Further grounding femininity into the brand, this season of Dima Ayad exudes timelessness. On October 13th, the fourth day of Dubai fashion week the Dubai-based Lebanese designer debuted her Spring/Summer 2024 collection. In a room full to its brim at Dubai Design District, her pieces held their own ground, demanding space and breath of its own.
Leaving little unsaid, Dima’s newest collection continues its mission to blend metallic into chicness. She infuses sustainability into her creations as she redefines how evening wear can bleed elegance while being unafraid to hold space.
Amidst the preshow chaos, she stands still. Poised and level-headed yet radiating a silent warmth. She tells GRAZIA how the core guides her art and her roots push her creativity.
THE METALIC WAVE
Dima Ayad launched her namesake brand in 2010, and yet again demonstrates her limitless ways to reimagine elevated metallic. This time a monochromatic theme rings through the everlasting pieces. “Related to that element of sustainability in a way where whatever item you see here kind of feels like you can wear it any season,” she explains. Through introducing the loudness of metallic on light airy linen sequences, she cuts through its shine and weight. Creating pieces that flow and swish with the wind while still being grounded in the heaviness of the metal. Somehow airy and voluminous Dima bubbles the steel to reform the shapes and silhouettes of her evening wear. Creating the new on the timeless, each piece remains self evident in its own existence. Assured and here to stay, it leaves the room in silent awe.
INGRAINED IN THE EMIRATE
What grounds the creative force span continents and ideologies, but one thing remains. Her persistent commitment to her code. While her roots sprouted in Lebanon, Dima has spent 40 plus years of her life in Dubai. “So Dubai’s home,” she smiles before adding, “and we’re a fashion capital, we should act like it.” She showcases her collection yet again, in a city that’s just as committed to their core. A core of ever-growing inclusivity and creative elevation. Dima demonstrates the city’s lasting imprint not only in her surrealist pieces which bend the ordinary and traditional. But in her bond with embracing all. The idea that her designs belong to women and their autonomy, in the way they please. Free of expectations and parameters, the night is yours and so is her art.
Silencing the loud
In an industry that’s ever-changing and quickly moving, it’s not hard to get caught up in the sparks. In the buzz and the inconspicuous whispers that swindle around the craft. And while the ruckus explodes around her, Dima simply ” ignores the noise.” She peaks over for a quick bow and lets her work speak for herself. She remains grounded in her identity and the foundations she’s laid and watches as the rest falls pursuit.
Reflecting on the steps she walked to get her brand to this renowned status, she advised young aspiring designers one thing. “Be fearless.” It’s quick and heavy and yet somehow liberating. Much like her work it manages to touch on all ends of the spectrum at once. “Stick to it,” she affirms. “Don’t keep changing because one season it didn’t work, you need to know what your DNA is.” Elaborating that when you find the thing that scratches that itch, you zone in. There is where your DNA lives. There is when you build a brand that has depth and belongs to something bigger than you.
As she continues to build her empire, she does so with unwavering devotion to self and the building blocks of her identity. Her boldness guides her creativity and her roots orient her approach.
And her “bling” adds some shine.
