SPIKES & BUTTERFLIES

ARTIST: Ginno Alducente

Photography:  Eros Goze

Models: Clarita De Quiros   Alex Callueng

Special thanks to: Illustrado Magazine

                              Lalaine Chu Benitez

                      Illustrado Team

September Issue 2012

ILLUSTRADO'S SEPTEMBER 2012 ISSUE

Featuring the works of over 40 Filipino Designers!

RADIATE
The Luxe Life – Philippines Style
Born Leader: Loida Nicolas-Lewis

A Look at Filipino Supermodels
Fashion: Light & Darkness
International Filipino Designers
Couture Gallery
Proudly Pinoy Luxury Brands
Your Style Personality
Not Your Mother’s Shoes
My Pinoy Life in Kobe, Japan

On the cover:
CENTER: Manette Mercado wears yards upon yards of light yellow chiffon cut in full length bias pieces accented by shoulder pieces made of varying cuts of Swarovski crystals. A swimsuit-cut inner piece features tassels of beads and crystals. The ensemble is topped with a neckpiece of clear drop crystals. BY ALDWIN GUARDIANA

LEFT: Elena Postolachi in an angelic gown with simple lines, creamy lace, crystals, and drapes twisted back skirt on a body conscious bodice BY ARIS PICO

RIGHT: Algirda Katinaite wears a crystallized corset with white silk chiffon overlay in Sabrina neckline with silk chiffon strips and detail on the hemline. BY TIM TEJARES

CREDITS:
Photography: Eros Goze
Post Processing: Tom Bolivare
Hair and Make-up: Ginno Alducente assisted by Valentino Jasmin
Models: Manette Mercado, Elena Postolachi and Algirda Katinaite

LIGHT & DARKNESS Fashion Editorial Designers: Alberr Fontanilla, Aldwin Ornopia, Angelo Estera, Aris Pico, Jimi Buenconsejo, Ruben Santos and Tim Tejares

Shot at The Lighthouse Studio, Al Quoz, Dubai
Lighting courtesy of Hensel - Al Awazi Studio, Dubai
Props courtesy of Ariel Design, Dubai

How Do You Do?.... AL MAYYASA

AL MAYYASA

Al-Mayyasa is a Dubai-based fashion label by Emirati designer Fatma bin Fahad. She is the oldest of two brothers and two sisters and was born and raised in the UAE. As a young child, an inspiring environment sur

rounded her, as both of her parents were artists. Bin Fahad’s father’s love for photography and her mother’s passion as an artist exposed her continuously to creativity. 

“Our parents encouraged us to pursue different forms of art and this allowed us to broaden our own perspectives,” she said. “We were allowed to develop our own outlets and I chose to pursue fashion.”

Bin Fahad was always drawn to fashion from a very early age, but she was also interested in interior design. She pursued that first and graduated before coming back to take up fashion full time.
“My experience in my subject allows me to combine the structure and technicalities into fashion. I’m hoping to design my own brand print and I think the combined experience will allow me to tap into the two. I think having artistic parents meant that I was destined to be in a creative field,” she said. “Growing up in a family where discussions revolved around poetry, art, photography was in itself an inspiration for a child. By the age of 9, I was sewing little dresses for my dolls and at 13 I started sketching,” she added.
Although Bin Fahad graduated in architecture and interior design, it was fashion that she wanted to take on as a full-time career. She went to fashion school to develop and nurture her passion.
“I was intrigued by fabrics and textures. Combining materials for each garment became fascinating to me. I wanted to experiment and fashion school became my haven,” she said. “With the support of my family and friends I embraced my new challenge and officially launched Al-Mayyasa in 2009,” she added.
Today the label has gained recognition and supporters and the designer is constantly searching for inspiration that allows her to create beautiful pieces.

Al-Mayyasa is an Arabic name, which means the woman's perfect body. “Many poets and artists have written songs and poetry about a woman's figure so I wanted to have a label that celebrates the essence of a woman. Being an Arabic brand I wanted to have an Arabic name and integrate this into the label,” said Bin Fahad. “Al-Mayyasa is an innovative, creative and stylish label and its main philosophy is affordable fashion. We believe that everyone should be able to wear great designer seasonal pieces without breaking a bank. The brand is keeping up with international seasonal trends,” she added.



