Syrian couturier Rami Al Ali makes history at Paris Couture Week

Syrian couturier Rami Al Ali made history on Thursday as the first fashion designer from his country to feature in the official Paris Haute Couture Week calendar in a new landmark for Arab representation in the luxury business.

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After years of showing his tailored evening dresses on the sidelines of Couture Week, he was invited this year by France’s Federation de la Haute Couture et de la Mode to join the programme. He sent out models in long pleated dresses in pastel colours, making elaborate use of silk, rolled crepe fabric, embroidery and beading in a collection that reflected his optimism about the future of his war-ravaged country. “We called the collection the ‘Guardian of Light’, and it came at a time that is very hopeful, very promising,” the 53-year-old said beforehand.