A brand that stands out as bright as a pink highlighter, Nada Akram Designs’ boutique is one to look out for in the Mall of Egypt.
Starting more than six years ago as a completely handmade project, Nada Akram Designs was fueled solely by funk, a love for happiness and supported by nothing but a mission to make people happy through what they wear.
We spoke to the founder herself, Nada Akram, to understand the philosophy behind the authentic yet contemporary brand, what to expect and her new collection. With a degree in Fashion and a stimulated drive, Nada has been dressing women and their children in patterns that aren’t for the mediocre minimalists.
The woman behind the brand is a representation of the brand itself. Happy, artistic, funky, Egyptian to the core and most importantly, different. Her project started off from a purely artistic perspective with no business endeavor in mind and, surprisingly, her love for Barbie.
Barbie was her main muse as a child. She was obsessed with dressing her up and cutting up her Mother’s stockings to create new pieces to make her Barbie funky and colorful. Along with herpassion for all things joyful, Nada has a mad obsession with the likes of Soad Hosny and Sherihan, incorporating them onto her T-shirt prints and her dedication to Egyptian textile.
Her aesthetic is simple: she designs happy patterns. Whether it’s putting the most iconic faces of Egyptian pop culture onto the t-shirts, funking them up with extra ribbons and flowers, Nada wants her customers to wear patterns that make them joyful. Inspired by an idea that comes to mind, Nada made a promise to never limit herself to trends, timelines, agendas and international fashion rules. She creates when she sees an opportunity to create. She doesn’t believe in collections that follow a certain mood board or structure; her brand unleashes when her ideas come forth unforced.
The casual wear line of Nada Akram range from cocktail dresses, t-shirts and skirts. Her fans sometimes ask for customized pieces to wear in bachelorettes, birthdays or even simple cocktail parties. She has created various designs for known celebrities, including a vegetable skirt for celebrity Mai Selim and a piece speckled with colored candies for actress Nesrine Amin.
Nada believes that her clothes aren’t for anyone and she is perfectly comfortable with that. The dresses decorated with unicorns, donuts and cupcakes aren’t for the simple woman that runs away from the spotlight. A woman who wears her designs should be ready to have people look at the designs on her clothes as they try to decipher the patterns relationship with the bright colors and adornments.
When pop art and kitsch meet an Egyptian cultural appreciation, Nada Akram comes alive.
Stay tuned for her basics line and new collection inspired by unicorns, rainbows and mermaids at the Mall of Egypt!
