Amid revolution, Egyptian designer still makes it to Paris

PARIS, March 9, 2011 (AFP) - Putting a collection together for Paris fashion week is a nerve-wracking experience in the best of times. Just try doing it in the middle of a revolution.

Egyptian designer Marie Bishara did, and it is a stroke of luck that she even got to the French capital with her sophisticated and feminine looks in the wake of the uprising that put paid to Hosni Mubarak's regime.

"It was a great revolution, but all around you needed to keep things going," Bishara told AFP as she unveiled her latest fall-winter and cruise lines. "It needed more discipline. Everybody knew we had a challenge to be on time."

Male staff thus stayed late to safeguard the atelier in Tenth of Ramadan City, an industrial suburb of Cairo, presuming they did not punch out early to protect their own homes after police vanished from the streets.

"Then there were our men who were hand-beading in Khan el-Khalili," the historic souk in the Islamic heart of the Egyptian capital, she added. "We had to alert them so that we could keep on schedule."

In the end, everything got to Paris on time, although the planned show in the freshly renovated home of the Egyptian ambassador to France was scrapped in favour of a more casual presentation for buyers and journalists.

"It was felt that it was better to keep it calm" and low-key, she said.

Bishara, 44, the trilingual daughter of a Coptic Christian textile magnate, studied fashion in France and trained with such venerable French houses as Cacharel and Balmain before striking out with her own brand.

She carved herself a niche in pret-a-porter history when, in 2008, hers became the first Egyptian label to show in Paris, returning every season since to crack the European market.

Coming from a land with five millenia of history, Bishara draws freely from Egypt's rich heritage, from pharaohic times to the glamour of the Egyptian movie stars of the 1930s and 1940s.

She describes her latest fall-winter collection -- sometimes fitted, sometimes draped -- as "very vapourous; you have a lot of chiffon, a lot of lace" incorporating painstaking handiwork from women in the south of Egypt.

Winter coats feature arabesque detailing from the elderly craftsmen of Khan el-Khalili, while a relaxed tunic that blends off-white Egyptian cotton with turquoise stones is typical of the cruise-line offerings.

Excited by the winds of change in her homeland, Bishara is nevertheless realistic about the challenges thrown up by the downfall of Mubarak's long-running authoritarian regime on February 11.

She knows, for instance, that she cannot count on support from the industry ministry, at least in the short term as the political dust settles, and that she needs to find fresh sources of "good financing" to grow the label.

With 15 boutiques around Egypt, and the backing of the Bishara industrial empire and its 1,500 employees, her group is looking to franchising to expand its market.

She is optimistic, too, about the future for women in Egypt, despite some here-and-now concerns about safety on the streets.

"We should not forget that with the revolution, there are insecurities that need to dealt with immediately," she said. "This is something that worries women."by Robert MacPherson

News Source : http://eg.fashionmag.com/news-158134-Amid-revolution-Egyptian-designer-still-makes-it-to-Paris

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FRANCE: Egyptian themed collection for Marie Bishara at Paris fashion show

Egyptian fashion designer Marie Bishara presented her new ready-to-wear 2009 collection in Paris, on Friday (September 27).

She drew on her Egyptian heritage to find inspiration for her designs, which, nevertheless, have a thoroughly modern look.

Bishara works with traditional materials used in Egyptian clothing such as linen, cotton wool and silk.

For Bishara, playing with material is something she has done for a long time.

"The first thing I ever made was my ballet dress. I must have been 8 years old. We were asked to make an underskirt made of tulle and to embroider some pearls on it. That was my first experience of creating an item of clothing. I had to make a skirt made of red tulle for a Pharaoh ballet," she said.

Bishara said Egyptian style was so interesting because it was influenced by so many cultures.

"Egypt is at the crossroad of many cultures, the Coptic culture, the Muslim culture and the ancient culture of the Pharaohs. Every culture has left a mark and it's all of this that has left an incredible richness and it's also an incredible source of inspiration for every artist, a painter or a stylist. That is what this collection is about," Bishara said.

The designs of Bishara's displayed golden embroidery and semi-precious stones. Turquoise, deep blues and orange attire dominated her collection.

Some of Bishara's dresses had contemporary short hemlines; others were long flowing robes inspired by traditional desert wear.

Also represented through her work was the "Talli", a traditional ornament made of silver string from the south of Egypt.

