection’s sense of continuity and a commitment to defining our Noon By Noor aesthetics.”
And, while the film featuring international models was shot in August, it was showcased over the weekend on Friday to a packed house along with the collection. Guests gazed in awe as the film played on the ceiling and walls. Meanwhile, a model, appearing as though she popped out of the massive screens, strutted across the room in different styles around mannequins that were also wearing looks from the collection.
Some of the pieces included cape-like sleeves, which created an airy and voluminous effect, with low cuts and narrowing cuffs. Other styles boasted square-cut shirts, some cropped and others transformed into bibs or featuring buttoned hems, to add volume and versatility.
Utilitarian cargo pockets made a stylish appearance on chinos, shorts and cotton dresses tied at the back, while jackets showcased clean lines and simplicity without linings, facings, or canvas.
Throughout the show, the model had a particular look that embodied the creative process. “We have said this before, but accidents and our approach to the unforeseen are always a part of our creative process,” said Shaikha Haya.
“The Middle East in August is extremely hot and humid, so we worked with the elements, the heat and humidity as we created our show look. We made our woman glossy and wet as if she had just emerged from a shower or a swim in the sea, confident and strong.”
And, all this could be seen within the details.
“If you look at the details, not only on the clothes, but her brows and lashes that were brushed as if they are wet,” added Shaikha Noor. “Her nails are decorated with tiny seed pearls. Her shoes, simple ballet pumps painted white, are perfect for the relaxed attitude of the collection. A woman walks differently in flat shoes.
“She is bold and confident. This is a look that we love. This is Noon By Noor.”
Fashion lovers can’t seem to get enough of the label that was founded in 2008. Shaikha Noor and Shaikha Haya were recognised as the first GCC-based fashion brand to showcase at the New York Fashion Week in 2013 prior to moving to LFW.
Their designs are known to being modern and effortless while drawing inspiration from both Eastern and Western influences.
Some of the stars and celebrities that have been spotted wearing their glamorous garbs over the years include Jennifer Lopez, Solange Knowles, Alexa Chung, Kate Bosworth, Poppy Delevingne, Olivia Palermo and Blake Lively, to name a few.
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