French Fashion University Esmod, the Dubai campus of the French fashion institution Esmod International, has announced that six of its students have secured positions as top ten finalists in the highly coveted Swarovsky Young Designer of the Year (YDY) Student Designer Category Award, being judged during The Bride Show Dubai exhibition that is being held at the Dubai International Exhibition Centre from April 10 – 13, 2007.
The YDY Award is designed to help young designers develop their skills by encouraging innovation in fashion design and is sponsored by Swarovski, an international leader in crystal design and manufacture. The ten finalists will exhibit their wedding gowns during the eighth edition of the Awards, which will be judged on April 13, 2007 by a celebrity judging panel.
Commenting on the exhibition, Tamara Hostal, Associate Director PR and Marketing, French Fashion University Esmod said, “The Middle East’s fashion industry is maturing from a passive consumer of fashion to a vigorous advocate of the latest trends and this will be reflected in persona of the creations produced by students for the Young Designer of the Year Awards. It is a huge achievement that six of our students have been selected as finalists after only six months of tuition since our University opened, representing the competence and quality of our highly trained French professors.”
Judges will choose an Award winner based on criteria including originality, innovative use of Swarovski Crystals, use of fabrics, colours and trimmings, construction and final presentation. In preparation for the event, students from French Fashion University Esmod were fully responsible for selecting, designing, purchasing the fabric and manufacturing their own gowns, all of which will be on display during the Bride Show Dubai exhibition at the French Fashion University stand 6G01.
The four day event will feature hundreds of Middle Eastern exhibitors and suppliers from 14 countries, showcasing the products and services necessary for a perfect wedding. Targeting both local and expatriate brides-to-be, the exhibition will feature haute couture fashion, accessories, jewellery, photography, flower design, wedding cakes, honeymoon specialists, sounds and light professionals, flower designers and up to 20 fashion shows.
“The YDY Awards look set to be a highlight of the exhibition and will be representative of the major changes occurring in the regional fashion industry as institutions such as French Fashion University Esmod are emerging to encourage a new generation of fashionistas. It is predicted that within a few years, leading designers will emerge from within the UAE and produce a fusion of styles that are regularly featured on the catwalks and streets of New York, Milan and Paris,” Mrs Hostal added.
In October 2006, Esmod opened its Dubai-based French Fashion University, directed at tapping into the region’s booming fashion industry and the growing demand by Middle Eastern consumers for haute culture. Founded in Paris in 1841 by Frenchman Alexis Lavigne, Esmod has since opened schools in 20 countries and trained generations of professionals who have worked for stylists such as Dior, Saint-Laurent, Kenzo, Paco Rabanne, Gaultier and Givenchy and others.
The University offers a range of creative, technical and marketing programs for students wishing to become actors of the growing fashion industry in the region. Various courses are taught by the French-trained instructors, including a three-year full time bachelor’s course, a two-year part time diploma, a three or six month Fashion Workshop, a fashion summer course, Trend Forecasting & Fashion Media Communication Master-classes in addition to merchandising trainings for retailers.