Many Egyptian symbols are displayed in Bishara's work.

"I wanted to say that Egypt is a country with a very rich heritage and every artist can get inspiration from it and create many things and accessories, Bishara said.

In a tribute to the uses of cotton in fashion design, Bishara said: "Egyptian cotton wool is similar to white gold. Stylists can use it and make Egypt shine."

News Source : http://www.itnsource.com/en/shotlist/RTV/2008/09/28/RTV3150808/

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Marie Bishara veut faire connaître le "chic égyptien"

Par Marion Deye - Publié le 03 juillet 2008 | L'Usine Nouvelle n°3108

Redonner au textile égyptien sa notoriété internationale est une évidence pour Marie Bishara, la vice-présidente de BTM et de Marie Louis, les deux marques emblématiques du groupe de textile égyptien Bishara. Ses atouts : une entreprise familiale solide, fondée par son père en 1961, 1 300 salariés, quatre usines de production et une chaîne de magasins où travaillent 200 personnes. Ses armes de départ : une parfaite connaissance du textile dans lequel elle a baigné depuis son plus jeune âge et un succès commercial avec sa première collection de prêt-à-porter lancée en 1989, lorsqu'elle rejoint l'entreprise de son père. « Notre société est complètement intégrée : on dessine, on tisse, on imprime, on fait les finitions, on fabrique le prêt-à-porter, énumère la dirigeante. Cela nous assure un contrôle total de la production et une grande réactivité. » Le groupe, certifié ISO 9001, 9002 et 1400, travaille également pour de grands groupes américains comme Calvin Klein.

Mais pour cette dirigeante de 42 ans, la conquête de nouveaux marchés passera obligatoirement par la valorisation de la créativité égyptienne. « Nos atouts sont réels. Le fil de coton égyptien est le plus noble du monde et nous avons un vrai savoir-faire technique et artistique, en matière de tissage, de broderie », explique cette ancienne diplômée des Beaux-Arts du Caire et de l'école parisienne Esmod. Marie Bishara est convaincue de l'avenir du label « made in Egypt » comme symbole de la mode contemporaine. « Ces trois dernières années, notre pays a beaucoup changé, il s'est ouvert aux investisseurs étrangers. De plus en plus d'entreprises viennent s'implanter en Egypte pour bénéficier de notre savoir-faire », raconte-t-elle. Ce dynamisme nouveau donne des ailes à la chef d'entreprise. « Nous voulons maintenant développer nos marques en Europe », explique-t-elle. Sa présence à la « Semaine des créateurs » à Paris en septembre prochain et ses projets de partenariats avec des showrooms et des grands magasins parisiens en sont la meilleure preuve.

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Fashion Week à Paris : Marie Bishara, fierté égyptienne

C'est une première en France et une grand fierté en Egypte: la styliste Marie Bishara inaugure le premier défilé de mode égyptienne à Paris, à la Fashion Week Printemps-Eté 2009, avec une collection "contemporaine mais enracinée dans l'histoire" de son pays.

Marie Bishara est directrice artistique et vice-présidente du groupe Bishara, renommé en Egypte, et qui regroupe pas moins de 9 marques. Le prêt-à-porter est résolumment "égyptien", entendez par-là "qui plaît aux Egyptien(nes)", mais qui ne pourrait pas marcher en Europe à moins d'un énoooorme remodelage. C'est exactement ce que Marie Bishara a voulu faire pour accéder au marché européen. Elle propose une collection "basée sur les trésors de l'Egypte", comme elle le souligne elle-même, avec des pièces en lin, soie et coton. On trouve donc des petites robes courtes sans manches, inspirées des galabieh traditionnelles, mettant en avant le savoir-faire égyptien (broderie...).

Avis perso - complètement subjectif: quand on connaît les matières egyptiennes et les galabieh, le résultat est pas mal et je porterai volontiers la robe-tunique orange et la petite robe blanche. Elle peut réussir son pari avec la galabieh sexy ! En revanche, on trouve aussi dans sa collection des pièces moins... ou disons plus... egyptiennes (photos ci-dessous). Et si je 

dois porter un tailleur ou une robe de soirée, je ne choisirai pas Bishara -:)

News Source : http://lecairedesfemmes.canalblog.com/archives/2008/09/29/10757384.html

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