Walla Al Alawi is a Bahrain-based designer since 2001. Her love and appreciation for fashion stemmed from a very young age when she used to visit upscale boutiques in the fashion capitals around the world with her family. With a degree in Fashion Design and Marketing from London, Walla returned to Bahrain and began working from home developing and adding personal touches to the concept of the abaya, a traditional Arabic outerwear dress. She explains, "When I returned to Bahrain, I wanted to create something new by combining the east and west in all my designs." Walla has been following her mission up till this day.
She presented her first collection in Dubai Fashion Week for Summer 2003, and has since then built an immense presence in the Gulf through an exclusive clientele.
In 2009 she created a capsule collection in collaboration with Saks Fifth Avenue; the feedback was amazing and gave Walla a drive to further develop her skills and designs.
With a focus on evening and cocktail gowns, she later launched her demi-couture label W by WALLA during MBIFW (Miami Beach International Fashion Week) in 2012 and she won the International Rising Star Award. “I design my collections for the charming chic, independent and fashion obsessed woman with an extraordinary lifestyle,” beams Walla.
Her latest collection named "Reflections," is a contemporary digital aesthetic inspired by the metamorphosis of nature and artisan work. The starting point of ‘Reflections’ is the designer’s own land, a small island in the Arabian Gulf, a mood that starts from the local nature colors, but is freed from the stereotypes to evolve into a more modern concept, a fashion made of contamination that surrounds and enhances the femininity.
This theme is further developed in the use of different materials, as impalpable chiffon, contemporary fine lace, rich brocade and soft jersey, defining form, structure, surface and finish of the gowns. Geometric shapes are exhibited throughout the cutting edge collection giving the garments a strong and contemporary look, while the draped tops and flowy dresses softens the figure giving a feminine feel. For the color palette, touches of eastern shades of sand are revived by deep emerald, striking turquoise and a pop of orange, emphasizing the sophisticated charm of the collection.
Each of W by Walla collections is made in Italy and sold at luxury stockiest worldwide; for more information, click here.