Al-Mayyasa is designed for women who are strong and intelligent - women who are empowered go-getters.
“When any woman wears my collection I want them to embrace these feelings. I want her to be mesmeric as well as look elegant and sophisticated,” said Bin Fahad. “The designs are creative and unique, so she should feel and look stunning wearing Al-Mayyasa. We are about individual strength and each piece exudes a feeling that is unique to the wearer,” she added.

The designer usually opens herself to the universe when she is looking for inspiration. “Any creative person will tell you that inspiration comes from several elements. The simplest things can easily trigger creativity, whether it’s the surrounding environment, spices, dunes, flowers, cars, stories or a fashion icon, I'm constantly pursuing inspiration and influences from the ingredients of life,” she said. “From then on I start developing and translating these inspirations into sketches and technical patterns for production,” she added.

Al-Mayyasa’s latest collection Wyanet is the ninth collection so far. This year the designer launched three collections already: The Story of Alia, a teenage line she designed for the avid young fashionista and Pearl Allure, the Spring/Summer collection that is inspired by the fashion era of the 50s. “I’ve been looking at style icons like Audrey Hepburn who have influenced several fashion designers around the world,” she said. “Over the years I have launched collections called Spice of Life, Serene, Mystery, Dunes, Kujaku and Chloris. I'm planning to launch two additional collections before end of this year and I have already started working on the inspiration board for these end of year designs,” she added.
Wyanet, or "One Whose Beauty is a Legend", is the pre-fall collection by Al-Mayyasa. “The theme is an inspiration from the ancient Native American, therefore the colors of the selected fabrics reflect on the tribes that lived by the rules of nature and principles of the universe and the designs include braid elements, which are typical to these ancient people,” said Bin Fahad. “When I was looking for inspiration for this specific season, I wanted to bring something different into the fashion industry. Not many designers seek inspiration from the American Indians and true to the spirit of Al-Mayyasa I was keen to seek inspiration that is not common to the industry here,” she added.

The Native Americans were a great civilization and one that was spiritual as well. I think it’s important to honor them as they have been forgotten. “For the collection itself I have used the beautiful yellows, olive green and blues, combining these colors in chiffon, lace and tulle – the collection is receiving great reviews already,” said Bin Fahad.





The Al-Mayyasa brand is about simple elegance and ultimate sophistication. Each design carries the embodiment of these qualities allowing women to feel beautiful every time they don Al-Mayyasa. “When it comes to fashion I tend to maintain the essence of simplicity – its important to realize that less is more when it comes to fashion and this is something I continuously endorse in my collections,” said Bin Fahad. “The collections cater to diverse nationalities. We are able to reach out to a wider clientele because we are not targeting a specific demographic. The brand fuses UAE & GCC cuts, materials and items to give it a unique and innovative signature style, which is very interesting to our clients,” said Bin Fahad.

“Story of Alia” is a collection that features exuberantly colored jackets, vests, jump suits and dresses for 13 to 19-year-olds. The collection infuses bohemia and glamour to give a stylish yet comfortable look for the young fashionista. The collection uses traditional textiles and other fabrics like jersey, tulle and chiffon to give a sense of depth and scale. The colors used for this collection are fresh and vibrant and fun. The off-white, fuchsia, blue and black are easy colors for the teenagers to accessorize as well.
According to Bin Fahad, teenagers are fashionable and experimental in mixing colors, patters, textures and accessories. “Fashion is an important part of teenagers’ life as they tend to identify this as a place and space where they can express themselves. Teenage can easily bring a rock and roll personality with a sense of humor into their style and be able to get away with it,” she said. “They don’t take fashion seriously and that allows them to break all fashion rules - there is no responsibility or seriousness required from them so they can enjoy the freedom of trends,” she added.

“This is why I wanted to create a collection that allows them that designer outfit in their wardrobe as opposed to their primary choice of denims and T-shirts. This collection is fun with bohemian chic and super-girly with the right amount of feminine sophistication,” said Bin Fahad.

For this collection Bin Fahad was keen to merge culture and modernity. “It was not easy, especially since each has its own representation and identity. I decided to bring modern designs to life using traditional fabrics like tulle and Motaraz textile which allowed me to mix current trends, cuts and silhouettes with a traditional collection of materials to give a new twist to the collection,” she said.

