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Deana Shaaban exudes a nexus of various artistic impulses
Deana Shaaban (in black) with clients at her boutique
by Joseph Earnest November 24, 2011
Newscast Media, WASHINGTON D.C. --After a month of hard-hitting news and politics, Newscast Media is featuring an inspirational piece to usher us into this holiday season. I caught up with Deana Shaaban, a good friend, and avid reader of my articles here at Newscast Media, to talk about her inspirational career, the challenges she has faced and overcome, and how she uses the fruits of her labor and her influence, to contribute to society and also to help the less fortunate.
Deana was born in 1985 in Bayonne, New Jersey, and grew up listening to the sound of the sewing machine in the background, on which her mother worked in her home. Little did she know that her mother's passion for tailoring clothes would later on in life be imparted upon her, the result of which would be the launching of her own line of clothing.
"On family vacations while my siblings and I were at the beach, my mother was always walking around the fabric markets looking at a plethora of colors that lined the walls of the shops," she said.
"At some point in my university years, I went into her fabric closet, pulled out some fabric and decided to sew my first design, that resembled nothing that could be worn. But we all have moments, and at that moment I realized, that in that rectangular piece of fabric that I was holding, lay an infinite number of possibilities. That realization for me was overwhelming and profound. I think it was the moment I realized, that if I'm going to be up till 3 a.m. doing anything, then this is exactly what I want to be doing," said Deana.
Some of the challenges she personally faced when she first started out her career was that she was moving back from London to Egypt, a place where none of her family was living, and hadn't lived in for over 30 years, yet Deana was attempting to start her clothing line on her own on the Continent.
On occasion Deana also models her own clothes
"I didn't really have much money to start out with, and I didn't have any connections to help me jump-start my business. In essence, I had to figure out everything on my own. I think one of the main challenges that both I and other designers face in Egypt is trying to change the mentality that currently exists of customers preferring international brands versus the local ones," she said.
There is also the social unrest that is happening in Egypt that was triggered by the Arab Spring earlier in the year, yet despite being able to live a comfortable life, Deana stood in solidarity with the rest of Egypt on a quest to secure true freedom and liberty. Just like most people who live on the Continent, Deana does not shy away from politics, and encouraged me to delve more into the subject during our recent interaction.
"As a business, you have to kind of calibrate yourself with regards to collection launch timings, campaign timings etc...based on what is happening around you. I also believe that you should never bank on the misfortune of others. If you want to help, then really help," Deana said. "You have to be sensitive to the environment in which you are working because ultimately, as a business, you are functioning because of the people of the country you are working in. Egypt is currently going through an incredible stance for freedom, and if some businesses have to temporarily take a hit for that to happen, then so be it. The price of freedom was never cheap, everyone in Egypt is well aware of that and patient enough to get through it."
In addition, Deana gives back to her community by hiring local residents with absolutely no training in the world of fashion and personally trains them.
"Having sewn my first few collections all on my own, I already had this knowledge. In this way, you are teaching people new skills and then offering them a sustainable income, thus giving them hope and showing them that they can take their lives in their own hands. I also have a certain percentage of the company revenue that is dedicated solely to giving back to social projects and NGOs in Egypt. I, along with two partners have an initiative called "The Brewing Pot" within which I design a clothing line, and all the money earned is donated to charity and social projects around Egypt," she said.
Deana Shaaban Fall/Winter Collection Launch at Theodor's
Deana believes every design is a fusion of the world's cultures through the fabric that has been born of that culture, because we live in a world where cultures are intermingled and intertwined, which is reflective of her clothing. Her designs are neither Arabian, African, Grecian nor Western, since she fuses fabrics from various countries in Africa including Egypt, India, Turkey, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Italy.
Her brand continues to grow and she was recently named by her local media as fashion designer of the year. As for her inspiration, Deana says, "Alexander McQueen, John Galliano and Madeliene Vionnet are the designers who have inspired me and I believe will continue to inspire me. Their designs are more than just practical clothing, they have found a way to merge art and design with clothing so beautifully, in a way that is theatrical, yet still wearable."
While most fashion designers this journalist has observed approach their profession from a business and commercial standpoint, Deana approaches it as an art. Every piece she creates is a nexus of various artistic impulses interwoven into a tapestry of fabrics, prints, and patterns that convey the true essence of a woman.
In Deana's world, trapped within every woman, dwells her true inner beauty that yearns to manifest itself so utterly, so completely, that Deana has ventured to use her collection of designs to complement that very embodiment, and help women release their mysterious yet mesmerizing feminine glory. Therefore, one can confidently conclude, without the fear of contradiction, that Deana Shaaban drapes women beyond what the visible realm can behold.
It is not enough to describe a woman as beautiful, it is more important to identify what makes her beautiful. That is what is referred to as the "essence" of every woman. A woman's pride is in her soul, like a flag flying up on a pole. Her strength lies in her hopes, like sails attached to ropes.
Deana graduated from the American University in Cairo as a Business major with an emphasis in Marketing, and also took Psychology as a minor. She then went on to gain certificates in fashion design from the Instituto Di Moda, in Cairo. Thereafter, she followed up her interest with classes at the Fashion Design Center (FDC) and the Institute Technique de la Mode. After a one-year program in the London branch of the Instituto Marangoni, she returned to Egypt to launch her own clothing line called DEANA SHAABAN.
"I always take fabrics from cultures that seemingly have nothing in common and merge them together in a sophisticated masterpiece; I hope the world can understand that this can also be applied to the world outside of just fabric and design. I believe that when the world comes together, then the most beautiful and incredible things can result," Deana said. While her previous collections have been colorful designs, her most recent Fall collection was made of solid colors in mostly black and white.
Deana later on ties our extensive conversation together and gently reminds me:
"Like I was saying earlier, the more you teach yourself about the possibilities of what can be, the more profound your designs will be." Add comments >>
On the Web: http://www.deanashaaban.com
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