Cairo is no Paris, Milan or New York when it comes to fashion- but over the last couple of years, the fashion industry in Egypt's capital has burgeoned thanks to the growing number of skilled designers in the region.
While models will always attract headlines, and the increasing number of fashion festivals have played a big part in this, the future of Egyptian fashion lies in the hands of acclaimed designers. However, with quantity comes quality, and two of Egypt's brightest talents were hand-picked earlier this year to appear on Project Runway Middle East- the first episode of which is set to hit screens September 17th on MBC 4.
The garment geniuses in question are Amna Abdel Rahman and Mohanad Kojak, who will represent Egypt in the show.
The first full promo was released today, showing Abdel Rahman and Kojak lining up with their Middle Eastern brethren. Lebanese fashion designer, Elie Saab - who famously became the first Arab to dress an Oscar winner [Halle Berry, in 2002] - was the chief instigator in putting the show together with MBC Group. Saab will be joined on the judging panel by Tunisian-Italian fashionista, actress and TV host Afef Jnifen, as well as different guest judge in every episode. Lebanese-Australian model, Jessica Kahawaty, meanwhile, is set to host.
Project Runway Middle East isn't he first incarnation of the show in this part of the world, though; it enjoyed a two-season run on Lebanese channel, Future TV, in 2006 and 2007. This version, however, is said to be a much bigger and complex, and already has the fashion-conscious across MENA talking.
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By Kalam El Qahaira