Al-Mayyasa can be found at Bullet and Butterflies, O Concept Store and USH Boutique as well as Al-Mayyasa store on Sheikh Zayed Road in the Dubai. Bin Fahad would like to extend to several locations in Dubai and across the UAE as well as exploring boutiques in key countries within the GCC. Internationally she would like to explore cities like London and Paris. 

FASHION:  AL MAYYASA

MODEL:  MASHA

HAIR & MAKE-UP: GENE GINNO ALDUCENTE

PHOTO: EROS GOZE

TEXT: RIMA AL MUKTAR

SEXY & SPIKES

I like it fierce and sexy ....... NAZ CANNON

The brand nazcannon founded by Nasir Al Midfa’a and named after his nickname is a Middle Eastern label designed for the upmost chic and elegant customers. The Emarati brand focuses on androgynous designs with precise cuts and subtle detailing soon became the brand of choice amongst the local Middle Eastern socialites, celebrities and fashion enthusiasts around the globe. Nasir, a UAE national founded the brand after his talents were discovered by his friends and family which pursued him into establishing a business that caters to the needs of the international Emarati fashion scene. The brand uses fresh streamlined shapes and a love for earth tones with striking details like studs and spikes. The fusion of pop culture into contemporary design coveted by celebrities and the style elite alike, placed nazcannon at the forefront of revolutionary fashion in the Middle east which helped the brand evolve into designing strong silhouette contrasting with signature drapes alongside structured tailoring, establishing a sense of modern elegance with in their collections.

Fashion : NAZ CANNON

Models: Rami

                                   Gerhard Engelbrecht

                  Simona

Hair & Make-up/ Styling Ginno Alducente 

Photography: Eros Goze

Body as Canvas

It was  almost a month that i stayed in Iran for change visa, then suddenly Lalaine of ILLUSTRADO MAGAZINE  told me to shoot this issue Body & Art  well i guess  it would be fun.

Graffiti by: Ella  Orencillo

Mixed media concept by : Ginno Alducente

Tree concept by : Flordeliza Pesigan

Hand painted lace  on skin by Dawn Almario

Tribal Concept by: Flor Pesigan          Paint Concept: by Tom Bolivar

ART to Wear By: Dawn Almario

Artsy Concept: Tom Bolivar

Models:  Clarita De Quiros

          Alex Callueng

Special thanks to:  Illustrado Magazine

Photography By: Eros Goze

What was i thinking..? Kish Island, Iran

DELAM BARAT TANG MISHE... KISH ISLAND

i

DAY 1

Being in a STRANGE and STRICT place like  KISH ISLAND , IRAN  you need to fit in.. language barrier... total stranger ...humid...peak of summer

Che tori?........    How are you?

DAY 2

Well I've adjusted ....slept...... rested... and took my cam and walked its  12.54 ....  Chikar  Mikonin?   it was like 46 deg. celsius outside ..... sweating ... hmmmmmmmm. ... good there were trees  then suddenly i remembered  Baguio City......

DAY 3

checked if the visa has been  sent to my  email.... no luck   15 working days more....grrrrrrrr

INGILIZI BALADIN?  .... NA,BALAD NISTAM

wow.... i learned to speak FARSI .. KHODA HAFEZ  ...this is  where everyone says  Salam and walk..

DAY 4

amidst the heat in iran there was this   tree i just don't know the name but it had this weird looking fruit and its so red that it contrasted the green in its background nice texture too.... zoom in..... MOTAASSEFAM   ...i think its not edible...... actually I'm hungry right now

DAY 5

wow....  how will i shoot this?  its just too difficult i guess 9 attempts with my  blackberry phone...Got  it!!!!!! SHOMA KOJA MIRIN? .... lets go and drink some juice I'm sweating.... lets find a shade ok   its burning here...

DAY 6

 wow .. i always  walk here every night   ...... no sleep meeting point... SALAM .. ESME CHI? ... Im HAMED...... till 8:30 am   what a conversation hahahahaha.

DAY 7

i always love seeing a kid with his parents  i wonder where is the father   ?  .... its so nice.. the warmth ..the love... the care.... i miss my Mom and Dad... DOSET DARAM

DAY 8

why is it that most Iranian men are tall lean and handsome, fit at their 20s  till 30 only ?  i wonder.....then suddenly this teenager popped up.... cute... i saw him do some wake boarding.. he fell then just sat on this inflated raft......GHASHANG E, MAGE NA?.......