There's no question that a number of celebrities choose comfort above all else; Rihanna, Katy Perry, Lenny Kravitz and Halle Berry have all been known to favour T-shirts for their stylish and quirky comfort factor. Now, with a new course to be introduced by the SAE Institute in Dubai, the UAE's next top designer to dress the most in-demand international stars could be right around the corner. Do you think you have the right ingredients to become a celebrity designer? Then read on.
Tell me more
In collaboration with the trendy boutique S*uce and the fashion brand Palestyle, the SAE Institute will tomorrow launch the start of its three-day T-shirt Print Design workshop. Participants will hear about what encompasses a trend, learn to sketch their ideas, digitise their designs and create patterns. The icing on the cake? Learning how to ultimately market the T-shirt designs they come up with.
In the class, taught by the creative director and co-founder of Palestyle, Ahmed Abou Chaaban, students will work with Adobe Illustrator's advanced tools, creating graphic patterns to be printed on the T-shirts.
"By showcasing what goes into getting a design into an established regional fashion brand that has dressed celebrities and is sold in some of the biggest global department stores, we hope students will be empowered by first-hand knowledge," says Abou Chaaban.
A panel of judges will choose three winning designs, which fashion bloggers from The Fierce Diaries and Butter Hot Shoes will help to style. The T-shirt with the most "likes" on the Dubai SAE Facebook page will then be sold at S*uce.
Dress the part
The UAE fashion scene is an inspiring place to be, believes Abou Chaaban, with talented individuals simply needing guidance to unlock their potential. The course aims to do just that by blending fun and education with computer graphics training, marketing and fashion design, and exposing them to trendsetters and leaders of the local fashion scene.
"In a country with many emerging designers and creative minds, such courses are what's missing to help launch and boost young talent," says Abou Chaaban.
The key to creativity, he added, is thinking outside the norm.
"Being exceptionally different is believing in what you're doing and putting your mind and soul into it. Only then will your creativity, personality and style will start pouring into your designs."
Today is the deadline for registration. The course begins tomorrow, from 10am to 1pm and 2pm to 5pm, and continues until Wednesday. Cost is Dh2,100. Visit www.dubai.sae.edu
