Baume & Mercier Revealed Designers Creations for Fashion Forward 2017

During Fashion Forward Dubai, Baume & Mercier revealed the unique Classima pieces created in collaboration with three of the region’s most celebrated designers, Hussein Bazaza, Zayan Ghandour and Rula Galayini, working directly with the brand’s visionary Design Director, Alexandre Peraldi.

The Classima Collection, inspired from a 1940’s museum piece in the Baume & Mercier archives, is the essence of the brand’s heritage. Embodying the know-how of Swiss watches, the Baume & Mercier signature on the collection expresses the fact that the watch comes from a brand with a reputation for providing luxury watches at an incredible value.

“When we design a special collection, there is a lot of opportunity to unleash our creativity”, said Alexandre Peraldi. “This collaboration with the talented designers shows our commitment to provide special designs that appeal to our highly discerning and loyal customers in the region, allowing them to express their emotions through a unique piece on their wrists, while at the same time contributing to a good cause”, he continued.

Each of the designers worked closely with Baume & Mercier’s creative team at their headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland to create a watchstrap that celebrated fashion and women whilst respecting the brands DNA and reflecting their own personal perspectives. The results were breathtaking!

Hussein Bazaza’s piece was inspired by architectural construction which had always fascinated the designer. The gold pieces that make up one side of the strap are thought of as the building blocks of a tower; alone, they are useless but together they create a powerful bond. Each square is in a different tone of pure gold: yellow, pink, white and bronze. A striking green marble touch is incorporated along with a royal blue metallic hint and velvet coat that covers it. The other side of the bracelet is an extreme contrast and is only composed of authentic simple leather bands.

“In creating this bracelet, I wanted to opt for a feminine yet edgy and grungy style; I wanted the outcome to be daring, yet wearable! As seen on the runway, the color-blocking and geometric designs that make up the brand’s identity can now be seen on your wrist”, explained Bazaza.

Zayan Ghandour’s design for Baume & Mercier re-imagines the Classima watch, combining the heritage, quality and craftsmanship it carries with a signature ZTL twist. Delicate vintage floral embroidery and cascading organza ruffles are inspired by the Autumn/Winter collection’s muse – Italian heiress and socialite, Marchesa Luisa Casati.

“A larger-than-life celebrity and icon of the 1900’s and well after, Luisa was famed for her extravagant soirees and avant-garde sense of style. She dreamt of becoming a living work of art and enchanted society with her eccentricity; and this is exactly what my design embodies”, said Ghandour.

Exemplifying a perilous lifestyle through dynamic accessories, Rula Galayini’s design, COIL, draws inspiration from the dynamism of time. COIL explores the overlap of parallel time lines, paths that cross a specific moments of time. The fluidity of time is represented through the fluidity of the highly malleable metal chosen.

“For this exclusive piece, I chose DYNAMISM OF TIME as a theme; more specifically, I wanted to challenge the typical cyclical portray of time”, commented Galayini.

             
                                 Classima Quartz 10335                                            Classima Quartz 10335

The highly anticipated final designs were unveiled at the cocktail reception hosted by Baume & Mercier during Fashion Forward and are now being displayed at the Baume & Mercier boutique in The Dubai Mall where they are under open auction until the 30^th of November for the benefit of Dubai Cares, the UAE based philanthropic organization that works to improve children's access to quality primary education in developing countries.

Fashion Forward Dubai is the definitive fashion platform for Dubai and the Middle East, providing development, exposure and a progressive direction for the regional fashion industry. The event gathers members of the regional and international fashion community to support seasoned Middle Eastern designers and discover new talent, as well as fostering industry discussion and propelling professional development. FFWD is the only Middle East based event that is supported by esteemed entities such as the WGSN, NowFashion, Fashion GPS, CFDA, Woolmark Prize, The Business of Fashion, London College of Fashion, and Domus Academy.

The 10^th season of Fashion Forward Dubai presented a new format, combining fashion, retail and entertainment on a large scale. This ambitious approach demonstrates Fashion Forward’s rapid evolution as the single most relevant representation of regional design talent.

About the designers

Hussein Bazaza

Hussein Bazaza was born in Beirut, Lebanon. Having developed an appreciation of all artistic fields from an early age, including illustration and photography, he enrolled at ESMOD Beirut to study for a BA in Fashion Design and Pattern Making.

After graduating from his BA in 2011, Bazaza started at Maison Rabih Kayrouz in Paris, and later worked for Elie Saab as a junior designer in Beirut, Lebanon. Bazaza’s first collection in 2012 mapped out his signature style, he was selected by the Starch Foundation to launch his eponymous line of ready-to-wear. Hussein is known for drawing inspirations, where every cut reflects a different story, a personal emotion that creates a one-of-a-kind experience, fashion with a soul. During his career path, Hussein received the prestigious Elle Style Award “Best Upcoming Middle East Designer” in Dec 2013.

In April 2015, Hussein was awarded with the “Best Emerging Designer” for The Middle East Fashion Awards 2015. In 2015 Hussein Bazaza was selected as one of the winners of Who is on next? Dubai by Vogue Italia and was announced as the inaugural winner of the Style.com/Arabia – DDFC Fashion Prize with launch of his winning capsule collection on Farfetch.com in the Spring 2016. In July 2016, Hussein Bazaza has launched his first Couture Collection at Altaroma Fashion week in Rome, Italy.

Zayan Ghandour

Zayan Ghandour was born in Beirut, Lebanon. She began designing limited edition one-off T-shirts while writing for the Daily Star newspaper (an affiliate of the Herald Tribune) before moving to Dubai in 2000 and retailing at one of the prominent multibrand boutiques.

In 2004 she co-founded s*uce, an award winning fashion and lifestyle concept and soon assumed the role of head buyer and creative director. In 2011, Zayan turned her attention once more to design, launching her eponymous label Zayan the Label during Paris Fashion Week to great reviews. Her signature style includes hand-embroidered motifs and prints, innovative cuts with flounce and twists, with a pop of color where you least expect it.

Now its 7th season, Zayan the Label is stocked in over 14 locations worldwide including Isetan in Japan, Galerie Lafayette Beijing and Harvey Nichols Riyadh. In 2014, Zayan the Label opened the first standalone in Dubai with plans to roll out across the region. An established regional mentor for young talent, Zayan speaks regularly at luxury, fashion and design forums and has co-founded the fashion distribution agency, Two Scoops.

Rula Galayini

Rula began her education with a degree in graphic design at the American University of Beirut, coupled with a scholarship from the Rhode Island School of Design.

Rula first worked as an Associate Creative Director at Leo Burnett in Lebanon on various regional and global fashion and luxury brands. She then joined MTV Arabia as the channel’s Creative Director in 2007. Here she developed the modern Arab identity of the channel, heading their design and communication strategies.

In 2012, Galayini took the helm as Design Director on Fashion Forward. In addition to her successful career in the corporate world Rula was determined to pursue her personal passion in product design, particularly in women’s accessories, and in 2007 she launched Poupée Couture. She gradually shifted into the realm of fashion under the mentorship of Esmod and London College of Fashion. She also embarked on a personal workshop with internationally acclaimed jewelry designer Azza Fahmy. Due to the brand’s growing International reach, on Feb 10th 2015, Rula re-launched the brand as ‘Rula Galayini’, and officially became the first crowd funded fashion designer in the Middle East.